A day to remember

Ongo’s Viking Centre in Barton upon Humber secured funding to take 75 locals to Yorkshire Wildlife Park during the summer holidays.

The trip took place on 24 August 2022, which was made possible through generous funding from HSBC.

They have a long-standing commitment to supporting the communities in which they operate, and since 2021 have raised more than £7.5 million for over 1.052 UK charities along with staff volunteering over 13,301 hours during work time.

Several of their staff also volunteered to hand out lunches on the day and make animal masks with the children.

Like most, families are beginning to struggle financially due to the cost-of-living crisis, so being able to provide this trip to Yorkshire Wildlife Park gave local families the opportunity to really enjoy their summer holidays.

Grace Woolley, Viking Centre Co-ordinator said: “This is the biggest trip we’ve ever run and it demonstrates some great partnership working with a big organisation.

“Providing these trips gives families and the local community a great sense of community pride and brings people together to enjoy a great day.

“We had a great time, and we cannot wait to be able to hold events like this in the future.”

Julie Ashcroft, Local Director from HSBC Bank UK said: ‘’HSBC UK was delighted to fund and support this day out for local families that use the Viking Centre. Community is at the heart of our Local Market and this day out was a great thing for lots of local families within the Barton area.

“My thanks to the team at Ongo Communities and the Viking centre for reaching out and making this all possible. It was an amazing day for everyone who attended.”

Along with funding the trip, HSBC is also working alongside Ongo to support customers and tenants with financial educational sessions which covers a variety of modules including online banking, fraud and budgeting.

The Viking Centre delivers free activities to the local community giving families the opportunity to socialise and provide young people with a safe space to express themselves and meet new people.

For more information on The Viking Centre follow them on social media or contact 07717736162, for more on HSBC and their community initiatives, go to: www.HSBC.co.uk