Our Charity Partner
The Eikon Charity
At Clownfish Events, we believe in giving back. When we first met Chris, the founder and director of the Eikon Charity, in 2018 and learned how they help vulnerable young people here on our doorstep in Surrey, we knew it was a no-brainer to support them.
What does The Eikon Charity do?
Eikon’s vision is to develop confident, thriving and resilient young adults who contribute positively to society.
The charity believes in early intervention by helping young people overcome difficult issues before they become long-term, damaging problems.
They work in many communities across Surrey, offering an array of services such as weekly sports coaching, youth clubs, outreach sessions and mentoring. They also deliver courses through schools and provide in-school pastoral support in conjunction with teachers.
By addressing mental health issues in the early stages, Eikon has helped hundreds of young people to improve their attitudes and behaviours, build stronger relationships with family and friends, improve their attendance and attainment in school and, ultimately, enhance their employment prospects.
What is Eikon’s ambition?
Eikon’s aim is to stand out through the impact they have on the young people they support, and to be recognised as a leading expert in the field of mental health and support.
They want to grow their services so that more young people have access to high quality support when and wherever they need it. They are fully committed to continuous improvement in all they do.
All their programmes are based on three simple and essential principles:
Being Preventative…
Eikon works proactively to get involved before problems escalate. This differentiates them from many other service providers who tend to focus on crisis management rather than prevention.
Being Relational…
They provide intensive, unconditional and personal support for young people wherever, whenever, and for as long as they need it, whatever their needs are.
‘No Wrong Door’…
They provide support across any subject matter with no form filling or waiting lists.
When we decided back in February 2018 to support Eikon, we promised them a few things…
Winter Wonderland Ball
In January 2019, we designed, delivered and sponsored Eikon’s Winter Wonderland Ball – an annual, black tie, fundraising event.
We worked closely with the event team at Eikon to produce just what they wanted at their venue, Royal Holloway University.
We designed floral arrangements and willow arches; installed lighting and sound for the venue and adjoining corridors; and provided one of our professional DJs to help guests dance the night away on our sleek Black and White Dancefloor.
£9,000 was raised throughout the evening, meaning a fantastic night was had by all. We’re already looking forward to organising their next event!
“Not only did the Founders’ Dining Hall and Glass Corridor look fantastic, Clownfish were so easy and helpful to work with. We look forward to working with them on our next event.”
– Caroline at Eikon
Mentoring
Our founder, Matt Turner, knows that the Clownfish team – and each employee’s personal development – is the most important part of our business. It’s this belief that has driven him to become a mentor, under Eikon’s guidance, to a young person in Surrey.
As with every Eikon volunteer, Matt has received training on how to support a young person with mental health challenges; and Eikon has taught him some counselling techniques that he can use to help. He meets with his mentee every week and is committed to becoming someone who makes a difference in their life.
“Being able to listen, advise, encourage and support is a massive privilege. It’s a challenge, but it’s humbling. I am encouraging my team to become Eikon mentors too.”
– Matt
The London Marathon!
On 28th April 2019, Matt and Jonny both completed the full 26.2 miles of the Virgin Money London Marathon.
Their training went well, however these two are by no means athletes. It was a big step out of comfort zones and a giant leap into the brutal realities of blisters, gruelling muscle treatments and many a thought of giving up.
So, what kept them going?
“We were both brought up in loving, supportive, Christian families. It’s these attributes (and more) that have shaped us into the happy, content and secure people that we’re privileged to be. But we understand, more than ever, that not everybody has the start we enjoyed. Eikon is an awesome team that proactively helps less fortunate young people in our local communities. As well as being involved directly with the charity, we want to raise as much awareness as possible for them… hence this horrendous challenge!”
– Matt and Jonny
They ran the marathon to raise awareness and funds for Eikon. Eikon’s work is incredibly important and relies on donations, so if you can, please do donate.
Mentoring
In 2021, after nearly two years of online fundraising, Clownfish helped manage Eikon’s annual live fundraising event at the House of Lords, which raised just under £53,000.
It was an evening of speeches, drinks, canapés and learning about Eikon’s visions, values and the urgent need for donations. The pandemic has meant that Eikon has been working harder than ever to support vulnerable young people, so this was an important opportunity to shed light on their amazing work and ask for support.
The Clownfish team also spent a week filming some of the young people that Eikon supports. Their stories were shown throughout the evening to help guests understand the impact of Eikon’s work and why their support is essential.
Eikon’s Staff Party
Founder and director of the Eikon charity, Chris, wanted to reward his hard-working team for their tireless efforts throughout the pandemic. Working closely with him, we created an epic Western-themed party, complete with a line-dancing caller, so they could really let their hair down.
Clownfish Events helped manage the whole honky-tonk, from the decor and lighting to the entertainment – it was a fantastic night for a fantastic bunch of people, and so well deserved.