BIMA Awards 2022 Mend the Gap Campaign

Providing hope to young digital creatives when it was needed the most.

This is the story of how a group of volunteers helped 25 unemployed young creatives under 25 years old get full-time jobs in the digital industry during a global pandemic and the worst economic recession in 300 years.

This is a story of hope. It’s a story of triumph over adversity. It’s a story of helping young people impacted by the pandemic to Mind the Gap.

Our impact in numbers
• We helped 25 young creatives get full-time jobs in the digital industry
• For every £1 invested we generated £7.25 in social value
• We remain a carbon-neutral CIC by Guarantee

For our young mentees
• We reduced their feelings of hopelessness by 72%
• We reduced their feelings of jobs despair by 67%
• We reduced their feelings of loneliness/isolation by 63%
• We increased their confidence by 62%
• We increased their feeling of employability by 61%

Our campaign in numbers
• 60 people involved
• 25 mentees
• 25 mentors
• 25 full-time jobs created
• 10 paid-work placements
• 14 events
• 10 week employability course
• NPS 96%

Our campaign recieved a 2022 BIMA100 CEO & Leader Award, BIMA10 Finalist Award, 2022 Business South Leader Award & Local Heroes Award

Digital for Social Good: Silver

• Brightful Founder and Co-Founder of Winchester Creatives: Richard Coope
• Co-founder, Winchester Creatives: Dan Benham

Volunteer team

• Eloise Taylor, Matt Hampsey, Ella Povey, Dan Bee, Ary Patrelle, Halina Myers, Nicola Webster, Camilla Coope, Hazel Terry, Alexander Frey

Mentees

• Hannah Sloan, Matthew Hampsey, Ella Povey, Gabriele Daubaryte, Rishabh Sharma, Cain Mackenzie-Yapa, Emma Savage, Alexandra Luga, Freddie Cotton, Amber Westley, Heather Rankine, Nathan Baier, Florence Saralis, Sandy Matta, Jimmy Upstone, Ashley Owers, Alicia-Rose Warwick, Rob Palmer, Eloise Taylor, Matt Keen, Hugo Cramoysan, Magda Gorczynska

Volunteer mentors

• Mahadi Manyokole, Wendy Wyatt, Piers Palmer, David Livingstone, Katie Newman, Wes Maynard, Sabrina Chevannes, Lucy McLoughlan, Pete Heslop, Simon Harmer, Danny Turnbull, Matthew Buck, Charli Hunt, Nick Keith, Jenny Plant, Mark Drury, Sam Farrow, Rick Adams, Natalie Hamer, Nathan Lomax, Gordon Klyne, Eddie Rich

Inspirational speakers

• Sam Conniff, Hazel Anderson-Turner, Kathryn Strachan, Sabrina Chevannes, Neil Munz-Jones