Chicane Internet Partnership

In 2019 we entered into a corporate partnership with Chicane Internet. We are really grateful to have their support, especially during the global pandemic. We spoke to Robert Kemp about why Chicane have chosen The Somerville Foundation as their Charity of the Year in 2019…

 Tell us about Chicane Internet Ltd?

Chicane Internet is based in Great Blakenham, Ipswich, and offers business-class communication services to organisations throughout the UK. We have an extensive range of business partners throughout the country who offer a professional installation, configuration and training services for our solutions, including business analogue telephone lines, hosted telephony, on-premises PBX equipment, fibre to the cabinet and broadband connections and leased lines.

Why is it important to you to support a local charity?

I am supporting The Somerville Foundation as our Charity of the Year as it is a cause that is close to my heart. In 2018 I was fitted with a pacemaker after living with an undiagnosed heart condition for many years. Once the pacemaker was fitted, I realised how much I had been struggling. I appreciate that I am one of the lucky ones, but many are not.

As a charity that receives no government funding, we know that The Somerville Foundation are only able to continue to do the work they do through fundraising, corporate sponsors and donors. We are aware our support, and that of other organisations, can make all the difference to the services you can offer your clients.

We are a business that takes corporate social responsibility seriously. We feel it is hugely important to give something back to the local community. Our employees are completely engaged in supporting The Somerville Foundation, instilling a sense of pride in our team and beyond.

Would you like to explain for readers, how you are helping us raise £20,000 to fund a new helpline?

We are very happy to announce that we have agreed a revenue deal with The Somerville Foundation, called ‘The Heartbeat’ campaign. Each time the charity secures a new telecoms ‘Heartbeat’ subscription as part of a reseller agreement, they will be awarded a percentage of the cost of the sale. By working collaboratively, our hope is that we can each benefit from a rewarding and fulfilling relationship, with the objective of securing £20,000 to support and assist the charity in its aim of creating a greater mental health platform for patients and families living with congenital heart disease.

How have the whole Chicane team been involved?

This is a new collaborative relationship that the whole team are excited to be part of. We have recently installed a telephone system at the charity’s headquarters, free of charge. We will continue to support the charity with comms support, with a longer-term view of extending the base from which counsellors are able to provide support to the end user. We look forward to supporting the charity further by participating in events on behalf of the charity and organising our own fundraising activities throughout the year.

We are so excited to be working with you and look forward to a fruitful partnership. What aspects of the project are you most excited about?

It’s positive to see these two respected organisations come together and explore how a collaborative relationship could work. From the initial meeting to discuss the project, both parties felt there was a ‘natural’ fit, and at a time when funding for charities has been significantly reduced, we decided it was important to support people in our local community and beyond, providing much-needed funds for this vital resource.

We’re so grateful you chose to support The Somerville Foundation. Why did you choose us in particular?

We are thrilled to be supporting such a great cause. As I touched on earlier, last year I was fitted with a pacemaker due to an undiagnosed heart condition. I hadn’t realised how difficult life had become; I was constantly tired and experiencing shortness of breath and chest pain.

I wanted to support a charity, particularly one that resonated with me personally. Reading about the work undertaken by The Somerville Foundation, I knew immediately they were doing something remarkable, changing the lives of those affected by Congenital Heart Disease. Offering proactive and reactive advice, opportunities and fighting discrimination; the UK’s only charity dedicated to supporting adult CHD patients. The charity really is changing the lives of people who would otherwise be left to suffer in silence.

I hope our donation and shared working relationship will assist the charity in its objective of creating a greater mental health platform for the patients and families living with CHD, creating the resources to give this community the support that they need.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We look forward to a very positive partnership that will directly impact on the lives of people born with heart problems.