Guest Post: Dragons Den Winner Inspired to Launch CRM Partnership With CLIC Sargent by Eight Year Old with Cancer
Content&Calm, the award-winning children’s travel product brand has announced a three-year partnership with CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people in an innovative cause-related marketing partnership masterminded by Ethical Goods.
Solvej Biddle, CEO of Content&Calm, was inspired to choose CLIC Sargent from a selection of charities after meeting eight-year old Joseph Piggott, who won a competition run by Content&Calm in 2012 to design a TravelBug soft toy.
Shortly after receiving the prize, Joseph was diagnosed with rabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the muscle tissue, and underwent intensive treatment, during which he received emotional, practical and clinical support from CLIC Sargent. Solvej has remained in contact with the family who have expressed that Joseph found confidence from his design accolade and comfort in having with him his TrayKit packed with his favourite things on his treatment travels and when in hospital.
Cause-related marketing specialists Ethical Goods brought the company and charity together. Ethical Goods Communications & Operations Director Graeme Hodge said: “We are absolutely passionate about creating effective, commercially-viable and ground-breaking partnerships between all sorts of companies and charities and believe this partnership will make a real difference to the work of a great charity and the success of a pioneering and innovative company. Genuine CSR comes from the heart of an organisation or business and works its way right through to the products or services it offers to consumers. That is exactly what has happened with Content&Calm – they have decided to commercially support a cause they were already internally passionate about and we are thrilled to help them make that happen effectively.”
The partnership, which is being launched at Paul’s House, CLIC Sargent’s Home from Home in London, on Friday 2nd August from 2-4pm, will aim to raise more than £30,000 a year for the charity from the sale of products. CLIC Sargent Homes from Home provide free accommodation close to major children’s cancer treatment centres so that families can stay close when a child is undergoing vital cancer treatment.
“I didn’t want to choose a charity we could just donate money to,” said Solvej, who launched her products on BBC TV’s Dragons Den* in 2010 and sparked a bidding war between the Dragons, which ended with Solvej choosing two Dragons of the five to invest in her company.
“It’s easy to simply offer a charity a cheque every month. In a true partnership, both sides work together for a common aim. In this relationship with CLIC Sargent our desire to do commercial good comes from a place of wanting to increase and succeed at what we do best and be able to champion and engage with a great cause at the same time. As well as this, our products meet the needs of travelling parents and children so there is a connection between what we do and, the travel needs of those being treated and their families. Which I find very rewarding” said Solvej.
“CLIC Sargent’s research found that many families regularly have to travel an average of 60 miles up to five times a week so that their child can receive cancer treatment, often staying overnight,” said Solvej.
“These type of creative and mutually beneficial partnerships epitomise our firm belief that being profitable, ethical, charitable and sustainable are not mutually exclusive ideals. They also prove that well-structured partnerships can work brilliantly for people, planet and profit” said Graeme Hodge.
Content&Calm is aiming to raise more than £30,000 a year for CLIC Sargent by donating at least four per cent of the wholesale price of a range of award winning products including the Cot Canopy Breeze, Traykit & accessories, selected Travel Bugs & the ProtectiShade products.
Content&Calm’s range includes the multi award winning Cot Canopy Original and Cot Canopy Breeze, which are black out solutions for use on cots, cot beds and travel cots. These allow babies to sleep in undisturbed darkness without the need for blackout blinds or a dark room. Other key products from the portfolio are the acclaimed TrayKit carry-on backpack and play-tray and TrayKit Traveller ranges along with TravelBug soft toys which keep children entertained on journeys.
CLIC Sargent’s Head of Corporate Partnerships, Celine Stevenson said: “CLIC Sargent is delighted to be working in a partnership with a creative and caring company like Content&Calm. CLIC Sargent’s research found that children and their families may have to travel long distances daily, for weeks or months at a time in order to receive often life-saving cancer treatment, and we were delighted when we heard that it was this research that made Content&Calm feel such a connection between their products and the charity’s work.
For more information about Ethical Goods please contact them at: info@ethical-goods.com or on +44 (0)845 643 6412
For more information about Content&Calm please contact the press office at FIRE: contentandcalm@fire-pr.com / +44(0)20 3428 5137
For more information about CLIC Sargent, please contact Sue Royal or Robert Westhead in the CLIC Sargent press office on 020 8752 2856 or 020 752 2833 /. Outside office hours please call 08448 481189.
Notes to editors
About childhood cancer
Every day, 10 children and young people in the UK hear the shocking news they have cancer. Treatment normally starts immediately, is often given many miles from home and can last for up to three years. Although survival rates are over 80%, cancer remains the single largest cause of death from disease in children and young people in the UK.
About Content&Calm
Content&Calm design, manufacture and sell essential children’s travel solutions. The company was founded and is run by Solvej Biddle. Solvej developed the first product the Cot Canopy in 2007 and gave up her job as an advertising lawyer to concentrate on bringing it to market. It launched in May 2009, followed by Dragons’ Den in 2010 and continues to be a growing and successful business. To find out more about the products and story behind Content&Calm visit
About Ethical Goods
Ethical Goods is a pioneering company that specialises in CSR consultancy and Cause Related Marketing. We create partnerships between companies and relevant charities to mutual benefit by bringing to market ethically made, sourced and sold products and services making a world of difference to people and planet. To find out more about our services, partnerships and products visit
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ethicalgoods
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ethicalgoods
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/ethical-goods
About CLIC Sargent
CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families. We provide clinical, practical and emotional support to help them cope with cancer and get the most out of life. For more information visit www.clicsargent.org.uk
Note to sub editors
Please note that the name ‘CLIC Sargent’ should not be abbreviated to CLIC, and that the word ‘CLIC’ should always appear in capitals, as above.
*Watch Solvej on Dragons Den at http://www.youtube.com/contentandcalm
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*This post originally appeared on Ethical Goods. Distributed with permission of the author.
