Backing Bolton – Together we can make a difference!

Like many charities across the UK, Bolton Wanderers in the Community (BWitC) is facing increasing financial pressures while demand for our services continues to grow. As the official charity of Bolton Wanderers Football Club (BWFC), we live and breathe the ethos of One Club, One Community, One Town and we continue to be committed to supporting our local community through a wide range of services. However, with rising costs and limited unrestricted funding available, we must now look to secure additional financial support to continue delivering and expanding our life-changing work.

That’s where Backing Bolton comes in. We’re calling on all BWFC, BWitC and general Bolton Community Supporters to help us raise these vital funds to continue the work we already do and increase our services to meet the needs of our community.

Why do we need to raise Unrestricted Funds?

Many grants and funding opportunities are restricted, meaning they can only be used for specific projects. While this is valuable, it does not cover the essential core costs that keep BWitC running; staffing, facilities, transport, and the ability to be flexible in responding to urgent community needs.

What are the Current Challenges?

With the increasing impact of the cost-of-living crisis, social isolation, and health inequalities we are seeing more people than ever rely on our free to attend services. The increase in uptake on existing services paired with the increasing demand for new bespoke services is meaning our core costs are increasing with fewer funding streams to support. Where services are funded these traditional income streams are becoming increasingly competitive, and restricted funding does not always cover core operational costs. Unrestricted income also allows us to plan for the future. Being able to adapt to emerging challenges, and ensure we can continue delivering vital programs without the restrictions that come with sourcing and securing funding.

Internally the rise in Employer’s NICs means that charities and social enterprises now face higher employment costs. This poses a strain on budgets, especially where we are heavily reliant on restricted funded projects. Increasing our unrestricted funds allows us to:
Support More People: Expanding our reach across Bolton and helping those most in need including keeping services free to attend.
Be More Responsive: Quickly adapting to new challenges and community priorities. Allowing us to respond to needs of the community without the added time to source funding for these projects.
Ensure Long-Term Impact: Investing in the charity’s sustainability and growth.

 

We would like to thank everyone who supports our charity. If you would like to donate to our Backing Bolton Campaign and help our charity survive 2025 you can do so HERE

For more information on how your business can become a charity partner please contact events@bwitc.org.uk