Finnebrogue fostering Daisy Lodge partnership

9 July 2025

AN award-winning Downpatrick’s firm’s link with the Cancer for Children has opened an exciting new chapter.

Finnebrogue’s long-standing relationship with the charity – which runs the Daisy Lodge facility in

Newcastle – has evolved and growing into a partnership rooted in mentorship and a shared vision for social impact.

For many years the Downpatrick firm, which last week announced it has a new owner, supported the charity and its Daisy Lodge therapeutic short break facility for families navigating the challenges of childhood cancer.

Support has ranged from regular donations of surplus food to vital sponsorships that help sustain the charity’s services and offer much-needed respite to children and young people.

In recognition of the amazing work carried out by the charity, Finnebrogue employees nominated Cancer Fund for Children as their Charity of the Year for 2024/25, with this year marking a step up in the relationship beyond donations.

Finnebrogue has now embarked on a business-to-charity mentoring partnership focused on sustainability, sharing its industry expertise to help Cancer Fund for Children embed sustainable practices across its operations.

The journey began when the charity’s Corinna Decodts reached out to Finnebrogue, seeking direction on how to begin improving sustainability across the charity.

Unsure where or how to start, Corinna and a colleague were invited by Finnebrogue’s sustainability team, Paul Andrews and Sam Turner, for a two-hour workshop on-site.

The session covered how to build a sustainability strategy, conduct a materiality assessment and measure key environmental impacts – such as energy, waste, water use, and carbon emissions.

From that point, momentum quickly built.

The leading charity has since implemented improvements to energy efficiency at its existing facilities and designed their new Daisy Lodge site in Co Mayo with low environmental impact in mind.

The guidance provided by Finnebrogue has helped the charity shape tangible sustainability goals and develop a roadmap for future progress.

“It’s purely coincidental that we schedule our sustainability catchups at noon when it aligns with lunchtime at Finnebrogue’s rooftop staff restaurant,” joked Corinna, who is the charity’s facilities manager.

A key success from the mentoring relationship was the placement of Queen’s University Belfast MSc student Ciara Conlan.

When she approached Finnebrogue for a placement opportunity, the timing didn’t align – but her background in healthcare and sustainability made her a perfect fit for Cancer Fund for Children. With Finnebrogue’s encouragement, Ciara joined the charity for an eight-week placement, where she not only completed her academic research project – exploring barriers to sustainability in healthcare and charitable organisations – but also delivered a tailored internal report outlining practical recommendations for the charity to become a more sustainable organisation.

And her insights proved invaluable.

In May, Ciara and members of the Cancer Fund for Children team returned to Finnebrogue to present her findings. Paul and Sam reviewed the recommendations and provided further feedback to help shape the charity’s sustainability direction.

Thanks to Ciara’s work – and Finnebrogue’s continued guidance – the charity now has a clear strategy to advance its sustainability goals in the months and years ahead.

This October, Paul and Sam will visit Daisy Lodge to deliver a focused sustainability workshop for the charity’s senior management team, helping further embed environmental considerations into everyday decision-making.

“Cancer Fund for Children are incredibly grateful to Finnebrogue for their generous support in advancing our sustainability efforts,”said Corrina.

“Their partnership empowers us to create lasting environmental and social impact, helping us build a more resilient future. Partnerships like this remind us, we’re not alone—real change happens when we work together.”

Paul Andrews said is proud not just to lead in sustainable food production, but to support others in their sustainability journeys too.

“Through mentorship, partnership and passion, we’re helping to raise the bar for social and environmental impact across industries,” he said.

Finnebrogue says this deepening relationship is proof that when expertise is shared, and people

are united by purpose, the impact can be truly transformative – for charities, for communities, and for the future.

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