Bank Leumi (UK) PLC is fully committed to being an active and useful member of all communities it operates in. In this regard, the Bank has always viewed its charitable giving as an aspect of its social responsibility.

We support charities through donations and by organising and hosting fundraising events, thus helping the charities to raise money themselves. We also sponsor charity events, such as dinners, receptions, concerts and festivals leading to many thousands of pounds more being raised.

As well as making donations, we are committed to getting more involved in the day-to-day work of the causes that we support. As a result, during 2017 we encouraged members of staff to spend time out of the office doing voluntary work. The initiative has been a great success with almost 200 hours of volunteer time donated to good causes.

As the UK subsidiary of a major Israeli bank, we support many charities that help wider communities in which we operate, as well as Britain’s Jewish and Israeli community.

During 2017, the Bank has been supporting central London homelessness charity, The Connection. Every Thursday, members of the Bank’s team volunteer at the charity’s base serving a hot breakfast to homeless people.

The Connection helps thousands of homeless people each year to stay off London’s streets. It provides a range of specialist services, all under one roof, to help people address their homelessness and re-enter society and live ‘normally’ again.

As well as regular volunteering work, staff at the Bank also raised money for the charity with events such as a bake sale and by donating clothes.

We also believe that sustainability is part of the community, so as well as supporting the Leumi Group’s global sustainability endeavours, we look for ways to minimise our impact by using local and ethical suppliers. For example, the Bank uses Fruitful Office as its supplier of fruit for staff. The company plants one fruit tree for every basket it delivers.

Over the course of the year, our staff raised money for a variety of worthy causes. In March, the Bank collected designer and vintage clothes for The Connection. In April, the Bank collected new toys to donate to Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH). In July, we fielded a 10-person team in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, raising money for Corporate Challenge to Cancer Research UK. In October, a team took part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon, raising money for The Royal Marines and the Princes Teaching Institute. In November, the Bank took part in Genes for Genes Day, and in December, staff organised a Christmas jumper day fundraiser for Save the Children.

Throughout the year, members of staff also took part in education and training run by non-governmental organisation ORT’s mentoring scheme, JUMP. The charity introduces Year 12 students at schools in the London Borough of Camden to mentors who are established in their careers.

During 2017 we supported the following causes:
The Connection – a London homelessness charity.
London Play – promoters, defenders and deliverers of play opportunities for London’s kids.
Save the Children – a charity that works in 120 countries helping save childrens’ lives, fights for their rights and helps them achieve their full potential.
The Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland – the UK’s leading Israel advocacy organisation.
UJIA – a UK charity working to strengthen young people’s knowledge, faith and Jewish identity through meaningful contact with Israel.
WIZO UK – the founding member of the WIZO, an international women’s movement with 250,000 members in 50 countries.
The British Friends of the Hebrew University – dedicated to supporting and promoting the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The Royal Marines Charity – provides the best possible through life charitable support for Royal Marines, their families, veterans and cadets.
Manna – the UK branch of Meir Panim, one of Israel’s largest relief organisations.
Jewish Care – a health and social care organisation serving the Jewish community in London and the south east of England.
UK Israel Business – provides the access and information necessary to take advantage of emerging business opportunities in the UK and Israel.
Israel Business Club London – working to develop commercial links between the UK and Israel and developing business relationships amongst its members.
UK Jewish Film Festival – a two-and-a-half-week annual celebration of Jewish cinema.
Seret – the London Israeli film and television festival.
Jewish Child's Day – a grant-making charity helping more than 12,000 children in need worldwide, which it has done for 70 years.
Tzedek – provides tangible, effective and practical ways to reduce extreme poverty in Ghana and India.
Great Ormond Street Hospital – established over 160 years ago, GOSH was the first hospital dedicated to children in the English-speaking world.
Princes Teaching Institute – re-engaging teachers with their specialist subjects, inspiring them to bring renewed enthusiasm into their classrooms and raise the aspirations of their pupils.
Bloodwise – the UK's specialist blood cancer charity, funding world-class research into all types of blood cancer.
Muscular Dystrophy UK – supports critical research leading to effective treatment for children with devastating muscle-wasting conditions.