A Partnership for Financial Literacy: Our Journey with Attivo
At Make Sense of Pence, we are fortunate to work with incredible partners who share our passion for empowering young minds with financial literacy. One such partner is Attivo, a Cheltenham-based financial advisory firm that has been instrumental in helping us expand the reach and impact of our Money Wise Workshops.
How It All Began
The relationship began when an old school friend, Tom Bate, who works at Attivo, reached out after seeing posts about our Make Sense of Pence project on social media. Tom’s enthusiasm for our mission led to discussions about how Attivo could get involved. While initially exploring workshops for Attivo’s clients and their families, the conversation evolved into a broader partnership focused on corporate social responsibility and supporting local schools.
Tom introduced us to Stephen Harper, the charismatic and passionate chairman of Attivo. Stephen’s dedication to supporting the local community was evident from our first conversation. He shared details of Attivo’s involvement in initiatives like the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Jazz Festival, and his commitment to helping people in meaningful ways was inspiring.
Attivo’s Contribution
Since those early conversations in summer 2024, the partnership with Attivo has grown significantly. Attivo sponsored several Money Wise Workshops for schools in the Cheltenham area. This sponsorship includes not only the workshops but also providing every participating student with a copy of a Make Sense of Pence book. For larger year groups, Attivo and Your Guardian co-sponsored workshops, ensuring all children had the opportunity to benefit from this vital education.
Additionally, Attivo offered their clients 100 free copies of Make Sense of Pence books, which were quickly snapped up by their community. This has sparked further discussions about future sponsorships, potentially extending our reach to schools across the UK.
Tremendous Feedback
The feedback from students, teachers, and parents has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Paul delivered an engaging session to our Year 5s about money sense. He was entertaining and enthusiastic – they were interested for the entirety. Key concepts were explained in an easy to understand way. The children loved sharing their ideas and understanding with Paul. He made them feel involved and valued. Paul gave real-life examples to support their understanding and explain key concepts in a relatable way; for example, buying bubble tea and games online! The children left feeling confident about looking after money in the future.”
The Catholic School of Gregory the Great
A Shared Vision for the Future
As we look ahead, the partnership with Attivo continues to grow. Workshops are already scheduled for 2025, and discussions are underway about expanding their sponsorship to support even more schools and initiatives within the Make Sense of Pence project.
Working with the team at Attivo—including Chris Gage and Sue Heritage from their Marketing and Communications team—has been an absolute pleasure. Their passion, hard work, and belief in our mission have made this partnership truly special. We are also proud to have been featured as an Attivo Champion in their Attivo Life magazine, which further underscores their support for our work.
Looking Ahead
Attivo has become a valued partner in our mission to instill financial literacy in young people. Their sponsorship has allowed us to reach more students, provide valuable resources, and create meaningful experiences through our workshops. We are excited to see where this partnership will take us next as we continue to work together to build a brighter financial future for the next generation.