How Lambeth’s Match My Project site connected a local drainage company with an Easter holiday programme – in a day
On 24 March 2026, Community Sparks Change posted a project on London Borough of Lambeth’s Match My Project site. By the end of that same day, TW Drainage had made an offer to support it. A few days later, the match was confirmed – and a Lambeth Easter holiday programme had the resources to go ahead.
CSC knew their community. MMP helped them reach further.
Community Sparks Change runs the Social Sparks Club, a holiday and out-of-school provision in Lambeth for children and teenagers. Community Sparks Change is an official Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) provider, providing free activities and hot meals to young people during school holidays.
For their Easter programme, they needed equipment to improve the quality of play sessions and make sure disadvantaged children could fully benefit.
TW Drainage – a multi award-winning drainage, plumbing and groundwork company, established in 2009 and active across the borough – spotted the request almost immediately. They stepped up, and what followed was a match that Community Sparks Change say gave them greater confidence in their delivery from day one.
Lambeth set the priorities. TW Drainage paid attention. Community Sparks Change put it to work.
Every project on Lambeth’s Match My Project site is assessed against local outcome priorities the authority has defined. Community Sparks Change’s request was aligned across six of those areas: Community & Participation, Education & Learning, Health & Wellbeing, Jobs & Earnings, Relationships & Family, and Safety & Justice.
When TW Drainage spotted the request, they could see exactly what was needed, who needed it, and why.
“TW Drainage found the Match My Project portal extremely valuable in helping us identify and support projects where our social value contribution could have the greatest impact,” said Sacha Burek, HR & Marketing Manager at TW Drainage. “The platform was straightforward and easy to use, making it simple to search for local initiatives aligned with our values and community objectives, ensuring our support was directed towards programmes that would genuinely benefit local children and families.”
For CSC, that kind of direct business support opens up something grants alone can’t always provide. “Match My Project fits really well into our wider picture,” said Karuna Claire Pereira and Ryan Spence. “It gives organisations like ours another practical route to secure support beyond cash funding alone.”
On the ground
Billy, Tommy and Sacha from the TW Drainage team drove the contribution forward – purchasing arts and crafts materials, sports equipment and resources for creative and active sessions throughout the Easter holidays.
“Working with TW Drainage was a very positive experience,” said Karuna and Ryan. “They were supportive, approachable and demonstrated a genuine willingness to make a difference in the community. Their support showed that businesses can play a direct role in helping community organisations create positive opportunities for young people – it added real value to the programme and helped us focus even more on giving children a safe, enjoyable and memorable Easter experience.”
Families turned up. Children got stuck in immediately. Parents who’d been navigating the long stretch of Easter holidays with little structured support were, as CSC put it, visibly pleased to have somewhere safe and engaging to send them.
“From the very first session, there was a strong sense of excitement, energy and appreciation,” said Karuna and Ryan. “It confirmed for us that this kind of provision is genuinely needed – and that the programme was already making a difference.”
The Spring cohort supported 25 families. Summer will reach up to 50.
Reflections from the community
“[TW Drainage’s] involvement showed us that businesses do not need to make huge or complex commitments to have a real impact; practical support at the right time can go a very long way,” reflect Karuna and Ryan. “It definitely strengthened our confidence in approaching businesses for support because it showed us that companies exist that want to contribute meaningfully when given a clear opportunity.”
Their advice to other community organisations is direct: “Be clear, be practical and be confident in the value of what you are delivering. Focus on what you actually need and explain how those resources will directly benefit the people you support. Keep your ask simple, specific and outcome-focused. Businesses want to understand the difference their support will make, so make that link very clear. If your vision is strong and your need is genuine, that will come across.”
About Match My Project
Match My Project connects community organisations with local businesses. Every project is verified and outcome-aligned by the contracting authority before it goes live. On average it takes community organisations eight minutes to add a project to the platform. Get in touch at hello@matchmyproject.org to find out how your organisation can get started.
