The foundation was established in 2010 to make a difference to the lives of local people and the wider North West region.

It has now supported more than 200 charitable organisations including The Booth Centre which received a grant of £20,000, Little Hearts Matter and Rekindle which both received £10,000 in funding and Norbrook Youth Club which was given a £14,500 grant.

Sarah Warburton, chairperson of the Equilibrium Foundation, said: “We’re elated to have reached such a significant fundraising milestone considerably sooner than we expected. We’ve raised four times more than our initial fundraising target of £250,000 and hope to maintain this momentum for many years to come.

“The foundation has helped a wide range of organisations in the region over the last thirteen  years and we look forward to providing ongoing support to good causes.”

Money is raised through donations from the firm and its clients, as well as through employee fundraising activities, and staff Give As You Earn contributions. All employees receive three paid volunteer days each year with more than three months of volunteering taking place across the team last year.

The foundation aims to support not-for-profit organisations where the most long-term impact can be achieved, whether that’s helping to fund the first paid member of staff at Hullo (a charity set up in 2021 to combat loneliness and enable people to feel connected) or providing ongoing funding to entrepreneurial charities such as The Bursary Foundation (a charity which connects high achieving pupils from low-income backgrounds with the best educational opportunities).

The community support scheme also offers charitable organisations across the north west the opportunity to apply for grants of up to £500. Applications are open twice a year with five winners being chosen each time. In addition, the Equilibrium Foundation Grant Awards was launched earlier this year, offering charities the chance to win a share of £60,000.

The Equilibrium Foundation has also created a financial skills and literacy programme called Libby which aims to provide children in Key Stage 2 (aged between seven and 11 years) with the foundations to build a sound financial understanding. So far, more than 3,000 children have benefitted from ‘Libby’s Big Aeroplane Adventure’, a workbook that uses a fictional story to teach children crucial financial skills.