Tops And Aspire CareersGet InvolvedColleague Trust

Colleague Trust

The Tops & Aspire Employee Trust has been established in order for colleagues to support each other, and the community, through time of financial or emotional hardship.

In this section

What is a trust?

A trust is a financial agreement between three parties:

The ‘settlor’ The settlor is the person/people who put money into the trust

The ‘trustee’ The trustee is the person/people who manage the money

The ‘beneficiary’ The beneficiary is the person/people who benefits from the trust.

For more information about Trusts, have a look at gov.uk

What can the Trust be used for?

The Trust was set up to aid colleagues struggling through hardship, regardless of the reason why. Some examples of difficulties we could help with include financial hardship, life-changing circumstances, compassionate payments towards bereavement costs, life threatening health issues, equipment for a disabled child or partner, emergency costs such as housing or injury, additional training costs, food parcels, or to enable a break from work. The Trust can also be used to support a charity or cause close to a colleague’s heart. Anyone can apply for funds, and all applications get voted on by a subcommittee of colleagues.

How does the Trust work?

 

All applications are reviewed and considered by the Trustees and any colleague could join the trustees to get involved and be part of the decision making, whilst ensuring the trust money benefits those most in need.

Our Trustees are:

All colleagues above the National Minimum Wage are given the opportunity to support the colleague trust through monthly wage deduction of 50p per month.  The company will the contribute annually to the trust to ensure funds are always available for those in need.

In 2021 the trust granted a total of £10,495.20 to colleagues who needed help and supported several colleagues with a range of things including additional counselling sessions, help with rent, utility bills, repairs to cars, a new washing machine, and support with food shopping.

Below are the lovely testimonials and feedback we have receive from colleagues about the trust.

“The colleague trust is a great idea, so hats off to whoever thought of it. To think that I could potentially help out a colleague in need or a good cause by donating in this way is lovely”

“Just wanted to say what a wonderful thing the colleague trust can do. And what an amazing company to work for. I’ve recently sent an application to the employee trust and within a matter of days, I was granted some money. This will massively support me during this hard time so thank you, I really do appreciate it”

“I was unsure at first about accessing the trust because I thought it might be a difficult process but actually it was so simple. It was so nice to get some additional support and I felt like the company was there for me when I needed it the most”