Unlimited thanks for Doncaster mentoring charity’s SYGN grant

Thanks to a £2,000 grant from South Yorkshire’s Giving Network (SYGN), the charity has been able to continue its vital work across the borough.

The funding, awarded at a special SYGN celebration event at Henry Boot in 2025, has helped support the role of Worth Unlimited’s Branch Director, helping turn mentoring into sustained, practical support for young people.

Over the past 12 months, Worth Unlimited’s work has included a project at Ash Hill Academy in Hatfield, where Worth Ambassador Molly Marsh joined the charity’s local mentoring team to support Year 11 students ahead of their exams.

Molly, from Doncaster, is a musical theatre performer and television personality, having appeared on Love Island. She helped deliver an inspiring assembly for Year 11 students, followed by a smaller group session with Year 11 girls who needed additional support.

Carol Parker-Cowan, from Worth Unlimited Doncaster, said:

We’d like to say a huge thank you to the SYGN Networkers for their generous £2,000 donation. This financial support has made a real difference to young people in Doncaster.

 

“With the grant, we’ve been able to continue delivering vital sessions like the one with Molly – where she shared messages around confidence and dealing with setbacks which is particularly important at a time when young people are facing the pressures of GCSEs alongside decisions about their future.

“By hearing directly from a successful local role model, students were encouraged to think beyond themselves and recognise that background doesn’t have to define their future.”

South Yorkshire’s Giving Network brings together businesses, philanthropists and individuals who want to use their giving to create positive change in communities across the region.

Through SYGN, which is delivered by South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation, networkers can pool their support and direct funding towards organisations tackling some of the most pressing challenges in local communities.

Mark Burley, SYGN’s Doncaster representative and Social Value and Partnership Manager at Keepmoat Homes, said: “The funding provided to Worth Unlimited is just one example of how this collective approach can make a huge, practical difference.

As a network, we’re proud to have helped a local organisation continue its vital work with young people supporting them to look positively towards their future.

 

In the past year alone, Worth Unlimited has supported 290 young people, alongside their families, schools and the wider community.

Michelle Dickinson, deputy CEO and head of philanthropy and programmes at SYCF, said: “It’s fantastic to see the impact of SYGN funding and how far-reaching that impact can be for a group like Worth Unlimited.

The impact of giving is so often measured in financial terms, but what makes our network different is real life examples of impact and positive change, which we have seen from Worth Unlimited thanks to Carol and her team instilling confidence in these young people so they begin to believe in themselves.