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The October Club launches its charity partnership with Spark Inside at the House of Commons, sponsored by Soros Fund Management LLC

Posted by Taina Slenderbroek on 27th June 2025

London, Friday 27th June: The October Club officially launched its 2025 partnership with Spark Inside at a special event held yesterday evening at the House of Commons. Hosted by The Rt. Hon the Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, the reception took place in warm summer weather and brought together a mix of guests, including representatives and former programme participants of Spark Inside, members of The October Club Committee, and its key supporters.

Vicki Cardwell, the CEO of Spark Inside, spoke at the event about the pioneering work done by the charity within the criminal justice system. Spark Inside uses one-on-one to unlock the potential of individuals within the prison system, while also working with prison governors and wardens to transform the broader culture of criminal justice to make rehabilitation a real possibility.

Since its founding in 2012, Spark Inside has delivered its coaching programmes in 10 prisons across London and the South East. Funds raised by The October Club in 2025 will facilitate its ambitious plans to expand its work into three prisons in the Midlands, helping even more young people build brighter futures.

Abigail Lock, the CEO of The October Club's 2024 charity Back Up, also spoke movingly during the evening about the crucial work they do to support people with a spinal cord injury and the expansion of their programmes with the aid of The October Club.  

Since its launch in 1987, The October Club has chosen a UK-based charity with a transformational project to benefit from its annual fundraising activities. To date, it has raised over £16.5m for 37 charities, including last year’s £690,000 raised in aid of Back Up.