Wookey Hole Announces The Rendezvous as Charity of the Year for 2024!

Wookey Hole, the beloved Somerset attraction known for its enchanting caves and family fun, is thrilled to announce The Rendezvous as its Charity of the Year for 2024.

Every coin tossed into the magical Wookey Hole wishing well will go directly to the Somerset and Dorset charity, The Rendezvous, for the next 12 months, transforming wishes into practical help for local young people.

For nearly three decades, The Rendezvous has been a beacon of hope for young people aged 13-25 in South Somerset and North Dorset. With a dedicated team and amazing volunteers, they provide vital support in mental health, wellbeing, learning programmes, and young parent projects. Helping over 300 young people each year, The Rendezvous is all about resilience, confidence, and brighter futures.

The partnership with Wookey Hole is the first significant corporate sponsorship brought in by The Rendezvous’s new Community Fundraising Manager, Fiona Franklin, who has joined the charity to help safeguard the future of its critical services.

Fiona stated, “The work of the Rendezvous team fills a vital gap in services for young people in our area and genuinely helps change lives. The partnership with Wookey is perfect, taking people’s wishes and turning them into a promise to support and uplift our community’s youth.”
Wookey Hole and The Rendezvous are also delighted to announce, ‘A Day of Daring: Charity Wild Wookey Event’. Ten plucky adventurers will be chosen by ballot to complete the award-winning Wild Wookey Adventure Caving Course on September 29th 2024, to raise money. If you think you have what it takes to take on the challenge, sign up and join the fun on the Rendezvouz website.

Ellen Ramsey, spokesperson for Wookey Hole, said, “From the awe-inspiring caves to vintage penny arcades, adventure golf, and more, Wookey Hole offers an unforgettable experience for all ages. We believe this partnership helps us honour the legacy of former owner Gerry Cottle, who started a Circus School at Wookey Hole which helps local young people build skills, resilience and confidence, setting them up for life. This partnership means the world to us and to The Rendezvous.

The goals of the charity and our Circus School are very closely aligned-helping young people be the best that they can be. Wookey already supports hundreds of local schools and raises tens of thousands of pounds every year by donating prizes for school fetes, charity raffles, and a wealth of other causes. Between the wishing well donations and the Wild Wookey Challenge day we hope Rendezvous will be able to build on their excellent work and help even more young people.”

Community Fundraising Manager, Fiona Franklin said. “On behalf of the charity, I’d like to say a huge thank you to the brilliant team at Wookey Hole for their support, which will help more young lives have a brighter future.”

To learn more about The Rendezvous and how you can support their incredible work, head to The Rendezvous or give them a call at 01935 814496. Together, we can make magic happen!