If you've been following our work at Dot Dot Fire for the past few months, you will remember that we recently hosted our biggest Money Wise Challenge yet: the 2022 East London MWC at London Stadium. In it, we welcomed over 300 students and 80 teachers from 40 East London Schools. Schools competed to become Money Wise Champions by answering personal finance challenge questions and proving themselves the most financially literate school in the area. 

Students Receiving the "I Aced the Adults" Award at the East London Money Wise Challenge 2022. Photo by Liz Isles Photography. 

The East London Money Wise Challenge was a joy to organise, but planning and putting the event together would not have been possible without our honoured partners and volunteers who donated their time to make the Challenge a success. One of our volunteering partners for the Challenge was none other than Tate & Lyle Sugars, a business who have long supported the communities they operate in. Gerald Mason, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Tate & Lyle, had this to say after attending the Money Wise Challenge: 

"This is such a special event for young people to do together. I wish the Money Wise App would have been around while I was in school, nobody told me how easy it is to spend money and how hard it is to pay it back. By accessing information like this, young people will be able to prepare themselves for the future."

Gerald Mason, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Tate & Lyle Sugars, giving an award to a winning student at the East London Money Wise Challenge 2022. Photo by Liz Isles Photography. 

One of Tate & Lyle's community support initiatives is the Lyle's Local Fund, a financial grant for businesses who are spearheading campaigns or products geared toward benefitting the wider Newham community. We are delighted to announce that Dot Dot Fire is one of the Lyles Local Fund awardees for 2022, and we will be using the support provided by Lyle's Local Fund to develop a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training programme for teachers across London to learn how to deploy the Money Wise Lessons Curriculum in their classrooms. 

Our Money Wise CPD Programme is set to be co-developed with support from the Newham PSHE Partnership, leaders in Newham when it comes to PSHE Education provision for schools. Our training sessions will last around 90 minutes and will be available free of charge for teachers across London. Subjects will include running and operating the Money Wise Lessons Curriculum, and achieving OFSTED Personal Development requirements through the use of the Money Wise Lessons. 

Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks to come!