• Swindon & Wiltshire Social
• Monday May 12 2025

Financial adviser wins ‘caring’ business award – gives cash prize to charities

Financial adviser Dave Southby is giving to charity a £5,000 prize pot he received after being named Responsible Business of the Year.

Dave, founder of Wroughton-based Southby & Co, was recently named Responsible Business of the Year by national wealth manager St James’s Place.

The title came with a £5,000 cash prize, to be donated at the discretion of the winner.

Six local good causes will share the windfall. They are:

• The Kelly Foundation
• Swindon Night Shelter to cover costs of their new communal garden
• Avon Needs Trees to continue environmental work to new woodlands in the Southwest
• The Platform Project
• The Wiltshire Treehouse project
• Vision for Wroughton

“We wanted to distribute the money from our win to as many charities as possible,” said Dave.

“Our company is very community-focused and we have done many events to push certain charities into the limelight as our company grows.

“We decided to support a range of charities that mean a lot to me and the staff and support a specific project for their overall mission,” he continued.

“We can’t wait to hand over that money and then see the impact it will have for the people who access them.”

Dave and the team plan to do more fundraising this year and this ‘win’ has already helped them to help more local good causes.

Swindon Night Shelter is just one of those charities which supports those who are homeless or vulnerably housed in the town.

Swindon Night Shelter’s Dawn Prosser (pictured with Dave) said: “We are so thrilled to receive this support from Dave and his team which makes such a difference.

“We’ve been able to purchase tons of compost for the garden and also put money towards a new green house for this particular project.”

Dave and his team work with individuals, families and business owners across Swindon and Wiltshire, helping them manage their finances effectively and plan for the future.