Social Impact
Giving our time
and expertise to
causes that matter.
We believe that the skills we've built have value beyond the commercial. That's why, alongside our client work, we give our time and expertise to causes that matter — pro bono.
Pro Bono Partner
Coram
Coram is the UK's oldest children's charity, established in 1739 as the Foundling Hospital and dedicated for over 280 years to championing the rights and welfare of vulnerable young people.
Today, Coram supports hundreds of thousands of children, young people, and families every year through adoption services, mental health support, legal advocacy, educational programmes, and life skills training.
For two consecutive years, we've been proud to partner with their team — developing the annual Christmas appeal entirely pro bono. Both campaigns were built from the same foundation: authentic storytelling, emotional honesty, and a deep respect for the people whose lives the work was designed to change.
Standing by care leavers
Our first campaign for Coram focused on one of the most overlooked moments in the care system: the day it ends.
Every year, around 12,000 young people leave care in the UK — many of them turning 18 with no family to return to, no financial safety net, and no one to call when things go wrong. More than one in ten will experience homelessness before they turn twenty. The support system that defined their childhood simply stops.
The campaign was built on contrast. Turning 18 should be a moment of excitement — freedom, possibility, a future opening up. For care leavers, it too often means the opposite: uncertainty, isolation, and a step into adulthood entirely alone.
Working closely with the Coram team and drawing directly from the lived experiences of care leavers, we developed a multi-channel campaign that refused to look away from that reality. At its centre was a video featuring a care leaver as the voiceover — their words, their truth, their story.
The campaign ran across Out of Home placements throughout London in partnership with JCDecaux, alongside targeted social media activations designed to reach and move a broad public audience.
The Christmas appeal surpassed its fundraising target by 80%. For Coram, those funds translated directly into helplines answered, housing supported, and young people given a real chance at the life they deserved.
"When young people leave the care system without the support they need, they risk losing everything: the place they call home, access to educational and financial assistance, and their support networks. Thanks to the generous support of Squirrels & Bears, Coram can help more young care leavers to be heard and supported. We hope the campaign will inspire the public to stand by the side of care leavers this Christmas."
Dr Carol Homden, CEO — CoramHome is where the start is
For our second campaign with Coram, we turned our attention to the children still waiting — the more than 82,000 young people currently in care in England, and the 2,900 children waiting to be matched with adoptive families.
This time, the creative idea came from a child's drawing of a house.
When a child picks up a pencil and draws a house, they aren't drawing bricks and windows. They're drawing safety. Stability. Belonging. That image became the visual and emotional anchor for everything the campaign said.
The campaign had a personal dimension that made it all the more meaningful. Petra's own daughters brought the idea to life. Zara, aged seven, was the child behind the drawing — her small hand appearing across every billboard and digital asset in the campaign, a quiet but powerful reminder of the innocence and hope at the heart of the cause. Her older sister Zoe, aged nine, recorded and narrated the main campaign video — her voice carrying the message with the kind of unguarded honesty that no adult could replicate.
Asking children to speak for children, to embody the simplicity and vulnerability of what a home really means, gave the campaign an authenticity that resonated far beyond what a scripted production could have achieved.
The work ran across more than 50 Out of Home locations throughout London, including a prominent digital billboard at Waterloo Station, ensuring the message reached commuters, families, and passersby at scale.
"We greatly appreciate the pro bono support provided by Squirrels & Bears for our Christmas Appeal. This is so important in helping us create loving homes for more children who have had a very difficult start in life."
Dr Carol Homden CBE — CEO, CoramWant to explore a pro bono partnership?
We give our time and expertise to causes we believe in. If you represent a charity or not-for-profit doing important work, we'd love to hear from you.
Pro Bono Partner
Highgate Art Fair
Highgate Art Fair is one of North London's most cherished cultural events — a celebration of creativity, community, and the kind of art that belongs in people's lives, not just on gallery walls. Set in Highgate Primary School's Victorian Hall, the fair brings together artists, collectors, families, and curious first-timers in a setting that is as welcoming as it is visually extraordinary.
For the 2025 edition, we were proud to provide pro bono marketing and PR support — helping to amplify an event that had doubled in size from its inaugural year, growing to showcase over 48 artists, galleries, and collectives spanning painting, sculpture, printmaking, and beyond. From critically acclaimed international names to emerging local talent, and from established galleries to vibrant artist collectives, the fair offered something for every kind of art lover and every kind of budget.
Our work spanned from building pre-event awareness and driving ticket sales, to generating press coverage that positioned the fair as a genuine highlight of London's autumn cultural calendar.
2025 edition
The 2025 edition introduced several standout new elements that our work helped bring to wider attention — among them the Next Gen Collection, a curated showcase of emerging graduate talent and rising stars making their mark on the art world, and a live screen printing demonstration by Dave Buonaguidi, known as Real Hackney Dave, who created an exclusive limited edition artwork in collaboration with EDiT Gallery right before visitors' eyes.
Community workshops led by participating artists including Plyconic, Fran Giffard, and Eloisa Henderson-Figueroa ran throughout the weekend, drawing visitors of all ages into hands-on creative experiences. And the fair's charity partnership with Art Against Knives, whose Print Pop-Up Shop and Zine Making workshop featured prominently across the weekend, added a layer of purpose and community spirit that resonated strongly with press and public alike.
It's exactly the kind of project we love to support: rooted in community, creatively ambitious, and genuinely enriching for everyone it brings together.
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