The 18 Club: Turning Mark's Number Into Lasting Impact
Introducing The 18 Club, the Mark Williams Foundation's monthly giving community, bringing together individuals and businesses committed to protecting children's relationships with their parents and creating opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
For those who knew Mark Williams through racing, the number 18 will already be familiar. It was Mark’s racing number and, long before that, a number with personal meaning for him and Nicola.
Eighteen had become their lucky number through important moments in their life together, and when Mark began racing, it was the natural number for him to choose. Over time, it became closely associated with him within the racing community and remains a meaningful part of how many people remember him today.
Now, the Mark Williams Foundation is giving that number a new purpose through The 18 Club, a monthly giving programme that allows individuals, families and businesses to become part of Mark’s lasting legacy.
What is The 18 Club?
The 18 Club is a community of people and businesses who commit to making a regular monthly contribution to the Mark Williams Foundation.
Members can choose to contribute £18, £118, or £1,818 per month, with each level providing vital ongoing support for the Foundation’s charitable work.
Unlike one-off fundraising events, regular monthly contributions provide the Foundation with predictable income, allowing us to plan ahead, develop our programmes and commit to supporting more people over the longer term.
It means we can move beyond simply responding to immediate needs and build sustainable services that make a lasting difference.
Whether you’re an individual who wants to contribute £18 a month or a business looking to make a significant charitable commitment, The 18 Club provides an opportunity to become part of something meaningful.
Where Does Your Money Go?
Every contribution to The 18 Club supports the Foundation’s two core missions: protecting children’s rights to meaningful relationships with loving parents and empowering young people through entrepreneurship.
Supporting fathers and protecting children's relationships
For fathers struggling to maintain relationships with their children following separation, the financial and emotional barriers can be overwhelming.
The Foundation works to remove those barriers by providing access to:
- Free legal support: Connecting fathers with experienced family law professionals who can provide guidance and help them navigate the legal process.
- Peer-to-peer support: Bringing together fathers facing similar challenges, providing a supportive community where experiences, knowledge and encouragement can be shared.
- Trained volunteers: Investing in the training and development of volunteers so they have the appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding to support families effectively.
- Wellbeing support: Helping individuals navigate the emotional difficulties associated with family separation and the loss of meaningful contact with their children.
The Foundation’s work is already helping families make progress towards rebuilding important relationships. With more consistent funding, we can develop these services and reach more families who need support.
Empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs
Mark was passionate about entrepreneurship and believed that ambition and determination should be supported with genuine opportunities.
Through the Foundation’s Entrepreneurial Apprenticeship programme, we help aspiring young entrepreneurs develop the confidence, knowledge and practical skills needed to turn their ideas into successful businesses.
The programme provides:
- Business mentorship: Access to experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders who share their knowledge, provide guidance and challenge participants to develop their ideas.
- Practical training: Opportunities to understand business planning, finance, marketing and the realities of running a business.
- Investment challenges: Opportunities for participants to develop commercial proposals, present their ideas and gain experience of pitching for investment.
- Professional networks: Connections with business owners, mentors and organisations who can help young entrepreneurs develop their ambitions.
Funding from The 18 Club helps us deliver these programmes, train and support volunteers and mentors, and create opportunities for more young people to participate.
Why Monthly Giving Makes Such A Difference
One-off donations and fundraising challenges remain incredibly important to the Foundation. However, regular giving provides something equally valuable: financial stability.
When we know what funding we can expect each month, we can make longer-term commitments, plan training, develop partnerships and allocate resources where they will have the greatest impact.
For example, just 18 people contributing £18 per month would collectively provide £324 every month, or £3,888 over a year, before any eligible Gift Aid.
That collective support could contribute towards legal assistance, wellbeing services, peer support activities or the development of our entrepreneurial programmes.
It isn’t about the size of an individual contribution. It’s about the difference we can make when people commit to supporting our work together.
Choose Your Level of Support
We’ve created three monthly giving levels, all connected to Mark’s number 18.
£18 per month — Club 18 Supporter
For individuals and families who want to make a regular commitment to the Foundation.
Your support helps provide the consistent funding needed to sustain our programmes, and you’ll become part of our community of supporters receiving regular updates on the work you’re helping make possible.
£118 per month — Club 18 Partner
For individuals and businesses who want to make a greater commitment and become recognised partners of the Foundation.
Alongside regular impact updates, partners can receive public recognition of their support, including acknowledgement on the Foundation’s website, opportunities for partnership announcements and promotional involvement in Foundation activities.
£1,818 per month — Club 18 Principal Partner
For businesses and individuals looking to make a significant investment in the Foundation’s charitable mission.
Principal Partners can benefit from enhanced partnership recognition, opportunities for prominent branding at Foundation events, sponsorship recognition, and closer engagement with the programmes their support helps make possible.
Every member of The 18 Club shares the same purpose: helping us create meaningful and lasting change.
More Than A Donation: Becoming Part of The 18 Club
We want our members to feel connected to the Foundation and understand the difference their commitment makes.
As The 18 Club grows, members will receive regular updates on our work, stories of progress and opportunities to become more involved in the Foundation’s community.
We’ll also recognise the people and businesses who help us build that future, from our earliest supporters to our principal charitable partners.
For businesses contributing £118 or more each month, The 18 Club offers opportunities to develop a visible partnership with the Foundation.
Depending on the contribution level and partnership agreement, this can include website recognition, partner advertising, social media promotion and sponsorship opportunities at Foundation events.
For businesses, it’s an opportunity not only to support a meaningful cause but also to demonstrate a genuine commitment to social responsibility to employees, customers and the wider community.
Making Your Charitable Giving Go Further
Supporting the Mark Williams Foundation may also provide tax benefits, depending on how you choose to contribute.
Giving as an individual
Eligible UK taxpayers can make charitable donations through Gift Aid, allowing the Foundation to claim an additional 25p for every £1 donated, at no extra cost to the donor.
For example, an eligible £18 monthly donation could be worth £22.50 to the Foundation, increasing its annual value from £216 to £270.
Higher and additional-rate taxpayers may also be entitled to further tax relief on qualifying donations.
Giving through a business
Qualifying charitable donations made by UK limited companies can generally be deducted when calculating taxable profits for Corporation Tax purposes.
Where a business receives advertising, promotional opportunities or sponsorship benefits in return for its contribution, the arrangement may instead be treated as commercial sponsorship, with different tax and VAT considerations.
Our partnership team can discuss the different ways businesses can support the Foundation, and we recommend seeking professional tax advice to understand the treatment applicable to your circumstances.
The First 18: Mark's Crew
To celebrate the launch of The 18 Club, we’ll be recognising our first 18 members as The First 18 — Mark’s Crew.
These founding supporters will hold a special place in the Club’s story, representing the people who helped establish a sustainable source of funding for the Foundation from the very beginning.
It’s a fitting tribute to Mark and to the community of friends, family, colleagues and supporters who continue to champion the values he believed in.
Although the number 18 has its roots in Mark’s personal story and his passion for racing, The 18 Club is open to anyone who shares the Foundation’s commitment to family, fairness and opportunity.
Join The 18 Club and Help Build Mark's Legacy
The Mark Williams Foundation was created to ensure that Mark’s values and beliefs continue to make a difference to people’s lives.
Through The 18 Club, we’re inviting you to become part of that work, not just for one event or one fundraising campaign, but month after month.
Your support could help a father access legal guidance he would otherwise struggle to afford. It could help train a volunteer who goes on to support families through difficult circumstances. Or it could help a young entrepreneur gain the mentorship and confidence needed to turn an idea into a business.
Eighteen was Mark’s number. Now it can be a number that changes lives.
Join The 18 Club and help us drive economic growth and social justice, one life at a time.
Choose your monthly contribution: £18 | £118 | £1,818
For business partnership enquiries, please contact the Foundation directly.