The Boreal Foundation
A better futurestarts withopportunity.
A foundation created by Jamie Pidgley to support people, projects and communities where a little help can create lasting change.
Formerly The Zappie Foundation.
So, whyBoreal?
The Boreal Foundation was founded by entrepreneur Jamie Pidgley with a simple ambition: to use some of the opportunities created through business to create opportunities for other people.
We are at the beginning.
Our first projects stretch from our home in Yorkshire to communities thousands of miles away.
And we intend to keep going.
£3,435
Raised for education
87
Donations
2
Projects
1
Foundation
Campaign fundraising and Foundation project expenditure are reported separately. Our contribution to the James Brady memorial project will be published as a figure of its own once confirmed from Foundation records.
What we're doing
Startingsomewhere.
01
A placeto learn.
Our first international mission is an ambitious one: raising £25,000 to help create better educational opportunities for children in Cameroon.
£3,435 / £25,000
14% · 87 donations
02
A legacythat couldsave a life.
In memory of James Brady, we supported a project that has resulted in a publicly accessible defibrillator being installed in Harrogate town centre.
- Status
- Completed
- Location
- Harrogate, UK
- Foundation contribution
- Approximately £3,435 — once verified
Placeholder — to be replaced with photography of the installed unit.
Placeholder portrait — to be replaced.
Founder
Why Istarted this.
"I've always believed that if business gives you opportunities, you should try to use some of those opportunities to help other people.
We're right at the beginning with The Boreal Foundation.
We've supported our first projects, we've raised our first few thousand pounds, and we've got a long way to go.
That's exactly why I'm excited about it.
I want to look back in ten or twenty years and see dozens of projects that started because we decided to begin now."
— Jamie Pidgley, Founder, The Boreal Foundation
Jamie Pidgley is a Yorkshire-based entrepreneur and the founder of the Boreal Group. He established the Foundation — first as The Zappie Foundation — to direct part of what business has made possible towards projects that create opportunity for other people.
Our story
2023
The beginning
The Zappie Foundation launches, with the ambition of improving education for children who would otherwise go without it.
↓
Fundraising events
A charity boxing evening, two football tournaments and a marathon. People took part rather than simply giving.
↓
Cameroon
Our first major international ambition: £25,000 towards safe educational facilities.
↓
James Brady
Supporting a permanent life-saving legacy in Harrogate: a publicly accessible defibrillator in the town centre.
2026
Boreal
A new name for a much bigger ambition. Same commitment, built to last for decades.
What comesnext?
Fundraising events
All events
May 2025
Coupe de Zap 2025
October 2024
Budapest Marathon
May 2024
Coupe de Zap 2024
November 2023
Charity Boxing Event
Held as The Zappie Foundation. 14% of our first £25,000 target has been raised so far.
We'veonly juststarted.
Our current mission is raising £25,000 towards our Cameroon education project.
Current total: £3,435. 87 people have already supported it.
Our existing JustGiving campaign was originally launched under The Zappie Foundation, the former name of The Boreal Foundation.