Bright Start

Bright Start is a small grassroots charity based in Cape Town, with a powerful mission: to give children from impoverished communities the chance to reach their full potential and dream big.

Changing young lives

From their education centre in Hout Bay, the Bright Start team work tirelessly to tackle South Africa’s education crisis through sponsorship programmes and learning interventions. Their work opens doors that might otherwise remain firmly closed.

As part of our ambition to go beyond the wine world and make a tangible difference, we’re proud to have Bright Start as one of our core charity partners.

Pouring it forward

We work with many great winemakers across South Africa, and we believe in giving back to the communities we source from.

For a small charity like Bright Start, every bit of funding goes a long way. So, in 2025, we established an annual donation to them based on our South African wine volumes that year (equivalent to around 2p per bottle sourced at the time).

While our range and volumes may change year to year, our commitment does not. We continue to honour that original annual donation amount, ensuring consistent, reliable funding for Bright Start’s ongoing work.

Why it matters

Across South Africa’s public schools, 72% have no internet access, 77% have no library and more than a quarter lack running water. While progress has been made since the 1990s, there’s still a long road ahead. That’s why organisations like Bright Start play such a vital role.

At its heart, Bright Start is about turning potential into possibility — something we deeply admire. Our Senior Buyer, Dave Roberts, who sources our South African wines, regularly visits the team when he’s in Cape Town.

“It’s always a highlight of the trip and a genuine pleasure to see firsthand how important supporting this charity is and celebrate the difference our contribution is making to the lives of the children enrolled.” Dave Roberts, Senior Buyer.

A meaningful milestone

As Virgin Wines turned 25 years young, we wanted to make our anniversary milestone a meaningful one. For Bright Start, we decided to fund their first ever summer camp.

25 children took part in a camp packed with team-building adventures, from outdoor water challenges to army-style obstacle courses. It was about confidence, connection and giving these young people space to grow, have fun and try something new outside of the classroom.

For more information on Bright Start’s great work, visit their website.