For nearly 20 years, Cambridge Carbon Footprint (CCF) has inspired, supported and encouraged Cambridgeshire residents to take practical steps toward a greener future — from reducing waste to improving home energy efficiency. As a small, busy charity, technology underpins almost everything CCF does: delivering community programmes, managing volunteers, receiving donations and communicating effectively. But by 2024, it became clear CCF's IT setup was no longer supporting its needs.
Partnering with ctm Information Technology transformed that picture. ctm rebuilt and stabilised CCF's IT environment, and now provide reliable, responsive support that frees the team to focus fully on its mission.
“Like any organisation, we're hugely reliant on our IT. And with ctm on board, it's not something we're worrying about.” Siobhan Mellon, General Manager, Cambridge Carbon Footprint
Cambridge Carbon Footprint delivers a wide range of hands-on, volunteer-powered programmes. Their annual Open Eco Homes season invites people into real homes to see energy-saving measures in action. A thermal imaging camera loan scheme helps residents understand where heat is escaping from their properties. CCF also manages a very active repair café network and works with youth groups and others on public engagement initiatives about climate-positive action and low-carbon living.
“We're really proud of our repair café network — the most repair cafés per capita in the UK. They are wonderful, convivial events. We've got 45 volunteer groups who delivered more than 80 cafés in 2025.” Siobhan Mellon, General Manager, Cambridge Carbon Footprint
All of this activity depends on reliable, easy-to-manage IT — from emails and document sharing to managing financial, volunteer and programme impact data.
But CCF's IT setup had become increasingly difficult to manage and was no longer fit for purpose. Like many smaller not-for-profits, CCF doesn't have dedicated IT expertise in-house and has relied on volunteer support.
“We'd reached a point where our IT was a real headache. The trustees and volunteers who had previously supported our IT were no longer able to give their time to it.” Siobhan Mellon, General Manager, Cambridge Carbon Footprint
The charity needed a partner who could sort out its IT issues and give the team ongoing support and a reliable environment they didn't have to worry about day to day.
For CCF, choosing the right IT partner was about more than technical skills. As a small, mission-driven charity, it looks for smaller, local partners whose ethos aligns with its own — and who understand the realities of working within a constrained budget.
CCF found ctm via a trusted recommendation. “One of the trustees was familiar with ctm from his own organisation. So we got a quote, and engaged them,” recalls CCF General Manager, Siobhan Mellon.
First, ctm tackled the foundations. They took ownership of CCF's IT environment, resolved the underlying issues that had been causing ongoing problems, and rebuilt systems to give the charity a stable, well-organised and secure setup it could rely on.
ctm now provide ongoing IT support to Siobhan and her colleagues. For a small organisation with limited time and resources, knowing that help is available quickly — and that issues will be resolved effectively — makes a tangible difference.
“ctm are wonderfully responsive and prompt. A lot better than my previous experience of IT helpdesks!” Siobhan Mellon, General Manager, Cambridge Carbon Footprint
With a stable technical foundation and a responsive support partner in place, day-to-day operations became far smoother for the whole team.
As a small charity, CCF needs to ensure appropriate rigour and regulatory compliance in how it handles financial and personal data across multiple volunteer-led programmes.
ctm has significantly strengthened the charity's cybersecurity posture, giving the team complete confidence that everything is properly protected.
“With ctm, we now have 150% confidence that we're safe, secure and compliant. Our cybersecurity has changed from zero to really, really strong.” Siobhan Mellon, General Manager, Cambridge Carbon Footprint
Siobhan also values ctm's willingness to work with the CCF team to strike the right balance of security and operational flexibility so staff and volunteers can focus on their day-to-day work. “I have every confidence that ctm are always open to listening to and responding to our needs.”
With IT no longer a constant concern, CCF can fully focus on the work that matters: empowering Cambridgeshire residents to take meaningful climate action.
For a lean team with ambitious plans — from expanding the repair café network to launching Cambridgeshire's first Library of Things — reducing operational friction is invaluable. With ctm maintaining and supporting their environment, the CCF team can continue expanding programmes, confident that their IT will keep pace.
“I would recommend ctm to any smaller charities looking for an IT partner. They're very easy to work with and will absolutely do their best to meet your needs within your available budget.” Siobhan Mellon, General Manager, Cambridge Carbon Footprint
