Philanthropist Patricia Caring on her vital work with The Caring Family Foundation

Words: Charlotte Pasha

Lead image : Dan Kennedy

Patricia Caring is busy. She has four children with husband Richard Caring, chairman of Caprice Holdings (Sexy Fish, The Ivy, Scott’s) and The Birley Group (Annabel’s, Mark’s Club, Harry’s Bar). At Annabel’s alone this year there will be a five-month chef residency with sushi master Endo Kazutoshi and events for lunar new year, Chelsea Flower Show, Frieze and many more. In March the club will be celebrating International Women’s Day, which is particularly close to Patricia’s heart.

“International Women’s Day creates space for connection and commitment,” she says. “It brings women together to listen, share experiences and support one another.” This year’s theme, Give to Gain, “reflects a simple but powerful truth: when women support women, everyone benefits”.

On March 5, Annabel’s members can attend a brunch in the garden, where they will hear from a panel of trailblazing women. “The morning will centre on meaningful conversation and connection, offering thoughtful perspectives, shared experiences and moments of inspiration,” Patricia says. “Our purpose is for guests to leave feeling uplifted and motivated, celebrating the strength of women and the power of coming together.”

The message of International Women’s Day is closely connected to the work of The Caring Family Foundation, which Patricia and Richard established in 2019 with a mission “to help build a world free from hunger, harm and hurt, where women and children can thrive”.

The foundation operates in the UK and Brazil and focuses on reforestation, domestic abuse and child poverty. Results so far are incredibly impressive: it has planted more than 4.2 million trees and seedlings in Brazil, and has delivered more than 38,000 domestic abuse services across both countries as well as 3.6 million meals.

One of Patricia’s proudest moments was when the foundation introduced International Day of the Girl to Brazil for the first time, which worked to highlight “the urgent need for early prevention and stronger protection of girls’ rights”.

A key focus for the foundation this year is domestic abuse prevention, “breaking cycles of harm before they take hold, particularly for children and young people”, Patricia says.

“By intervening early, we can help change the trajectory of lives and create healthier futures for generations to come,” she adds. “We’ve come to understand how closely domestic abuse is linked to trauma – especially when children witness abuse, often creating a harmful cycle that carries into later life.”

She shares shocking statistics: in the UK, one in five children experience abuse and 78 per cent of children living with domestic abuse are directly harmed by perpetrators as a result of witnessing abuse in the home. To this end, The Caring Family Foundation has invested in prevention-focused partners such as Tender, Everyone’s Invited and Promundo. Through working with these three partners, Patricia says, “we will reach 3,140 girls and boys”.

Patricia is very hands on, having visited the Amazon and travelled to various regions deep in the rainforest. Among others, the foundation supports the Indigenous Pirahã community, which has fewer than 700 people and lives without electricity or fixed location. The Caring Family Foundation helps with access to healthcare and developing practical skills, such as supporting the community to grow and manage their own seedlings and sustainable food systems.

I ask Patricia to name her ultimate goal for the foundation. “It has never been about statistics,” she says. “It’s about people – improving quality of life for women, children and the communities we serve, working consistently alongside our partners and creating long-term impact throughout a woman’s or child’s life, as well as for the environment.”

And the work doesn’t end with her: it continues into the next generation. “I am incredibly fascinated by young people and their awareness of the world they are living in. They see the environmental destruction and the injustices around them, and they worry about what’s happening. They refuse to sit by with their arms crossed – they want to help. They are shaping the new world.”

It’s personal, too. “With my children, I don’t need to say very much – I guide them and lead by example. They genuinely care about the work the foundation does, and they want to be involved in this journey. They bring so much energy, perspective and input, and that’s something we should be encouraging in young people everywhere.

“My children understand how privileged they are, and they genuinely want to give back. They lead the way, they challenge me, they ask the difficult questions and they remind me why this work truly matters.”