Week 12 - The Foxton Centre

Late one this / last week.  I've had this one on my radar for a few weeks and this has been the first chance I have to use it.  The Foxton Centre are a Christian charity based near me in Preston and provide help, support and hot meals to homeless people in the city.  Among other things, in 2014 they helped:

• 72 homeless people find accommodation,
• 21 young people move away from the risk of being sexually exploited,
• 176 vulnerable adults with one-to-one support,
• 7 women to leave street work.

They also served over 8000 meals to vulnerable adults and their families including a Christmas dinner for 65 people.

I find it hard to believe that in a wealthy country as ours we still have people sleeping rough so I whole-heartedly support any charity which encourages and helps others to turn their lives around in this way.

Week 11 - Anthony Nolan Trust

I've chosen John Underwood's JustGiving campaign because, quite honestly, the blurb is so wonderfully written.  A few weeks ago John was diagnosed with a late-stage lymphoma and, in his own words, is currently trying not to die.  His JustGiving page is here - please read it as I can't do it justice on here.

The Anthony Nolan Trust works to save lives by finding matching bone marrow and stem cell donors.  30% of people who need a transplant can find one in their own family but the other 70% rely on strangers who may be in the database.  It costs around £100 to add each person to their database so they have to be strict on who they add  Joining is easy - sadly they only accept people under 30 so I can't join myself.  You simply register and send a saliva sample.  They do some amazing work and it really does save lives.

Week 10 - Motor Neurone Disease Association

Jez Denton's come up with an original idea for fundraising.  He's wearing a different garish shirt everyday for as long as possible.  He has a fair collection himself but he's also taking donations of unwanted shirts - the address is included on his Just Giving page.  He's not far off his target so let's help him get there!

Jez is raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.  MND is a degenerative disease that attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord.  Messages stop reaching the muscles causing them to weaken and waste away.  The disease and the MND Association, along with the ALS Association in the USA gained much needed publicity following the ice bucket challenge last year.  The MND Association raise funds for research and provide support for sufferers and their families.

Week 9 - Dom's Wheelchair (The Brittle Bone Society / Action For Kids)

This story came to my attention via Twitter.  Dom Hyams has a severe form of Osteogenesis Imperfecta, commonly known as Brittle Bone Disease.  He leads an active and independent life due to having a specially adapted wheelchair.  Rather shockingly, this wheelchair was stolen last week.  Not only has he lost his independence, he also can no longer drive as his van is adapted to the wheelchair.  This means he also can no longer work.

The more I read about Dom's story the more inspirational he sounds but he can only do it with the help of the equipment which makes him mobile.  The wheelchair originally cost £17,500 and his van will also need re-adapting to the new chair.  They have already reached their original target of £25,000 but all additional funds will be donated to two charities.

The Brittle Bone Society work with people who have Brittle Bones to improve their quality of life.  Osteogenesis Imperfecta is a genetic condition which affects the production of colleges.  It most often causes fractured bones, scoliosis and curved bones as well as causing muscle weakness and reduced growth.

Action For Kids have assisted Dom by funding his wheelchairs down the years.  They support disabled children to live as "normal" a life as possible.  They provide essential equipment as well as practical skills to encourage young people with disabilities to live as independently as possible.

Dom's fundraising page is HERE.

Week 8 - CICRA / Bowel Cancer UK / Pied Piper Appeal

My first blog was to donate to my friend Wenna Blewett for completing ten days drinking just water.  Another friend is going one step further!  Emma Mills is giving up all carbonated soft drinks for a whole year!  This is despite being a self-confessed cola addict!  As well as raising sponsorship (her donation page is here) she is donating 50p per day to the three causes closest to her heart.

CICRA - Crohn's In Childhood Research Association - was formed in 1978 to research the disease in children which was considered very rare at the time.  Emma herself suffers from Crohn's disease which can cause inflammation of any area of the intestinal tract from the mouth to the anus.  CICRA have since extended their research to cover other inflammatory bowel diseases in children.

Bowel Cancer UK is one also close to my heart as I lost both my grandad and my father-in-law to this particular cancer.  As well as funding research and supporting sufferers they campaign to make people more aware of the early signs of bowel cancer - early treatment can dramatically increase the chances of survival.

The Pied Piper Appeal is a local charity to Emma.  They raise money for sick and disabled children in Gloucestershire.  They help fund large projects - their initial goal in 1992 was to set up a children's centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital - to community projects and small, individual needs.

Week 7 - MacMillan Cancer Support / Little Princess Trust

I suspect that cancer charities will come up quite regularly here.  I'm sure we have all been affected by cancer and there are many, many different charities raising money for different aspects of the disease.  This one is rather unusual and quite a cute story.  It was brought to my attention via a network of Marillion fans (this may prove to be a regular feature!)

Ben Fisher posted the following message on the 'Marillion and fans' Facebook group:

"My 12 year old son Jacob hasn't had his hair cut for 3 years so its pretty long and he's very very proud of it. Last week out of the blue he said I'm shaving my hair off for the MacMillan Cancer trust and I'm donating the hair to the Little Princess trust that makes wigs for kids suffering from cancer."

Macmillan Cancer Support are very well known for their work in helping people through cancer.  They provide specialised nurses and health care professionals in their cancer care centres.  They provide financial advice and support to cancer sufferers, their families and their carers.  And they campaign to fight discrimination against those that are suffering from cancer or have been debilitated by the disease.

The Little Princess Trust is one I've not heard of before.  They provide real hair wigs for children who have lost their hair following cancer treatment.  You don't need to be as drastic as shaving it all off - if you are going from a long hairstyle to a short one your hair can be donated.  It takes at least five heads of donated hair to create one wig.  They also fundraiser to purchase wigs where necessary - these cost around £350 each.

These are two inspiring charities and Jacob's decision to support them is also an inspiration.  Jacob's fundraising page is HERE.

Week 6 - Ummah Welfare Trust

Eid Mubarak!

As this is an auspicious time in the Muslim calendar I thought I'd donate to a Muslim charity.  I have no personal belief in Islam but I know that charity (zakat) is an important part of the faith and of Ramadan so it felt appropriate for this week.

The charity I've chosen is Ummah Welfare Trust.  They work on many projects around the world and you can choose the project that your donation goes to.  I've chosen their Girls Academy, a safe environment for girls to learn which they are currently fundraising to build.  The site of the academy is the Sunderbans in West Bengal, India, an area where almost 50% of the population exist below the poverty line.  Amidst this poverty girls are increasingly forced into marriage with wealthy men or into prostituion.  The academy aims to house around 300 girls from the area who are prone to exploitation.

100% of charitable donations to Ummah Welfare Trust go to the project you are supporting.  Money for administration is raised and accounted for separately (through sales in their charity shops, Gift Aid and specific donations).

Week 5 - The Doghouse Sanctuary

As Marillion's charity raffle last week was doing so well, their manager Lucy decided to do her own.  I missed the actual raffle but decided to make it this week's donation anyway.

Lucy is raising money for The Doghouse Sanctuary who work to rehabilitate and rehome stray dogs in Northern Ireland.  They also use their donations to neuter dogs to try to reduce the number of unwanted litters in the area.