Posted by admin - January 29, 2014 12:28 pm
Christmas packing not wrapping
Forget Christmas wrapping we got Christmas packing
Partners and staff of our Sittingbourne office recently took part in a fundraising initiative in aid of a local Sittingbourne based charity New Leaf Support. Volunteers helped to pack Sainsbury’s shoppers pack their groceries in order to raise much needed funds for the charity.
New Leaf Support was founded by local business woman Hasmita Reardon.
The charity’s main objectives are to:
The charity provides a ‘Safe House’ for women and their children fleeing domestic violence.
- provide a safe house so that the abuse can stop
- provide floating support to help with practical issues
- ‘signpost’ victims to various organizations and assistance
- provide an alternative option to refuges
- provide a higher level of safety
- help offer permanent accommodation in association with local rental businesses, where appropriate
The charity provides victims and their families with a safe environment to live in while they decide what the next step is for them and their children.
The property is equipped with everything they need to try and make them comfortable during their stay. The cupboards are stocked with food, and the charity offers residents support and time to help them make the right decisions regarding their future.
Charity support
To maintain this service the charity needs to raise approximately £15,000 per annum and as such the team is always busy organizing various fundraising initiatives and also identifying new sources of funding to keep this much needed safe house open. To help with fundraising in 2013 the trustees mustered up support in the local community and as a result were nominated to be Sittingbourne Sainsbury’s Charity of the Year. As well as allowing the charity to place a food bank in the store, Sainsbury’s Sittingbourne invited the New Leaf Team and willing volunteers into the store on 13th and 14th of December 2013 to help pack customers’ bags during the busy Christmas period in return for donations. This particular exercise raised £1,146.10, which along with funds raised from other events will be used towards covering running costs of the safe house in 2014.
New Leaf Support is a charity particularly close to MFW’s heart as two of its trustees are members of our Sittingbourne team, partner Clair Rayner and receptionist Sue Barnes. The charity is run on a voluntary basis by four trustees in total.
Clair is a Chartered Accountant and a proud holder of the ICAEW Diploma in Charity Accounting. She regularly advises a large number of charities and not for profit organisations and specializes in this sector. As such she was an excellent choice for Chairperson and in this role she has helped the charity to apply for and secure charitable status in 2012.
“Having advised charities for a number of years it was clear to me that a big challenge for charities is attracting volunteer trustees to help with the running of the charity. I was keen therefore to offer my support to a local charity and so when Hasmita, Sue and Celia asked me to get involved I jumped at the chance. In the main my role is to make sure that we adhere to the financial rules and regulations that charities have to comply with”.
Meanwhile Sue Barnes, receptionist and singer in her own band uses her excellent networking skills to make connections for the charity and broaden its fundraising network. Sue is currently working hard organizing the charities first quiz night which will take place on 26 April 2014.
“I volunteered to assist Hasmita with a pilot refuge project for the homeless. During this time one thing led to another and Hasmita asked me to get involved with the charity. I have found my role as a trustee incredibly interesting and rewarding and I look forward to what the future holds”.
For further information about how MFW works with Charities click here.
For further information about New Leaf Support, or to make a donation, visit their website.
New Leaf Support
Registered Charity Number 1150552
