DONATIONS FOR THE YEAR END JUNE 2022

Now that Give it Away is not currently building houses, donated funds are being earned from rental property.  There is a lovely flat in Putney purchased earlier this year and rented out and one in Hampton Court, about to come on stream in July.  So there were some happy pink envelope moments in June and I have every confidence that these funds will be used to help the projects and causes discussed.

REGENERATE

This charity helping young people, is based in Putney and runs support groups, youth club, mentoring, outdoor activities and routes to employment.

Their Youth and Community work provides a safe social space for all young people aged 11-19 to meet with friends and take part in youth-led activities and workshops, as well as access to individual support from their youth workers and mentors. They organise events, initiatives and outreach activities to bring families and the wider community together.

Give it Away’s donation will be used to help Regenerate take 13 young people down to Little Bryn Gwynon, a residential centre by the south coast of Wales this summer. This trip will engage young people in a new experience outside of their comfort zone, enabling them to develop key soft skills through engaging in a variety of physical exercises. Charlotte met them at the centre in Putney to hear their plans. Their website shows the extensive variety of programmes they operate.

EIKON

Give it Away has supported Eikon for many years now and has been able to see first hand the direct difference one to one mentoring makes to Young People.

There is endless pressure from today’s pace of life, from disrupted family backgrounds, education problems and the ever present demanding social media.  This donation will help to fund further mentoring providing individual sessions for 5 young people who have been desperate for some help for at least 10 weeks. Eikon sees bullying, depression, isolation and addiction, eating disorders, self-harm, domestic issues and even sexual abuse and they step in where possible to counsel and support.

As Eikon always says “we would rather be the rescue party at the top of the cliff than the ambulance at the bottom” – this is what they do.  Chris and Charlotte met for the pink envelope moment and enjoyed a catch up!

AMBITIOUS ABOUT AUTISM

Charlotte paid a visit to the original Treehouse Autism School in North London to meet staff and pupils.

She was shown around the lovely “kitchens of many colours” helped along by previous Give it Away donations, which have been installed to provide a safe environment for their young people to learn cooking, kitchen and independent living skills.

She was lucky enough to arrive in time for a yummy savoury muffin!  The latest donation will be used to help kit out new sensory rooms – a haven for autistic children needing a calm, safe space in which to relax and reflect.

REACT

Charlotte and Vicky enjoyed a rather windswept meeting at Putney Bridge to do the “pink envelope!” .

React provide rapid effective assistance to children and families facing terminal illness, often where there are serious financial constraints or parenting and family problems.

This donation will be rapidly spent on equipment such as the young lad in this picture who is enjoying his new bicycle and on basic home help needs to make the child’s sometimes short life more comfortable.

UK YOUTH

Give it Away likes to support UK Youth’s Hampshire centre in the New Forest, Avon Tyrell. which offers disadvantaged young people the chance to enjoy outdoor sports and activities with their families and siblings.

This donation will provide 10 such young people with the experience of an outdoor learning adventure through their bursary scheme. This enables young people from low income families to explore their potential through activities such as abseiling, bush craft, canoeing, archery, orienteering, climbing, raft building, mountain biking and zip-wiring.

The centre is fully-accessible with a range of equipment and accommodation to support young people with physical disabilities, ensuring all young people have the opportunity to experience the joy of the great outdoors.  Vicky and Charlotte enjoyed their catch up!

BACK UP TRUST

Sean and Charlotte met to discuss how the latest pink envelope could be best used and it was agreed that it will go towards their “What Next” campaign which helps people with a new spinal cord injury rebuild their independence in the early days as they are discharged from hospital wondering how on earth they are going to cope with the challenges ahead that being in a wheelchair inevitably bring.

The course volunteers share their experiences and tips about how to face the future positively.

Comments like this sum it all up: “ I honestly don’t know where I would be if I didn’t find the support that Back Up offered me. It has helped me to deal with all the anger and frustration that I felt at the time.”  Sean zoomed in to Putney at 90mph with his new motorised clip on feature on his wheelchair to meet Charlotte!