Gok’s Charity of the Month for January

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you have had the most amazing Christmas…eaten waaaayyyy too much Christmas pudding, laughed until you cried and of course looked amazing in your Christmas jumpers and dresses!!!!

After such wonderful times, I am asking that in 2015 we remember those most vulnerable and needy in society and do what we can to make their lives better. My first charity of the month for 2015 is Charity Link who help those living in poverty of all ages – can you still believe that we have got to 2015 in the UK and there is still so much poverty!?!?! Something so simple as having breakfast every day is not always an option for some and we must do what we can to make this stop. Please read on and find out more about what they do and how you can help.

Send you all so, so, so much 2015 love and kisses xx
Charity Link 

It is hard to believe that today there are 26,000 children and young people living in poverty in Leicester and 21,000 in Northamptonshire alone – children going without a meal in the evening, children going without a coat in winter, children sleeping on floors. Children like Stacey.

Stacey has lived with her disabled grandmother since her mum died shortly after her birth. The family relied on disability and child benefits and no funds were available to replace Stacey’s broken bed so she slept on the floor. Thankfully, Charity Link, a charity which has been supporting people in poverty, hardship and crisis in Leicestershire for nearly 140 years, was able to step in and provided Stacey with a new bed and bedding.

Charity Link, which now also works in Northamptonshire, helps vulnerable people of all ages and backgrounds who are affected by poverty. We help by providing basic items that the majority of us take for granted, such a cooker to prepare a hot meal, a fridge, clothing (including school uniforms), or a bed for children like Stacey who are sleeping on the floor. We also run a food bank in Leicester city centre – the demand for which continues to rise.

People can fall into poverty for a huge variety of reasons; ill health or disability, the breakdown of a relationship or losing a loved one, and being made redundant are just some of them. We can get help to those who need it, when they need it. Without Charity Link’s help these vulnerable people would often simply slip through the net and the results can be tragic. Yet with our help, the improvement in quality of life and increased personal dignity can be immense.

Thomas was suffering from depression, having been housebound for a number of years due to severe osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Thomas’s GP felt that a mobility scooter would greatly enhance his quality of life but Thomas had no means to fund this expensive item and it wasn’t available on the NHS. Charity Link raised the funds and after getting out in the fresh air again Thomas said he felt “as free as a bird”.

How you can help

• Support Poverty Action Week which takes place from 26th January – 1st February, including ‘wear a funky scarf day’ on Friday 30th (visit www.charity-link.org/poverty-action-week for details)
• Give a one off donation or become a regular giver
• Donate food for our food bank
• Join us at one of our events or take part in a fundraising challenge

Follow us on social media and help spread the word:

• Twitter @charitylink and @charitylinknths
• Facebook www.facebook.com/charitylink

Because of the unique way in which Charity Link works, accessing grants from charitable trusts that are available to help those in desperate need, for every £10 donated we can raise £50 – all of which goes to the individual or family who needs it.

This means that a donation of £10 turns into £50, enough to help provide a family with food for a week and £25 turns into £125, enough to buy a child like Stacey a bed.

Your support really will make a huge difference.

Get in touch:
www.charity-link.org
Tel: 0116 222 2220
Email: Rachel.markham@charity-link.org

Charity Link is a registered charity, no 1078271 and a company limited by guarantee, no 03761954.

*Names and images may be changed to protect identities but all stories are true