SUN-DERFUL XMAS TIME
Christmas comes early for first charities to get cash from The Sun’s £1million 50th birthday giveaway
CHRISTMAS has come early for these four charities – the first to get a slice of the £1MILLION we will be giving away to local help groups nominated by YOU.
We set up the Sun Readers’ Fund to mark our 50th birthday last month and asked you to nominate small charities that have touched your lives and need cash.
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Nominations are now closed and we will be picking recipients for grants of £2,000 to £20,000.
Since The Sun’s launch in 1969, you have given £100million to our many and varied campaigns, and as thanks we asked you to name causes close to your hearts.
From old folk’s clubs, to children’s sports clubs, thousands of ideas have poured in. SAM CARLISLE and LAURA STOTT reveal the first groups to get our cash handouts . . .
Herts Inclusive Theatre
OUR £8,000 grant for stage equipment means the show can go on for this theatre. Founded in 2001 in Watford to bring together folk of all ages and backgrounds, with and without special needs, social issues and disadvantaged circumstances, the theatre helps people gain skills and confidence through performance, workshops and other creative activities.
Director Caroline Steven, 37, from Bushey, Herts, says of the Sun grant: “For a small charity like ours it is an incredible opportunity. We are always up against it and every penny counts. There is so much demand for what we offer and we’ve grown so much, so to be able to invest in our equipment is fantastic. We’re thrilled our hard work has been rewarded.”
With more than 150 people a week attending activities and rehearsals, the theatre aims to break down barriers and provide a safe and inspiring environment.
Caroline says: “We put on plays and shows, run art therapy and teach skills like puppetry. We will never turn anyone away. Those on the autistic spectrum who can’t cope with more mainstream group activities thrive here. Others have special needs, mental health issues and registered disabilities. All backgrounds and abilities are welcome.”
Foster Carer Angie Drew, of Chorley-wood, Herts, says: “My two teenage foster children with special needs, who are 13 and 16, have enjoyed the theatre for the past four years and gained so much. It has been a lifeline.
'WE'RE THRILLED'
“Both have increased in confidence, are accepted and not judged by anyone there, and have made friends. Before, they would not have dreamed of singing and dancing on stage but now they do so happily. I can’t praise the theatre highly enough.”
Until now the group, which is based in a community centre, has had to hire equipment such as microphones, stages and lights. But the money has not always been there.
Caroline says: “Not being able to rehearse with their voices amplified, or practise on a stage or under lights, has been a big issue for some participants. The Sun money will now improve accessibility and it also means there’ll be new technical roles our non-performers can get stuck into backstage.
“The first thing we are going to buy is microphones for our next show, The Wizard of Oz. It will make all the participants feel so valued. Thank you for recognising them and for placing us centre stage.”
Charnwod Toy Appeal
THANKS to £5,000 from The Sun, Santa will be making his rounds to children who would otherwise have woken up on Christmas morning to nothing. Set up in 1985 in Loughborough, Leics, the Charnwood Toy Appeal now distributes hundreds of presents each festive season – but relies on local donors and fundraisers.
Chairwoman Ruth Townsend, 58, has helped run the appeal for 18 years and has seen the level of need go up and up over that time. She says: “I started shaking when I found out we had been awarded this money. That’s how much it means.
“It’s shocking how many children having nothing at Christmas. We want to provide something for them all, but funds are always tight. I was dreading that this year might be our last but this has taken that fear away. Not only can we keep going, we can now put a smile on even more children’s faces on Christmas Day.”
The charity buys gifts for children living in difficult circumstances. As well as sweets, books and other stocking fillers, each receives a main present chosen specifically for them, such as Lego or other toys for younger children, or handbags and make-up for teenage girls.
This is all orchestrated by Ruth and just seven volunteers. She says: “These kids would get nothing at Christmas without us. They might be referred from food banks, social services and associations such as Women’s Aid or other local charities. To have gifts that are brand new and good quality, and to have more than one thing to open, is a huge deal for them.
'A HUGE DEAL'
"If they still live with their parents, we give the family the items to wrap themselves, so every-one gets to benefit. Most of these children don’t even expect anything for Christmas – it’s heartbreaking and humbling.”
To make money go as far as possible, the charity’s volunteers are savvy shoppers, buying in the sales and snapping up bargains. But Ruth adds: “The Sun money means we go into next year without worrying, we know we’ll have enough to help hundreds of children.
“Now we can start our shopping for next year in the January sales to source as many nice things as possible. It will truly make such a difference to us. Every single present we buy changes a child’s Christmas for the better.”
Steps To Hope
ON Christmas Day five years ago, Richard Roncero and his daughter handed out five sets of hats and gloves to rough- sleepers in Edinburgh. As a former drug addict who had slept in the city’s alleys before turning his life around, he wanted to give back – and this was Steps To Hope’s beginning.
Today, Richard and his volunteers feed around 200 people at soup kitchens twice a week, and give out coffee early in the morning. But they needed a van to reach more people with hot meals and drinks – so we gave them £20,000.
Richard, 36, says: “This has saved lives. We will be able to carry a message of recovery to the streets. We will reach out to so many more people, rather than just running around like maniacs at 5am.”
Many homeless have drug and alcohol addictions but lack resources to access help. Richard says handing over a coffee and having a chat can be the first stage in turning lives around. But he knows how hard that can be.
Richard began taking cocaine at 15, lost jobs and ended up in jail. He says: “I went to rehab, tried psychologists and GPs and had the love of my family, but couldn’t stop. If addicts are given the option between shelter or substance, the latter will win. Substance is their crutch to see them through. They haven’t got any idea how to change. But sleeping rough is the most awful thing – loneliness, depression, isolation.”
'THIS HAS SAVED LIVES'
It was only when introduced to a former addict that Richard was able to change. This month he will be five years clean and sober, and he now mentors other addicts. He says: “Barriers come down within a few minutes because they identify we’re the same.”
Steps To Hope helps clients with rehab referrals, temporary accommodation while on waiting lists and one-to-one support. After a three-month stretch in rehab, the goal is that they will be sober and clean and able to find more permanent housing.
Richard now hopes the new catering van will change more lives. He says: “It will be a vision of hope to people who are lost and have been forgotten. I had to stumble across my solution to addiction after a ten-year search. Now I want to take Steps To Hope to the streets and say, ‘Here it is, if you want it – you can recover’.”
The Reigate and Banstead Women's Aid Refuge
AGED just three, little Scarlett has seen more trauma than most children will see in their lifetime. Scarlett, her mum Jackie, 33, and brother Jamie, nine, fled her abusive dad in fear of their lives.
They found shelter in a women’s refuge but Scarlett and Jamie had to leave their toys behind. So her beautiful brown eyes were wide open with wonder when Mother Christmas appeared at a festive children’s party at the refuge paid for by The Sun. Scarlett says: “How did Mumma Christmas know we were here? She brought me a doll, I love her so much.”
The Reigate and Banstead Women’s Aid refuge, in Surrey, where Scarlett, her mum and brother now share a room, offers shelter to 11 women and 24 children. Many mums have travelled across the country to escape abuse, rebuild their confidence and get on with their lives.
Refuge chief executive and abuse survivor Charlotte Kneer says: “We can’t thank The Sun enough. It costs £380,000 to keep the refuge running for a year – for basics such as housing, staff and psychological support for physically and emotionally damaged women and children.
“Our children’s fund pays for extras like our annual Christmas party, or trips out for the children. We had five-year funding for the parties but that ran out in October. We are so grateful The Sun stepped in with £5,000. That will keep the parties going.”
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Scarlett’s mum Jackie says: “The staff here are incredible. Helping women recover is more than a job for them, it’s their lives. We left home with nothing. We’ve been to three refuges but had to keep moving for security reasons. Now we feel safe.”
Jackie suffered years of physical and emotional abuse from her husband and feared for herself and the kids – but says: “Thank you to The Sun for making their first fear-free Christmas so very special.”
*Scarlett, Jackie and Jamie are not their real names
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