Lucy is running to help support Children's Hospice South West

Mentoring Young Creatives is a programme that matches a vulnerable young person with a well suited, experienced mentor to help support and guide them. Mentoring can help to reduce the rates of mental health issues by providing access to support with a like minded individual, helping young people to feel less alone in their mental health struggles. 

These capes make me look like the superhero I am for being brave through heart surgery.

Heart Heroes work with children and their families living with heart conditions. We aim to provide services for these children, to help them meet others who are in similar situations and allow their family to talk to other families going through related experiences. At Heart Heroes we: Support children with heart diseases aged 0 – 16. Organise events and provide socialising opportunities for children to attend. We aim to introduce families with similar experiences so that they can support each other.

During the present Covid crisis we have extended our objectives to include services for those who have lost during the coronavirus pandemic.  

When the Covid – 19 crisis began to emerge we grew very concerned that families who lost during this time would have not had the “non World” bereavement experience and reflected on how this would be affecting those concerned and their mental health. To lose a loved one and not be able to visit them in their last moments, see them after they had died and at times not been able to attend their funerals leaves a huge gap and perhaps lack of acceptance and form of reality and this would have effects on a person’s emotional well-being. With that in mind we began the process to adapt to the current crisis and try to help.

Your donation will pay for 5 BillyChips, which can be redeemed for food and drink at any participating outlet.

BillyChip®️ Foundation registered charity 1188779 was set up in 2018 to continue the legacy of Billy Abernethy-Hope a twenty-year-old ambulance driver from Bristol who was the inspiration and idea behind the BillyChip®️. After helping support the homeless at Christmas, Billy felt disheartened at how little support the general public gave to local homeless people. Many people donate to charity on a regular basis but Billy was surprised what a small percentage of donations were given directly to people living rough on our streets. Turns out most people are apprehensive to give money directly to homeless people because it's not possible to know how a donation is spent.

Unfortunately, the common perception is the money will be used for alcohol, drugs or cigarettes. Even if a donation of food or drink is given to safeguard your donation, it is very awkward as people have to make assumptions of what the person would like and when. The alternative is to engage with that person, ask the question and purchase what’s required which many feel uncomfortable doing. Billy recognized that the likelihood of someone having the time, inclination, courage, and kindness to engage with a homeless person to buy them food or drink was too big a challenge. That was the eureka moment when he first thought up the concept of the BillyChip®️. Sadly Billy never got to launch the BillyChip as planned due to his untimely death whilst backpacking in Thailand.

Our professional counsellors help guide the whole family in their journey through grief. 

Our professional counsellors help guide parents in their journey through grief and ensure that they communicate and understand one another as many deal with loss in different ways.

Changes Bristol is a charity that helps people in mental health distress. We actively support almost 1,000 people, holding 10 online and 6 in-person weekly peer support groups. A donation of £40 will cover the cost for a person to join one of our in-person meetings across Bristol for one month. 

Peer support is a regular gathering of people who have lived experience of poor mental health. These are facilitated by trained volunteers who will help to guide the meeting and allow everyone to have a chance to share and give feedback to their peers. At our meetings we help to encourage members to set goals for themselves so that they can start making small but measurable steps to becoming well again. We equip members with the tools they need to enable them to make positive changes to their lives. Regular members report increased feelings of confidence, resilience and self esteem.

Uganda hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa (1.4 million), and 58% of them are children under 18 years old. The basic right to education of refugees is often denied. Living in a foreign country fleeing violence and persecution creates an extremely difficult situation for learning. Where education can continue, it is often of poor quality; in Uganda, this is affecting hundreds of thousands of children. The majority of schools do not have the infrastructure to accommodate overcrowded classrooms and the basic needs of children. Overcrowding is the hardest obstacle for teachers and students alike. This makes the situation for both teacher and learner almost impossible. Infrastructure needs to be adequate in order to make schools safer and more accessible, to all children affected by conflict. We aim to provide sufficient space, desk and learning materials to improve primary school children's learning outcomes and secure their academic future toward secondary level.

Windle International empowers people to make lasting change in their own lives, in their communities and in wider society. We do this by creating access to quality education and training across East Africa and the Horn of Africa for refugees, communities affected by conflict, and those who have been marginalised in society. We believe that positive change is achieved, and peaceful societies are created, when the people who have been most affected by conflict are empowered to become change-makers in their communities. In Uganda, we have been recognized Best International Education Humanitarian NGO in the country, in both 2019 and 2020.