In the Facilities Directorate, we are committed to supporting a charity every year. Please place your vote to decided this year’s FD charity.

Voting will open on Monday 10 February and closes on 24 April 2020 and the chosen charity will be in place from 1 May 2020 till 30 April 2021.

Staff nominated charities for 2020/21

Homeless Street Angels 

I would like to nominate the Homeless Strret Angels to be our chosen charity for 2020/21. The reason I am putting them forward is because of the amazing work they do around Headingley and Leeds city centre helping people by providing hot meals (100 a week) and cold food, clean clothes, toiletries and food parcels. The aim of these volunteers is to get these guys off the streets and into a home of their own and hopefully into employment. They do this by looking at housing options and getting them into the system, signposting them towards social care and treatment options to resolve any issues they may have with nearly 30 people rehomed since the volunteers began their work. The aim of this group is to look at long term solutions and raise the self-esteem, confidence, and aspirations of the homeless people

Mountain Rescue (Yorkshire)

Mountain rescue team members are on call, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to recover climbers from precipitous crags, reunite lost walkers with their pals and ensure injured and sick casualties are safely delivered into vital hospital care. But they also regularly help search for missing children and vulnerable adults, on and off the hills, whilst administering sympathetic support to their families. They search river banks and swift water, and wade chest-deep through flooded urban streets aiding swimmers, kayakers and devastated homeowners. And, between them, they rescue a frankly stunning number of dogs, cows, sheep and any number of other animals, from all manner of inaccessible places. All this whilst continuing to practise and hone their first aid skills, technical ropework, water rescue and search management, and maintaining their bases, equipment and vehicles – not to mention taking time to maintain their own fitness. Oh, and did we mention they’re all volunteers?’. I’m a keen fell runner and walker and spend a fair bit of time on the moors and hills, so the valuable work they do is very much appreciated.

Leeds British Heart Fund

Our Fundraising Groups and Branches are the face of the British Heart Foundation in their local communities. We have over 200 Groups and Branches across the UK made up of volunteers with more opening every month.

Our Local Fundraising Groups are all different each running their own fundraising events, supporting schools and local businesses, organising collections and so much more.

Second Chance Headway Centre

Second Chance Headway Centre provides a therapy led day service for adults who are living with acquired or traumatic brain injury. The charity’s objectives are to relieve and rehabilitate individuals living in or near Yorkshire and the Humber who have sustained an acquired brain injury likely to cause significant disability. Particularly but not exclusively, by providing and promoting facilities for the provision of their support, enablement, education, training and welfare, and advising and supporting carers, families and friends of such individuals. They believe in the right of everyone to an acceptable quality of life, and disability should not be a barrier to obtaining the skills, knowledge and understanding required to achieve a better quality of life.

Hope Pastures

Hope Pastures uses donations to prevent suffering and to improve and save lives. Thanks to support we rescue, rehabilitate and re-home horses, ponies and donkeys in need and give people the chance to meet these animals and learn about them and how to look after them. Because they are a small charity with few ‘overheads,’ 95p of every £1 donated goes directly to help the animals.

Charities who enquired directly

Forgetmenotchild 

Our mission – Here’s why we have an important role to play in changining the way children and their families are supported. Our Vision is for a world in which children and young people no longer face life-shortening conditions. And until that day comes, our mission will always be to offer them, and their families, as much support, love and laughter as they can handle. We’re also determined to transform the work of children’s hospices. We’re tearing up the old rule books, taking a fresh and creative look at the way things are done. We’re offering new services that have neve been done before. We’re listening and responding to children and their families, rather than tgelling them what they can or cant do because “that the way it’s also been”.

Woodfield Dog Rescue

Our small dog rescue shelter is based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire and opened in November 2017. It was the realisation of a dream of our founder, Janet, following her working at the Boldesti Public Shelter in Romania.

Leeds Mencap

Leeds Mencap supports local children with learning disabilities and complex needs from birth to age 25 – building confidence and developing life skills, to go beyond their expectations. We help parents to build resilience through training, one-to-one and peer support – to care for their whole family. We support siblings giving them “me Time” with others who understand. Only 27% of service costs come from statutory funding or fees, so your fundraising will have a HUGE impact. Enjoy volunteering opportunities like gardening, community days or maintaining our busy multi-use centre in Leeds 9. Choose a small independent charity with the BIG heart!

For more information on charity nominations please contact Sue Tattersall, s.tattersall@leeds.ac.uk