As the Birmingham Walkathon approaches, we’d like to talk about the amazing charities that this event will be supporting. Many will already know that Help Harry Help Others charity is the organiser of the event and will receive some of the funds raised which will help them continue to offer the incredible service that they deliver on a daily basis to people fighting cancer.
We have also selected 4 other charities that are very close to our hearts who we will be raising funds for as well as HHHO. These are Birmingham Children’s Hospital, NSPCC Birmingham, Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid and Birmingham Mind.
Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid
Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid is a domestic abuse charity and has been providing frontline domestic violence and abuse support services to women and children in the Birmingham and Solihull area for over 40 years.
Donations from the Walkathon have been allocated to help BSWA with 2 of their projects:
Children and Young People – activities and engagement
BSWA recognise that enrichment activities can make the world of difference for the children and young people who engage in their services, these activities can range from fun treasure hunts to pamper sessions. BSWA want to do all they can to improve the lives of the younger people they support who have been through domestic abuse, so donations from the Walkathon will enable the charity to continue to invest in quality enrichment and staff resources to carry on making special moments for the kids and young women they’re working with.
Interpreting for women
BSWA strongly believe that women who’ve experienced domestic violence should be able to communicate with us with confidence and ease, no matter the language they speak. As some women require interpreters to allow them to understand what is being discussed in meetings, we always offer this to women who need it. However, unfortunately the costs to provide this service are rising, so support from the donations in the Walkathon will enable them to continue to offer this vital service.
NSPCC
For more than a century, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has fought tirelessly for the rights of vulnerable children in the UK. NSPCC are nationally recognised and have been named the UK’s leading children’s charity.
This year, NSPCC’s Childline will be celebrating its 20th birthday. In 2020/21 the Birmingham base Childline delivered 20,338 counselling sessions to children and young people who needed help and support.
On average, a child calls ChildLine every 25 seconds, and it is crucial that NSPCC are able to answer as many phone calls as they can, so that when a child is ready to talk, they know that NSPCC will be there to listen and to help them. However, each and every call costs £4, so donations from the Birmingham Walkathon will allow NSPCC to continue to keep picking up that phone.
Here is an idea of what certain amounts of donations will help ChildLine with:
- £4 could pay for single phone call to ChildLine
- £190 could pay for one ChildLine supervisor shift, supporting our volunteer counsellors
- £1600 could allow NSPCC to recruit and train a ChildLine volunteer
- £30,000 could pay to run Childline for one day (this includes 12 bases across the UK)
Birmingham Mind
Birmingham Mind, the largest provider of mental health services in Birmingham, has a well-earned reputation for excelling in their support and service quality and they play a key role in supporting and influencing the wider mental health system across our city.
‘Better Mental Health For All’ is Birmingham Mind’s paramount vision, and to help achieve this they have worked hard since 1962 with those living in Brum who live with mental health problems by helping improve their lives, opportunities and choices as well as using the charity’s experience to remove the stigma and change the way people think and act about mental health.
Money raised by the Birmingham Walkathon will go towards supporting Birmingham Mind’s Helpline and their Peer Mentor Programme.
Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Birmingham Children’s Hospital has offered the very best specialist care for sick children for more than 150 years and their mission is to raise the vital funds that are needed to make a real difference to all who use their hospital services, in hopes to offer them the best experience possible.
Believing that there is always more that can be done for their sick kids, they strive to always go above and beyond for their patients and families, so these vital funds raised by the walk will go towards helping the hospital continue to give their children the best care possible.
