July 2021 newsletter
Welcome to our first newsletter. Use the links below to jump to the content that interests you.
News roundup
Fashion with friends
With the end of lockdown and other restrictions finally in sight, Friends for Families is preparing for our biggest ever event: Fashion With Friends on Friday 8 October 7:30-9:30pm.
Our Trustees are very excited that we can finally arrange an event. Kelly Barlow said “After the last year, it will be such a joy to bring the community together in aid of our cause, and we’re delighted have a chance to thank our supporters by giving them a fun night out, an opportunity to treat themselves and a chance to help the local community at the same time.”
Tickets cost £15 each and include:
styling tips from Amy Hall of Hall & Co
colour advice from Karen Savage
free Friends for Families canvas tote bag
complimentary drink and canapes and more!
Secure your tickets now by emailing us at our dedicated email address: f4fevent@mail.com. You can share this information with your friends, neighbours and anyone who might be interested using our flier (pdf opens in new window).
The event will be held at at Bat and Ball Community Centre, TN14 5DN.
Christmas appeal success
Despite the pandemic, our 2020 Christmas appeal allowed us to provide 269 children with two gifts each, and 114 families with a large bag of food for the Christmas period. This is almost double what we were able to provide in 2019.
While the bulk of the gifts and food came from individuals, in 2020, three local businesses also joined the campaign. CKH Build Limited and Countryside provided gifts and food, and Calfordseaden provided a storybook for each child under the age of 12 years.
“We know from our conversations with Children's Services that this project can transform the experience of Christmas for families,” said Shona Campbell. “At the end of a very challenging year, and with more uncertainty ahead, our supporters have reached out to the most vulnerable in our community and shown them that they care. Thank you.”
The Friends for Families Christmas appeal runs every year. Look out for October’s issue of this newsletter to find out how you can get involved.
Laptop library
Since the first lockdown last year, we have been increasingly asked to help children from poorer families access home schooling. While we all hope that the need for home‐schooling is in the past, the need for children to access technology remains.
We will continue to respond to requests from social services, but we are also delighted to support the laptop library, a brilliant local initiative led by Ray Edun, the owner of Fine Tuned Tech.
Since it began earlier this year, the laptop library has provided laptops not only to students and teachers, but also to school ICT suites and parents in need of equipment to write CVs and apply for jobs. Devices too old to use, or of particularly high value, have been sold off to raise funds for more suitable laptops to lend and other equipment.
If you have a Windows 8 or 10 laptop or desktop you no longer need and are happy to donate and if it’s less than six years old please get in touch with us, or email the laptop library.
Why we matter: our impact in numbers
In the first six months of 2021, we were able to provide over £33,000 of immediate and desperately needed help to the most vulnerable families in Sevenoaks District & Dartford. This included providing:
51 food shops
More than £10,000 worth of furniture such as beds
120 items of school uniform and 19 pairs of shoes
More than £5,000 worth of household goods including bedding, stairgates and carpet.
It is your support that made this possible. Thank you.
How you can help
Thank you for everything you do to support our work. Each newsletter we will highlight ways you can get involved in our work, should you wish to do so. This time, in the run up to our biggest ever event, we would love any donations of 'as new', high-end highstreet or designer clothes, shoes and accessories.
We would love your pre-loved items, be it a John Lewis evening dress or LK Bennet Jacket, a pair of Jimmy Choos or a Coach clutch, a Whistles dress or a Zara jacket! Please email us to arrange collection at f4fevent@mail.com. Please don’t donate 'fast' fashion, and all items must be washed/dry cleaned and in a saleable condition.*
*Please note we reserve the right to dispose of any unsold / unsaleable items or save them for future events.