Cuddly Donation.
THANK YOU!!!
We would like to say a huge thank you to a young person who recently kindly donated a bundle of cuddly toys to RSVP.
We were able to give these to children and young people who use our services which resulted in lots of big smiles.
In at the deep end!
Six brave fundraisers are taking on a massive challenge for RSVP. On 20th October, they’ll be swimming with sharks, without a cage!
They all have fundraising pages online and we’re hoping they’ll smash their fundraising targets.
Thanks to all the fundraisers (and those supporting them), your support makes a big difference.
5 Ultra runs in 4 months!
We’re so grateful to Nicola for her incredible fundraising efforts. She is completing 5 different ‘ultra runs’ in just 4 months. Her final, and biggest, challenge takes place this week at the Thames Ultra – a whopping 184 miles!
Nicola has already smashed her target, and if you want to donate to her fundraising page and show your support, just go to LocalGiving.
Wish granted!
Thank you to the generous folk who have granted our wish and bought essential children’s therapeutic resources from our Amazon wish list. They’ve gone straight into Vicky’s Room – our children’s and family room.
There’s lots of other items on the wish list, including books, feelings flash cards and admin items. It’s a really simple and direct way to support us in our 40th year. You can browse the wish list here.
The Peak District Challenge
If you want to take on a new challenge AND raise money for RSVP in our 40th year, why not take on the Peak District Challenge?
21-22 September, you would face a raise against time to complete a picturesque running/trekking challenge in the beautiful Peak District. There are 5 levels of difficulty you can choose from, read about them here.
All you need to do is register at www.peak-district-challenge.com and select RSVP as your chosen charity to receive sponsorship money. And then it’s time to get your friends and family involved by securing donations. We can help promote your challenge on social media, and will be rooting for you the whole way!
MEGA fundraising challenge – 28 countries in 1 year!
Enormous thanks to Steve who has set himself a huge fundraising (and physical!) challenge. He is running in all 28 EU member states before Britain exits the EU in March 2019.
He’s aiming to raise £10,000 that will be donated to RSVP and Changing Faces, a charity offering support and advice for people living with a condition that affects their physical appearance.
Steve says:
I’m going to attempt to run in all 28 countries of the European Union before Britain leaves at 11pm on 29 March 2019. In each country I’ll aim to run with local running groups and clubs, taking part in organised races when I can. Wherever I go, I’ll tell people about this crazy challenge, the reasons why it’s important to me and about the work of RSVP and Changing Faces. Please help me support these two fantastic charities.
Steve’s fundraiser page is live at https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/runningmerunningeu
All money donated to RSVP will go towards supporting survivors of sexual violence and abuse.
We’re winners!
Lisa Thompson, RSVP CEO
We are absolutely delighted to be one of only eight charities selected from more than 350 organisations to receive a 2018 GSK IMPACT Award. This prestigious national award recognises charities that are doing excellent work to improve people’s health and well-being. As part of our win we will receive £30,000 in funding as part of the prize, as well as expert support and development from The King’s Fund. We couldn’t be more pleased.
Two of our team have been in London this week, taking part in a Kings Fund hosted training programme. Four of the team will be at tonight’s award ceremony, where an overall winner will be announced, receiving an additional £10,000.
The GSK Impact Award is a prestigious award and a huge acknowledgement of the big hearted, bold support we show people affected by sexual trauma.
You can tune into the award ceremony live tonight from 7.30pm on the GSK Facebook page. Feel free to tune in and root for us 🙂
The Handbag Project
West Midlands Police have very generously donated 95 handbags and a wide range of toiletries too. These will be handed out to female sex workers who have faced or are at risk of sexual violence and abuse, and are accessing services offered via the new Red Project. The donations will mean women will receive everyday essentials in the handbags and information about support services too.
The Red Project is a West Midlands wide service offered by RSVP, Black Country Womens Aid (BCWA) and CRASAC. It’s a partnership which is funded via the Tampon Tax, specifically for female sex workers facing or at risk of sexual abuse.
From left to right:
Clare, Prevention Worker from RSVP
Sally Simpson, Detective Chief Inspector from West Midlands Police
Alison, Butterfly Project worker from BCWA
Detective Chief Inspector Sally Simpson, Lead for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences, Modern Slavery and Sex Work at Public Protection Unit, West Midlands Police, acknowledges how female sex workers are often targeted and how the project will help to build relationships.
“West Midlands Police recognise that sex workers can be incredibly vulnerable as they are targeted for violent and serious sexual crimes. For many reasons sex workers find it difficult to report offences and engage with the police. The handbag project is a great way for WMP to work closely with our partners in RSVP/Black Country Women’s Aid/CRASAC to distribute vital safety information and information about support services such as Sexual Assault Referral Centres and National Ugly Mugs. By supporting this project we hope to build the trust of sex workers so they may feel able to report either directly or through the outreach and prevention workers so that we can target those people who seek to cause them harm.”
We are delighted to receive the donations from the police as they enable us to deliver items to those in the greatest need and get the project, which only started last year, off to such a great start. Thanks to all involved.
Good news!
We are delighted to receive news that Garfield Weston Foundation will support RSVP through 2018/19. They will contribute to the costs of delivering counselling to sexual violence survivors.
By funding us for core costs, they are strengthening our foundations for the year, securing funding for counselling staff and contributing to overhead costs. Counselling is our busiest service; from 1st January we have received 393 new requests for counselling from adults and children who have experienced sexual abuse. The need for specialist, trauma-informed support is great, and continues to grow.
Thank you so much to the foundation, from the whole RSVP team, for recognising the importance of our workin our 40th year and boldly showing your support for survivors.
Festival of Trees
As Christmas trees and all things glittery are taken down across the nation we wanted to show you the tree that our survivor led craft group, Arts With Hearts decorated ,which also made a difference for abused children. You’ll then know where to come to if you still need some Christmas sparkles in your life!
In collaboration with Irwin Mitchell the tree brightened up the foyer of the ICC during December and was part of the NSPCC’s Festival of Trees. Irwin Mitchell sponsored the tree, with the sponsorship going to fund the NSPCC’s work. Our craft group were then invited by Irwin Mitchell to decorate it with the beautiful handmade decorations they made.
We’re sure you’ll agree that the tree was beautifully creative and unique, we thank Irwin Mitchell for allowing us to be involved but more importantly all the survivors who created the beautiful decorations.