News
Barnardo’s tests the brains of the hungriest hopefuls in the Birmingham business community
September
Three teams from Edenhouse Solutions battled it out in a “The Apprentice” style challenge to see who could come up with the best business venture and run it for a day to raise funds for Barnardo’s Safe and Sound Appeal. The company that is an SAP partner and specialises in SAP support, enhancement and implementation found themselves at a local Barnardo’s service first thing one morning, where they were briefed in a Sir-Alan-Sugar-style meeting on what their task would be. The teams found themselves thinking creatively and drawing on all their skills and talents before each went out in Birmingham City Centre to deliver their fantastic services.
Paul McCudden, Operations Director at Edenhouse Solutions commented “This challenge really took our staff out of their comfort zones, and we were absolutely delighted to see them developing new skills and thinking so innovatively. The challenge also brought our team closer together and has boosted the confidence and talents of individual members. We had an enjoyable day whist at the same time raising funds for an incredibly worthwhile cause.”
In the evening, an awards ceremony was held to reward staff for their efforts, and a few days later Paul McCudden successfully completed the Great North Run, but the real winners are the vulnerable children and young people that will benefit from the £2,400 raised by the company.
Rotary Club 'Tee Off' for Barnardo's
August
Despite the miserable weather, Sutton Coldfield Vesey Rotary Club hosted their annual golf day on the 19th May to show their support for some of the regions most vulnerable children and young people. The day way followed by a dinner and accompanied by a fabulous tombola and auction. Following the event, the current president, Mike Barnes, presented a cheque for £2,000 to Barnardo's Safe and Sound Appeal.
We would like to say a massive 'thank you' to all members of the Sutton Coldfield Vesey Rotary Club for their kind donation and for choosing Barnardo's as one of their beneficiary charities for this event.
Bankers Raffle ‘Best’ for Barnardo’s
July
At Yorkshire Bank’s 150th Anniversary celebration, the Birmingham office upheld the bank’s ethos of supporting the local community by raising funds for Barnardo’s Safe and Sound Appeal. A portrait of George Best painted by local artist Sue Verity, was raffled to raise over £600 for Barnardo’s local work with children who have been sexually abused.
Stephen Cronin, Managing Partner of Yorkshire Bank commented “We were absolutely delighted to support Barnardo’s Safe and Sound Appeal and glad that all our guests had such an enjoyable evening whist at the same time raising funds for this incredibly worthwhile cause.”
Edenhouse supports Barnardo’s Safe and Sound Appeal
July
Barnardo’s is pleased to announce a new corporate sponsor, Edenhouse Solutions, who will be supporting the Safe and Sound Appeal in Birmingham.
Edenhouse Solutions is an IT and business consultancy based in Birmingham that provides implementation and support for the World’s leading Enterprise Resource Planning software, SAP. It will be involved in a variety of events in support of Barnado’s, including the Great North Run and an exciting team event in Birmingham in September.
Speaking on behalf of Edenhouse Solutions, operations director Paul McCudden said, “We were keen to support a charity which meant something to us personally. Many of our employees have children and want to provide them with the best possible start to life. Supporting Barnardo’s means we can also help children who have no where else to turn.”
Team Kababish Run for Children at the Great Midlands Fun Run
June
The day of the run was more of a day to sit in the shade enjoying a tall cold glass of liquid refreshment; however it was not to be as a budding team of runners from Kababish left their restaurants in Moseley and Sutton Coldfield and set out on a jaunting 8.5 mile trek around Sutton Coldfield with temperatures reaching the mid 20s. The streets were lined with well wishers and supporters, and the team had the added bonus of hose pipes and sprinklers spread around the circuit which kept everyone cool and motivated and created a truly great day of fun.
Showstars Event Raises £4,000 to Help Keep
Children Safe and Sound
May
A spectacular musical variety show was held at the St Johns Hotel, Warwick Road, Solihull on 28th May raising over £4,000 for the Barnardo’s Safe and Sound appeal. The Showstars event was hosted by Arti Halai, former Central News presenter, and provided an array of spectacular performances by Nachda Sansaar Bhangra Dancers, Deborah Hodgson and 10 year old Mikhael, an enchanting junior vocalist. A raffle and charity auction was held during the evening and contributed towards the £4,000 total.
The event attracted enthusiastic support from local businesses including The St Johns Hotel, Solihull who provided the 500 seat venue, including all staffing, as well as making a significant contribution towards the banqueting costs for the event.
Julie Hammond, General Manager of The St Johns Hotel commented “We were absolutely delighted to support Barnardo’s Safe and Sound Appeal through the Showstars event and glad that all our guests, artists and sponsors had such an enjoyable evening whist at the same time raising funds for this incredibly worthwhile cause.”
Lichfield Bank Workers Climb Mountains For Barnardo's
April
A team of Lichfield bank workers swapped their pens and computers for walking boots and rucksacks at the weekend, as they undertook the Three Peaks Challenge to raise over £10,000 to support the Barnardos Safe and Sound Appeal, a charity which is close to their hearts.
Jon Fox, Regional Managing Director for NatWest and other bank workers and friends from Lichfield took part in gruelling challenge of climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales in 24 hours to raise money for the Safe and Sound Appeal.
Huda Al Saedy, the Barnardos Safe and Sound Appeal Manager, who joined the NatWest team for the Three peaks Challenge, said: “When I heard the NatWest team were taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for the Charity, I wanted to do my bit to help and was delighted to join them on top of the mountains. It really was really difficult, but nothing compared to the emotional and psychological challenges that we help children and young people overcome.”
Barnardo's Bank on Being Safe and Sound in Birmingham
December
Bank workers from Sutton Coldfield and Staffordshire played Santa Claus, as they handed over 300 presents to the fundraisers of the Barnardo's Safe and Sound Appeal - one for each of the children they have supported this year!
The Barnardo’s Safe and Sound Appeal, which supports children who have been subjected to sexual abuse in the greater Birmingham area and helps them overcome the devastating consequences of their ordeals, has been adopted by NatWest and RBS locally as one of their key charities.
Understanding how the children the Charity supports will be feeling at this time of year, the kind hearted bank workers saved the money they would normally spend on Christmas cards and used it to buy the presents.
Barnardo's wants businesses to support the Safe and Sound Appeal to help victims of child abuse
Dec 4 2008 By Diane Parkes
Barnardo’s is calling on business leaders in the West Midlands to sign up to its Safe and Sound Appeal to help young victims.
The charity is launching its £750,000 appeal to fund counselling and outreach support to hundreds of young people who have suffered or are still experiencing sexual abuse.
Appeal chairman Jon Fox, regional managing director at NatWest Retail Banking, said: “This is a huge figure in these challenging times but it is one we must reach if we believe these children have a future.”
Safe and Sound will fund a counselling service for young people who have suffered sexual abuse as well as supporting those at risk of sexual exploitation for three years and is expected to directly support 500 local young people.
Appeal manager Huda Al-Saedy stressed that every penny raised in the appeal will go directly to the service. And she urged businesses to consider adopting the appeal.
Read the full article at the Birmingham Post.
I could never tell anyone about the way my dad was sexually abusing me
Dec 2 2008 By Diane Parkes
Rachel was about eight years old when she realised her relationship with her father was not normal.
Having been sexually abused from as long as she could remember, she had never known any different but when she started learning about relationships at school she realised something was wrong.
“That was when we started learning about those things at school. Before that I just thought it was what happened,” she says. “I didn’t know.”
Read the full article at the Birmingham Mail.
Support for youngsters left damaged
Dec 2 2008 By Diane Parkes
RACHEL is just one of hundreds of young people who have been helped by Barnardo’s Amazon project in Birmingham, Dudley and Solihull.
Working with youngsters up to the age of 21, Amazon offers counselling for those who have experienced sexual abuse as well as their families, carers and other appropriate adults.
“We aim to work for the benefit of the young person,” says project manager Debbie Southwood. “There is no set number of sessions but we will review where we are every six to 12 sessions. I would say the average is about 18 sessions but there are some young people who stay with us for years.”
Read the full article at the Birmingham Mail.
November
The Safe and Sound Appeal received a major boost from the Institute of Asian Businesses
The IAB raised over £4000 for the the Safe and Sound Appeal, at their prestigious Awards Dinner held in November. The event was compered by actor and comedian Kulvinder Ghir, star of "Goodness Gracious Me" and "Bend it Like Bekham", who kept everyone thoroughly entertained throughout the night.
Anjum Khan, Chair of this year's organising committee said 'Sexual abuse of children is devastating and it happens in all communities. It was heartbreaking to discover that so many children arrive at the Barnardo’s project blaming themselves for what has happened and wishing their lives were over.'
For more details on the IAB, or how to become a member visit the IAB website.
October
Black Country Asian business association raises £3,300 for Barnardo's Safe and Sound Appeal
The money was raised at the BCABA annual awards dinner held at The Copthorne Hotel, in Dudley, with each table of guests generously donating money direct to Barnardo’s on the night.
Huda Al-Saedy, Barnardo’s fundraiser, said: ‘We are delighted to have been chosen as the charity to benefit from this event for the second year in a row. A two-year partnership has enabled our organisations to maximise the benefits through assisting members of BCABA in implementing Corporate Social Responsibility plans, which have raised over £10,000 for Barnardo’s.'
For further information visit the BCABA website.
