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patchwork charities

Snow capped mountains with text overlay which reads 'patchwork x ClientEarth'
Charity PartnersPatchwork Perspective

Supporting Our Charity Partners: ClientEarth

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Today on the blog, we’re super excited to be chatting to Grace Archibald, Philanthropy Manager at ClientEarth, one of three extraordinary environmental charities that Patchwork are supporting with our new 50/50 for the planet business model. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Grace holds a Bachelor Degree in Art Education from the University of New South Wales. Prior to moving to London, Grace worked on the establishment of a national foundation to record Aboriginal languages. From a young age, Grace has been a keen environmentalist and says: ‘I am honoured to pursue this passion and work for ClientEarth. It is inspiring to work for such a vital organisation, which together with a group of dedicated supporters is making a positive impact to ensure our planet will be habitable for all beings in years to come.’ Not heard of ClientEarth? Read on to hear about their inspiring work and unique approach to fighting climate catastrophe.

What’s unique and different about ClientEarth compared to other environmental charities?

ClientEarth has a unique approach – harnessing the power of the law to protect life on Earth. Our team of legal experts have demonstrated that the law is a powerful tool for creating systemic change – quickly and without a huge level of investment. We have a distinct set of expertise, ranging from corporate and financial law to human rights, campaigning and advocacy specialists. This range of knowledge and experience enables us not only to enforce existing laws, but also to inform and implement new, stronger protections for people and planet. All of our work is led by science, and we focus our attention on high-leverage opportunities to achieve impact in four key areas – climate, nature, health and justice.

Can you tell us a little bit about what a typical day looks like for one of your lawyers?

For one of our lawyers a day at ClientEarth is typically varied. It could include meeting with partners and barristers to discuss case actions, scoping work for upcoming actions as well as speaking with funders about our work.

What projects are you working on right now that Patchwork users are helping to support?

We have over 160 cases currently pending across the world, but one of our most significant legal challenges is close to home – we are suing the UK Government over its inadequate net zero strategy. Our case argues that the Government has failed to set out sufficient policies to reduce emissions enough to meet its legally binding carbon budgets. 

We often choose cases in which climate and wildlife laws intersect, working towards dual wins. For example, we are working to protect important populations of marine mammals in the Gulf of Venice, whilst challenging key aspects of the Italian government’s policy on oil and gas exploration. Our case opposing the proposed Teodorico Project gas plant was recently boosted by the local regional authority, who have intervened to back all of our arguments.

What do you think makes the Patchwork and ClientEarth partnership such a good fit?

We need a multi-pronged solution to the vast environmental challenges that we face. Patchwork is a creative solution for combatting waste and is influencing how and what people buy. Reflecting on one aspect of our work – which is to stop plastic pollution – our strategies are driving companies to bear the real cost of throwaway plastic and stopping plastic at its source. Our team is dedicated to using the power of the law to push for long term solutions that will end plastic pollution. So Patchwork and ClientEarth are changing mind-sets and systems so that the planet – which also means all that inhabit it – is at the centre of all we do and that’s why our partnership is such a good fit.

Aside from supporting ClientEarth through Patchwork, what are some other ways people can show support for the fight against climate catastrophe and help to ensure our planet thrives in the future?

There are so many exciting things going on at ClientEarth, I’d recommend subscribing to our newsletter to hear regular updates. These often contain more specific actions that people can take to help fight against climate and ecological breakdown, such as joining campaign actions. If you’re inspired by our work, you can also support ClientEarth directly. More generally, it’s also great to find out what environmental projects are going on around you, that you can get involved in. Creating sustainable communities at the local level is very rewarding and can inspire others to do the same.

Finally, do you have any celebrations, community projects or personal milestones coming up this year? If so, how would you use Patchwork to help plan a party, project or present?

We’ve got a big anniversary coming up this year – ClientEarth is turning 15 years old. In that time, we’ve grown from a small charity focused on the EU, to an international organisation with a global presence and over 250 members of staff.

Thank you so much Grace, and congratulations to all of you at ClientEarth on your upcoming 15th anniversary! We’re here when you’re ready to start planning that party.

Once again, we’re honoured to be supporting you with the help of our brilliant Patchwork creators and their friends and families. True people power in action!

If you’ve got a present, party, or project to plan, you can use Patchwork to invite guests to give cash, time and skills to make it happen. When you sign up to our one-off payment or our monthly subscription, and choose ClientEarth as your charity we’ll donate 50% of our own fee directly to them. All money collected through your Patchwork is yours; to spend how, where and when you like.

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a globe on a light pink sunset background. The globe is 50% planet earth and 50% disco ball and has the numbers 50 50 across it
Patchwork PerspectivePatchwork Story

The gift registry that gives back to the planet.

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Patchwork Gift Registry was built to bring joy, reduce waste and make gift giving meaningful and we’ve loved helping over 120,000 of you celebrate together since we launched in 2016.

We feel really good about what we’ve achieved so far as an independent, woman-led business. But in 2022 it’s time to do more. The urgency of the climate crisis, together with the fact that we still have time (just) to make an impact, means an exciting new chapter, and challenge, for Patchwork.

From now, we are going 50/50, split down the middle (yes HALF and HALF) with planet earth. For every single penny we take as platform fees, we give half to environmental charities. Not 1% of profits, not greenwashing, tree planting or vague promises. A rock solid, no-messing, 50% of all fee revenue going directly to environmental organisations that are fighting for the future of our beautiful home planet.

Party for the planet.

At Patchwork, we love parties, and we want to have a planet to party on forever. So now, whatever you use Patchwork to celebrate you’ll be helping keep our planet in better shape for future party people. Whether you’re celebrating a wedding, a baby shower, a big birthday, a new business or anything else you can think of it’s a total win / win. You get to organise the best present or party ever, and enjoy getting friends together to help you with all the things you really want and need. And you can feel good knowing you’re giving back to the planet at the same time. This really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Who we support.

We’ve been working on our new business model in secret for a while now, and a big part of the process was deciding which environmental charities we wanted to partner with. We couldn’t be happier, prouder or more excited to be partnering with three absolutely amazing organisations:

ClientEarth – using the power of law to hold corporations and governments to account and drive systemic change to protect the planet and all that inhabit it.

Friends of the Earth – combining environmental research and public awareness campaigns to put pressure on governments to commit to genuine climate action.

Survival International – working with Indigenous peoples to defend human rights, protect sacred land and share wisdom from the ‘world’s best conservationists’ about how to live in harmony with nature.

Their commitment and dedication to planet earth and all its inhabitants are inspirational. The successes that they’ve had to date are also hugely motivating for us, and we hope for you too.

So from now, every time someone signs up to use Patchwork for a present, a project or a party, 50% of our platform fee will go direct to one of these three charities.

It’s not the least we can do – it’s the MOST we can do; and we’re doing it.

Two ways to pay – two ways to protect our home planet.

There are two simple payment options when you use Patchwork for any occasion. The first option is our single one-off fee of £50 (£25 of which goes directly to the charity of your choice). This option is best suited if you’re using Patchwork for a honeymoon fund or wedding registry and need a fairly long lead time of more than 8 months. It also means your charity of choice gets an upfront donation so your money can get to work straight away.

Our other option is a monthly subscription of just £6 per month with your first month free (£3 of that goes to your choice of charity every month). A subscription works best if your event has a shorter lead time or if you plan on using Patchwork on more than one occasion. It also means the charity of your choice gets a regular monthly donation to keep on doing the important work that’s needed.

Whichever you choose, you’ll not only be enjoying using the best registry / honeymoon fund / group gift platform in the world ever, you’ll also get that extra feel-good knowing your money is doing incredible things. Double joy.

Don’t snatch, share

It’s one of Patchwork’s founding principles and the first piece of advice we were given as kids. And the motto our Nan taught us to live by: ‘Don’t snatch, share’.

Life is not about what we have, own or take; it’s about what we give, share and how we support one another. Both in the good times and the not so good times. It’s one of the things people love most about Patchwork, the way it brings people together, to pool resources and share talents. To allow people to give generously in a way that involves everyone, and excludes no-one. Where time and skill and love are valued as much or even more than monetary gifts. Using Patchwork not only makes everyone feel good, it means we can best use the resources we already have, consume waste less and protect our planet more.

Join us

One of the most unexpected and wonderful things we’ve experienced from a business point of view has been this sense of sharing, inclusion and generosity from our industry friends. Small businesses that have rallied round each other, stuck together and supported each other through the many ups and downs of the last few years. We know we are stronger when we work together and collaborate. As we move forwards and explore what business unusual might look like, we hope as many of our friends and colleagues will join and support us in doing ALL we can. The planet needs us to. We wouldn’t have got this far without their amazing support and we won’t be able to make this a success without your support.

So please share this news, spread the word and show your love, and together, we can make something really amazing happen – for all of us.

Follow us on Insta, sign up to our newsletter, or start celebrating with a Patchwork of your own!

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Schools and community

How to use Patchwork for charity fundraising

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Have you got a community event or fundraiser coming up and need a bit of inspiration? Here are our top tips on how to raise the most money for your charity fundraising page. We have advice to get everyone involved and having a good time.

A Patchwork fundraising page for a Welcoming Refuge shown in an ipad
‘A Welcoming Refuge’ Patchwork shown in an iPad

Keep it simple, and be specific

We’ve had Patchwork fundraisers set up for everything from NHS food parcels, to art therapy boxes, from Christmas Dinners for care leavers to keeping a Choir singing… We’ve even had an alternative Royal Wedding list for Megan & Harry to support local homeless people in Windsor. So what do the best pages all have in common? They set out their goals clearly, and make their pages colourful and their message simple. In the introduction to your Patchwork page, state the aim of your charity fundraising and what you hope to achieve. Add patches to visually represent how people can support your cause. For example, if you are collecting funds to renovate a Night Shelter be specific about the things you need to fund and add patches for each type of item:

  • “New bedding for a good night’s sleep” – £20
  • “Tea and biscuits so we can always offer a welcoming cuppa” – £2
  • “A new sofa where visitors can relax” – £100
Image of a Patchwork fundraising page for a community garden shown in an ipad
‘Our Community Garden’ Patchwork shown in an iPad

Make it personal and get people involved in your community fundraiser

Talk to your audience, tell them about your project and what it means to the people you’re supporting. Inject some personality by sharing your feelings about the cause. Let people know how much their gift will mean. Don’t be afraid to use humour and warmth to engage people and let them feel really involved. Show people through the patches you add, what their donation will buy. When people can see where their money is going they are more likely to give generously. So, for example, if you’re asking for contributions towards a community garden project break it down in to lots of colourful patches. This way people can see the garden brought to life on your page. Then they can choose which part of the project to fund.

  • “Buy us some bulbs” – £10
  • “Chip in for some gardening tools” – £20
  • “Fund some mature plants” – £40
‘Virtual Christmas Fair’ Patchwork shown in an iPad

Make it FUN to increase your FUNDS

One of the best things about Patchwork is not just how easy it is to set your page up, but how creative and colourful your page can be! So, let your imagination run and fill your page with colour, fun and activity and really bring your event to life. Even a virtual event can feel engaging and exciting when you invite people in and encourage them to get involved in the ways that work for them. For example, if you’re setting up a Virtual Christmas Fair fundraiser, make sure you include a range of differently priced patches so that even those on low budgets can get involved in the fun too. Add some festive imagery, sparkle and glitter so your event looks enticing and people really enjoy the whole experience. Here are some examples of easy fundraising ideas for a school Christmas fair:

  • “Take part in school Christmas Jumper Day” – £1
  • “Enter a virtual Christmas bake-off” – £3
  • “Buy a pack of Christmas cards” – £10
  • “Book a festive family photoshoot” – £40
Community Christmas Lunch Patchwork fund in an ipad
‘Community Christmas Lunch’ Patchwork shown in an iPad

Let people choose how to support you

Patchwork is unique as a fundraising platform because as well as having patches where people can donate money or buy items, you can add non-monetary patches too. So people can always choose if they want to “fund” “make” or “do” something to help make your event or project a success. With a page that combines all of these elements everyone can get involved, even those on a low budget. It’s a brilliant and efficient way to best use the resources and skills of your network and create a truly inclusive event that brings the community together!

We’ve been proud to have supported Christmas Dinners for Care Leavers over the last few years and they are perfect examples of a type of Patchwork fundraiser that works really well. The events lend themselves perfectly to the “fund” “make” and “do” options that Patchwork allows. Here are some examples of patches you could add to a community Christmas lunch:

“Fund some festive food” £20 – FUND

“Make some sweet treats to bring on the day” – MAKE

“Help set up the venue” – DO

“Buy a Christmas gift for a guest” £50 – FUND

“Knit a pair of socks for a guest” – MAKE

“Donate some of your decorations” – DO

Ready to start your Patchwork charity fundraiser?

We’ve got loads of exciting and colourful community fundraising templates and school fundraising templates (all inspired by our brilliant Patchwork fundraisers!) so it’s super easy for you to get a page set up in minutes. Simply click ‘use template’ on the readymade that most closely matches your event and then edit the words, images and prices to suit. Or you can set up a page from scratch if you want to get really creative! We’re always happy to add new ideas to our collections so do get in touch at [email protected] if an idea you have isn’t already on our site.

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Graphic from VOW for Girls campaign with text reading "Stop the clock. Start a new future for girls." On red background with image of teenage black girl on left hand side
Patchwork Perspective

Support VOW for Girls to end child marriage

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Every 3 seconds, a child becomes a bride. Stop the clock. Start a new future for girls. Patchwork are proud to be supporting VOW for Girls, a growing global movement that partners with brands, individuals, and the wedding industry to end the international child marriage crisis. Read on to find out how you can help.

Every Three Seconds

This year, International Day Of the Girl on October 11th is more important than ever. Child marriage is still a crisis, with girls as young as 8 being married every 3 seconds. Join us for International Day of the Girl as we raise funds and awareness to ensure no child is ever a bride.

“Every girl should be able to choose love on her own terms. VOW for Girls was inspired by love and working together. We can create a world in which no child is ever a bride.” Mabel van Oranje. Board Chair and VOW Co-Founder.

Girls Everywhere Deserve to Dream

We dream of a future where girls everywhere have a chance to choose the life they want. Let’s end the child marriage crisis and give girls around the world the support they need to succeed. By funding education so girls can stay in school is just one way WOW for Girls is helping end the child marriage crisis. Whatever the amount, your gift makes a direct impact on the lives of girls across the globe. £35 can pay the enrolment fees for a girl to attend school for one year.

Mina

For International Day of the Girl, VOW for Girls asked girls from countries where child marriage is prevalent, “What makes a girl successful?” Mina from Nepal told them, “Education is a must. “VOW for Girls works with girls like Mina in communities around the world through education initiatives and other efforts that help girls realise their dreams. Together we can stop the clock on child marriage.

Your wedding day can make a big difference

1 in 5 girls in the world is married as a child. VOW was founded on the idea that celebrations of love can help make real change in the lives of girls around the world. If you’re planning a wedding you’ll probably have friends and family who want to gift you.

With Patchwork you can collect money for anything you’re dreaming of, including donations to good causes such as VOW. First, simply add a “fund” patch to your gift registry. Second, after all contributions have been collected, make your donation to VOW. This will help change girls’ lives in the most meaningful way. See our Wedding Give List template to set up your own unique wedding “give” list.

How to participate in the social media photo campaign

Between 4th – 11th October 2021 we’re asking you to join us and take part in the International Day of the Girl Campaign with VOW for Girls.

Step 1: Post a single Instagram post with a 2 photo carousel

  • Photo 1 – Post a photo of yourself as a child (or short video response to the prompt below)
  • Photo 2 – A “stop” hand selfie (see posing guide below)

Step 2: Respond to the prompt either in the caption or as a short video: What was your dream for your future when you were a child? Feel free to mention the age you are in the photo you are posting!

Step 3: Include this caption:

‘Every 3 seconds a child becomes a bride, but all girls deserve the chance to dream’. For #DayOfTheGirl, let’s stop the clock and start a new future for girls. I nominate [@instagramhandle] to #StopTheClock. For every like, comment, and share, you will unlock $1 from @justinalexander, @theknot, and a generous donor (up to $100K) to help start a new future for girls everywhere. #VOWForGirls #StopTheClock #EndChildMarriage’

(Make sure to use the hashtags #VOWForGirls, #DayOfTheGirl, and #StopTheClock and to tag @vowforgirls across social media channels.)

Justin Alexander, The Knot (a generous donor up to $100K), will unlock $1 for every like, comment and share. This makes your participation is even more meaningful. In addition, 100% of all funds raised go directly to underfunded but effective community-driven efforts to end child marriage.

Thank you. Through your participation and advocacy, you’ll help us “Stop the Clock” on child marriage and ensure that every girl can choose love on her own terms and follow her dreams.

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young white girl with long brown hair hugs a huge grey teddy smiling and with her eyes closed
Schools and community

Fundraising to transform a CancerCare centre

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

CancerCare is a charity supporting people across North Lancashire & South Cumbria affected by cancer or bereavement. They help people discover their capacity for life when times are tough; with the professional help, emotional support and collective strength to face whatever’s next. Anna Webster works as part of CancerCare’s Fundraising Team. Her role involves helping to raise the funds needed to ensure the service is free to access for all those in the community who turn to the charity for help. She chats to us below about how Patchwork helped create a visual and exciting fundraising campaign to bring their new CancerCare centre to life!

two women standing talking in a communal indoor space, one pouring tea for them both

What were you fundraising for and what did you hope to achieve with your Patchwork page?

Demand for CancerCare’s support has been extremely high during the pandemic. To add to our existing centres in Lancaster, Kendal and Barrow, we opened a new centre in Morecambe so that we didn’t have to keep anyone waiting for the help they needed. It also made our services more accessible to people living in the Morecambe centre, who would previously have had to travel to our centre in Lancaster for support. The thought of having to travel to a session – particularly for someone who is feeling poorly – can be a huge barrier to someone needing support. Being able to pop into a CancerCare centre in the heart of Morecambe will hopefully make it easier for them to access help.

We wanted to get the centre open as quickly as possible to help meet demand, but we needed help to transform the building into welcoming & relaxing space for those in our community affected by cancer or bereavement.

CancerCare fundraising campaign Patchwork page in an ipad showing various options of items to fund
CancerCare Patchwork fundraising page

Why did using Patchwork to raise funds appeal to you?

We needed to raise funds for furniture and decorating costs, as well as for simple things that make all the difference to our clients. Little things like mugs so that we can welcome them with a warming cup of tea or coffee. We loved that Patchwork gave us the option to add pictures of the items we needed to fund so that our supporters could clearly see the impact their gift could have. Even though social-distancing meant they couldn’t physically come and help us to decorate or move in, they could still feel part of getting the centre ready.

Childrens' service room at new Morecambe CancerCare centre

How easy was it to set up your page?

Setting up the page was really straightforward and actually quite exciting! We chose bright, colourful images that illustrated our vision for the new centre – almost like a mood board! It was easy to change the position of the images and buttons by dragging them around the page. We could also enter our own text to elaborate on the difference each item could make to the local people who would be using the centre. It looked really professional and was really easy to edit during the campaign when there was another item that we needed to fund.

Cancer Care support worker - a white man with glasses and short greyish hair, talking to someone who is front of image but blurred

How did Patchwork help your fundraising campaign?

When the pandemic hit, much of our traditional fundraising became impossible at a time when demand for our support was higher than ever. Patchwork allowed us to create a visually-exciting fundraising campaign and collect donations digitally. The funds came into our account quickly so that we could put them to use straight away and the support we received from the team at Patchwork was so helpful! We got the feeling that they were as excited about our project as we were!

New aromatherapy room at Morecambe CancerCare centre funded by a Patchwork fundraising campaign

How was your fundraising page received by your supporters?

We launched our fundraising page with posts on our social media pages and with an email campaign. It was amazing to see the donations start to come in almost immediately. On the first day of the campaign, our amazing supporters had funded clocks for our therapy rooms, a fresh coat of paint for the walls and even a brand-new washing machine to wash the towels used every day in our therapeutic massage appointments! It was lovely to see the kind messages that our supporters left when making their donations too. We really felt that our supporters were behind us as we worked to get the centre ready.

mature white woman wearing glasses and with short dark blonde hair, laughing with someone off camera

Would you recommend Patchwork to other small charities?

We would definitely use Patchwork again. It was brilliant for putting a fundraising together quickly when there was a real urgency for us to raise funds and get our centre open as soon as possible. I would recommend that other charities consider it for a fundraising campaign, particularly where they are looking to fund a specific project. It was great to be able to use images to demonstrate to our supporters the impact their gift would have and for them to be able to give quickly and easily by clicking on the item or amount they wanted to fund.

New counselling room at Morecambe CancerCare centre funded by a Patchwork fundraising campaign

And the end result? Are you pleased with your new space?

Thanks to the incredible support from our donors, we were able to open the doors to our new Morecambe centre in May 2021. Donations from our Patchwork campaign meant we could transform the space from a grey, empty building into a bright, welcoming hub. People in our community facing cancer or loss can now access counselling, therapy, group sessions and activities, or just pop in for a friendly chat and some moral support. We are so grateful to everyone who has helped to make this possible, during such difficult times. Thanks to them, CancerCare can be here for anyone in the Morecambe community affected by cancer or bereavement, now and long after the pandemic.

Thanks so much Anna for taking the time to tell us all about your new space, brought to life by your community and Patchwork! We are thrilled to have been able to support you. If you’d like to read more about the work that CancerCare do click here. If you’ve been inspired to set up your own fundraising page for a cause close to your heart you can take a look at our easy to customise templates or simply start a Patchwork page from scratch!

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NHS Xmas Card
Patchwork StorySchools and community

We Won’t Forget You – NHS Frontline Festive Thank You

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

As we turn our thoughts to thinking of others and sending gifts at Christmas time, there is a group of people who we all want to thank and show our appreciation of once again. Our NHS staff, our frontline workers who have put themselves in harms way to protect and serve us over the last 9 months. Together with our local businesses, friends and neighbours, Patchwork is supporting the Frontline Festive Thank You with the aim of delivering 100 festive gift bags to Lewisham hospital staff – can you chip in?

Lewisham hospital staff receiving their food packages during pandemic
Itohan, Ward Manager, receiving her food package back in the Spring

At the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic and during the first national lockdown, Patchwork were approached by local businesses who wanted to do something practical and positive to look after those who were looking after us. So a Patchwork page was set up and within a week, local residents had generously donated over £5,000 to deliver food parcels to staff at Lewisham hospital. All items were sourced at cost by local businesses and packaged with love, then sent with messages of thanks to staff for all they have done to look after us all.

No words or thanks or front door step clapping will ever be enough to show our collective appreciation – but sometimes in small gestures that are local and direct, we can have a meaningful impact on the lives of those who might sometimes feel unnoticed, or unappreciated.

Frontline food packages being delivered to Lewisham hospital NHS staff
Gamal – the first recipient of a food parcel during the first lockdown in the Spring

Giving together means giving more

As we approach Christmas, the second appeal is underway, this time delivering gift bags to staff, with a few treats to say thank you – including a hand cream, panettone, Christmas decorations and chocolate.

The appeal has been hosted by Patchwork and we have happily donated our fee back to Frontline so that the gifts received go even further. All donations made via the Patchwork fundraising page go directly to Frontline Festive Thank You so that they can make sure they get as many gifts as possible to such deserving staff as those working at Lewisham hospital.

No-one is overlooked, everyone’s role is important

What’s special about this initiative is that each recipient is nominated by their managers and colleagues and even those whose jobs might usually be unnoticed and whose work often goes “unsung” get the appreciation they deserve. It’s really heartwarming to see the reactions of members of staff who are nominated to receive a gift bag. It means so much to them to know they are thought of by the people in their community who they serve daily.

The first recipient of a food package back in the Spring was Gamal who works to keep the hospital clean (now more important than ever!) and the second to Geraldine, a single mum who had just come off a 12 shift stint in ITU. You can hear from Rita, one of the Matrons what these gifts meant:

How you can help support our frontline workers this Christmas

Every small action, every person, and every group of committed volunteers will help. Over and over again at Patchwork, we see amazing people coming together to show that our community is our strength. The Frontline Festive Thank You page is now open for contributions. Whether it’s £3 for some chocolate, £15 for a whole box, or even just a note of support – everyone can chip in and together we will make a real difference to the nurses, doctors and all the other NHS support staff keeping us all safe over the Christmas period and always.

Festive thank you gift bags - panettone, Christmas cracker, coffee and chocolate

If you have any other questions about the project you can contact us at [email protected]. If you’d like to set up a Patchwork page to support a community project in your local area browse our easy to customise templates.

Finally, special thanks goes to all who have kindly donated and to the local businesses and volunteers who have worked so hard to bring the Frontline Festive Thank You project to life. You have brought much needed smiles, joy and some little luxuries to our wonderful NHS staff. Thanks especially to:

Tony at Provender Delicatessen

Shai at Mont58Coffee

Nilou at Jumping Bean London

Nena at Nena Foster Foods

Vicky at Fitness for Mummies

Heather at Heather Victoria Design

Thanks as well to Robert and Daniel at Sebastian Roche, the guys at Babur Restaurant, all at Two Spoons restaurant, and the lovely Dr Mayoni for their very generous donations to this project.

And of course to local resident extraordinaire (who is not on social media!) – Julia.

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Patchwork Perspective

The Give List: Gifts that support good causes.

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

This Cyber Monday, to counteract all of the noise online, we thought we’d highlight some of the wonderful things you can do that make a real impact offline this Christmas. One of the reasons our Give List concept is so wonderful, if we do say so ourselves, is because you can ask people to donate to causes close to your heart in lieu of a traditional Christmas present; you still get the warmth and the joy of the giving, but you get the added bonus of knowing you’ve helped people and the planet too. Here’s some of our favourite organisations doing amazing things for Christmas on- and offline – which will you add to your Give List?

Choose Love Shop

Choose Love gifts for refugees

Choose Love have opened their London, LA and New York stores again for another year of gifting to refugees in desperate need. They’ve flipped the concept of donating on its head, because when you purchase something in their shop, you don’t take it home – instead, a refugee gets a duplicate of what you bought. And if you can’t make it to the shop, you can buy something online. Choose Love will send you a downloadable gift card so you can show the recipient the gift you’ve bought a refugee in their name. You can buy items that help refugees on the move, those in shelters and people who have found safe accommodation.

Plant a tree with the Woodland Trust

Why not buy a tree from the Woodland Trust and help the Big Climate Fight Back? You can either physically buy a tree as a gift and then have the double joy of making some time to plant it with a loved one. You can watch their handy guide on their IGTV as to planting. Or you can donate to the Woodland Trust so they can plant a tree on your behalf. A membership of the Woodland Trust also makes a lovely gift because you not only get to support their work but you also get to discover and explore nearby woodlands all year around – learning more about nature with their wonderful guides.

Donate food to Trussell Trust food banks

Food banks are bracing themselves for their busiest December on record, so why not donate some food to your local drop off point? The Trussell Trust’s food parcels typically include non-perishable, tinned items such as cereal, soup, pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes/pasta sauce, pulses, tinned meat/veg/fruit, tea/coffee, biscuits, UHT milk and fruit juice. Many food banks also take toiletries and hygiene products, to help those in crisis maintain their dignity. Find your local food bank here.

Adopt an animal from the WWF

The WWF give you the option to adopt an endangered animal from as little as £3 a month. Whether it’s a giant panda, a penguin, or an amur leopard you feel the most spiritual affinity with, you can help support their excellent work in preserving these majestic creatures.

Set up your Patchwork Give List

With a Patchwork Givelist you can ask friends and family to gift you their time, share their skills or fund experiences, personal projects and good causes. So if you want to support these amazing organisations (or any others) just include them when you set up your Givelist. It’s easy to get started. Just use this template and personalise the details to make it your own. Then just share your page with your family so, together, you can all do good and feel good this Christmas.

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Patchwork Perspective

Patchwork and Link Age Southwark – Supporting Local Charities

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Link Age Southwark used Patchwork to help raise funds so that they could move into a much needed new space. And their patchwork was a huge success! To celebrate they had a party to thank all of their many supporters. So our Rosie went along on a very wet June evening to have a look at their sparkly new HQ and meet the lovely people who helped make it happen!

Link Age Southwark is a small, but brilliant, local charity working in the London Borough of Southwark to reduce loneliness and isolation amongst older people. Over half of older people consider the television to be their main source of company, and the charity is trying to change this. They provide a volunteer befriending service, where a volunteer visits an older person for 1 hour a week for a cup of tea and a chat. Link Age Southwark support over 600 older people and run 25 social groups, ranging from computer skills to singing! They also organise a volunteer-run transport to help older people get out and about and offer DIY and gardening services.

What were you fundraising for?

We were raising funds to move offices. We’d been based in Dulwich Community Hospital for the last 18 years but unfortunately had to leave as the hospital was being redeveloped. For our new office, we wanted to create a really welcoming and fully accessible space for the older people who use our services and our fantastic volunteers. It was a fairly big renovation and we needed to raise extra funds to make this possible.

Why did using Patchwork to raise funds appeal to you?

We’ve always loved the idea of being able to offer our supporters the option to donate to fund a specific item but never had the resources to set it up on our own. Patchwork was great because it was incredibly easy to use and looked great visually. It was much better than anything we would have been able to achieve on our own and fitted really well with the project we were raising funds for.

How easy was it to set up your page?

Setting up our page was incredibly easy and the team at Patchwork were so helpful and supportive, answering any questions we had along the way. We are so grateful to them! When we launched our Patchwork we sent an email to all of our supporters with a direct link to the patchwork page which proved highly successful. We also shared our page on our website and across all of our social media channels including Twitter, Facebook & Instagram. We also included links in our regular volunteer communications.

What difference did it make to your fundraising?

Using the platform made a huge difference to our fundraising as it brought the whole project to life. It let our supporters feel a part of our office move in a way I don’t think we could have achieved on our own.

What was the best bit about using Patchwork?

It was great to be able to send personal messages to all of our supporters who had donated. We could say thank you for funding a desk or chair and let them know the impact that would have for our team and our services as a whole. We invited everyone who donated to the office opening party so they could see the finished project and it was a lovely way to thank them for their support.

How was it received by your supporters?

The response we received from our supporters was amazing. They loved the idea and were really keen to get involved. We received so many incredibly generous donations and it was lovely to read everyone’s messages of support, wishing us good luck for our move.

Would you recommend Patchwork to other small charities?

Absolutely! It’s such an engaging way to raise funds, really easy to use and doesn’t require a lot of technical know-how which is great, especially for small charities like us that don’t have big digital or IT teams.

And the end result? Are you pleased with your new offices?

We’re so delighted with our new home and hope to continue running our services for older people from here for many years to come. We are so grateful to Patchwork for all their support with this project, we couldn’t be happier!

Ah, and we are so happy to be have been able to support you – you are all brilliant! To find out more about Link Age Southwark and the incredible work they do click here.

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