Tag: donations

Charities receive £330,000 in memory of loved ones

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Thousands of donations have been made to local and national charities thanks to the generosity of those who have recently lost a loved one.

A total of 7,455 donations were made in 2019 via a free online memorial feature offered by Southern Co-op, the regional, independent co-operative.

The donations total more than £330,000 – an average of more than £44 per donation.

In 2019, 7,455 donations were made totalling £330,824. This is an increase from 2018 when 6,145 donations were made totalling £266,104 – an average of £43 per donation.

Steve Pearce, Chief Operating Officer for funeralcare at Southern Co-op, said: “The charities people chose to donate to can be a reflection of something their loved one held dear to them or a charity that supported them at a time of need.

“We know that people donated to 351 different charities last year but what we can’t quantify is how many people that went on to help. The donations would have made a difference to thousands of people’s lives and this is incredibly special.”

The online memorial feature also allows friends and family to set up a personal tribute page to light virtual candles, share memories, stories, photos and videos of loved ones.

The top five charities which had the most donations received between £14,000 and £25,000 each.

These included two regional charities Phyllis Tuckwell, which cares for terminally ill people and their families throughout West Surrey and part of North East Hampshire, and Rowans Hospice, which offers specialist palliative care to those with life-limiting illnesses in South East Hampshire.

For more information about online tributes, visit www.funeralcare.co.uk/tributes-and-donations.

Winter coats needed for Ryde’s homeless

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Residents are being asked to dig deep into the backs of their wardrobes and donate any unwanted winter coats, gloves, hats and scarves.

For the last few years, a community hub in Ryde which provides a range of services in a redundant church has devoted an outside area to items of clothing for the homeless to pick up when needed.

This year, donations can also be made to The Co-operative Funeralcare in Ryde which is just off the High Street in St John’s Road.

Sam Walker, Funeral Co-ordinator at the branch which is part of Southern Co-op, said: “We’d heard about the space at the collections being made by Aspire Ryde for outdoor clothing and wanted to help.

“It could literally be a lifeline for people who don’t have anywhere else to go during the winter.”

The charity is asking for donations of outdoor and waterproof coats, long scarves, adult hats and gloves.

Julie Croydon, Project Support at Aspire Ryde, said: “By putting a selection of items in our porch, it means they are available 24/7. If someone is really cold then it is there when they need it and we replace the goods straightaway.

“We also have free food in the same area which includes stock that has been donated by local stores after its best before date.

“We don’t require any ID or vouchers and people don’t have to be homeless to use it. We just ask them to be honest and only take what they really need.”

Aspire Ryde works with lots of partner organisations to bring people and services together to be able to transform lives and give people the best chance in life.

They transformed the old church in Dover Street into a unique space and a community hub to ensure that there was something for everyone on site.

Aspire is hoping to redevelop the space further in the next few years to enable a safe space for people to go during the day.

To find out more visit https://aspireryde.org.uk/.

£170,000 donated in memory of loved ones

Posted on by ashleymarsh

In the last year, more than 4,200 people have donated money to charity in memory of a loved one via Southern Co-op’s free online memorial feature.

Just under 200 charities have benefited from the contributions as loved ones have asked friends and family to make donations to charities rather than flowers at funerals.

The donations have all been made via Southern Co-op’s memorial webpage, run in partnership with MuchLoved, which launched two years ago in September 2016.

As well as an online donation, the online memorial feature allows friends and family to set up a personal tribute page to light virtual candles, share memories, stories, photos and videos of loved ones.

Steve Pearce, Southern Co-op’s Chief Operating Officer for End of Life Services, said: “Since we launched our online tribute service, we have been blown away by the generosity of those remembering their loved ones. A lot of the chosen charities have meant a great deal to the person who has passed away – such as a hospice or a support service.

“It is really special to see so many local charities being chosen to receive donations in memory of a loved one. We find the tribute pages a really helpful and long-lasting way to help remember someone special.”

In the last year, the average donation made in memory of a loved one has been as much as £40 per donation.

The three charities which had the most donations received more than £10,000 each. These were Cancer Research UK, Phyllis Tuckwell – which cares for terminally ill people and their families throughout West Surrey and part of North East Hampshire, and Rowans Hospice – which offers specialist palliative care to those with life-limiting illnesses in South East Hampshire.

Click here for more information about online tributes.