Over £1,000 raised for a vital local charity
Throughout 2021, the Page Kirk team supported local charity Emmanuel House. Head Receptionist, Amanda Willis who coordinates the firm's charity activities, recalls the ways we have united together to help our chosen cause.
It is often easy to forget how lucky most of us are and how close many people are to becoming homeless or in a vulnerable position. Working alongside the Nottingham-based charity Emmanuel House has brought the team together for a common goal in a period where things felt quite uncertain.
At the start of 2021. we wanted to support a charity that made a real impact in Page Kirk's local community, and we judged Emmanuel House to be a perfect fit after the struggles of so many in 2020. Their main aim is to prevent people becoming homeless and to help those who are homeless find accommodation.
More about our 2021 Charity of the Year
Emmanuel House was set up in 1976 by Father Roger Killeen, with a mission to support vulnerable adults without prejudice or judgement and help them make positive changes.
The charity provides support services for people struggling with a whole host of difficult situations, ranging from drug addiction to homelessness and debt problems. Emmanuel House supports individuals by organising activities and offering professional advice.
What we did:
What another great year of fundraising! Times have been quite difficult throughout the year, but we have still managed to do some excellent work and are proud to have raised £1,098.50 for Emmanuel House.
The first thing the team introduced was payday pay-out, where Page Kirk employees would donate £2 to the charity when their salary came in, replacing our dress-down days, as most staff members were working from home.
February saw our first virtual charity game of the year and the team was joined by Denis Tully, CEO of Emmanuel House, and their marketing manager Rosie Needham-Smith. Then we shared the love and had our very own Valentine's Day raffle.
In March we donated food for the charity's night shelter, which had to move into a hotel due to the Government's 'Everybody In' scheme to get homeless people off the streets during the pandemic. The team came up with the idea of buying a few extra items whilst doing their essential shopping, in order to support Emmanuel House's Night Shelter with food, snacks and drinks. As most of the team are working from home, I facilitated doorstep collections. We then had food deliveries sent straight to the office and even received food vouchers from friends in London. Needless to say, everyone really came through with an abundance of items.
In April, the team were inspired by the work of Captain Tom to raise money for our NHS. Since Captain Tom's death on 2nd February, his family organised an event to help other organisations to raise funds for various causes. Our team covered 100 miles through a range of walks, runs, cycles and even swims within 15 days.
In June, we hosted a whole range of charity activities to celebrate Euro 2020 finally going ahead, including a charity Sweepstake, football quizzes and dress-up.
To celebrate the Olympics in Tokyo in August, the team came together once again for a relay-race style fundraiser. With Japan's stretch of the relay being 160.3 miles, we collectively covered this distance in our own relay, passing famous Nottingham landmarks, including the Major Oak, Trent Bridge and Nottingham Castle.
Throughout the year, we have also organised monthly charity days where we've dressed up in Halloween costumes, Christmas-themed outfits, played virtual games and held charity raffles.
A massive thank you to everyone who got involved and supported us this year to raise money and awareness for Emmanuel House. Fundraising activities can always be difficult, but even more so in a pandemic. The team, however, really came through. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Emmanuel House throughout 2021 and we wish them all the luck for the future.
Stay tuned to find out what causes we will be supporting in 2022.
Page Kirk Managing Partner, John Wallis, commented:
“At the end of each year I never fail to be impressed by the team's dedication to helping others and supporting the work of local charities. Despite the Covid restrictions, the team had the initiative to organise a host of virtual challenges and fundraisers that I am certain will have a significant impact on the lives of vulnerable individuals within Nottingham and the surrounding area. I have no doubt that the funds raised will help the Emmanuel House to continue their commendable work within our community.”
Rosie Needham-Smith, Marketing & Fundraising Officer at Emmanuel House, said:
“At the last count, every month there are over 100 individual people seen sleeping rough in Nottingham. Most of them are experiencing homelessness for the first time. Emmanuel House's beneficiaries are suffering the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, with an increase in demand for housing, social isolation, complications with mental and physical health, worsening financial pressures, the end of furlough, cuts to Universal Credit and an increase in unemployment, domestic violence, and evictions.
“Many of the people we support are in crisis and need intervention and support so we can prevent them from becoming homeless or help them recover from their experiences of homelessness.
“The donations made from Page Kirk's fundraising will directly contribute to Emmanuel House's core services, which don't receive any statutory funding. It is the support of the wider community that enables Emmanuel House to succeed in helping people out of homelessness and we are deeply grateful for Page Kirk's support.”
Watch Emmanuel's House short film – Lone. It is based on the lived experiences of people who have been homeless in Nottingham.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8TnV_RHlXs&feature=emb_title
If you are worried about someone who is rough sleeping, or need help yourself, please call Street Outreach on 0800 066 53 56.