In the lead up to June’s Payback, we asked the top ten charities nominated by the giffgaff community to shed some light on their organisations. Here is what they have to say about the wonderful work that they do:
The Air Ambulance Service is the umbrella organisation for Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA); Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA); and The Children’s Air Ambulance – a national transfer service for seriously ill children.
WNAA and DLRAA’s main purpose is to prevent loss of life, relieve sickness and aid recovery to those in need across the entire operating area. They do this by providing a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), which regularly includes an on board doctor – bringing hospital treatment to the scene of an accident or emergency. Our Air Ambulance’s ensure that those that need it receive high quality pre-hospital care and that they are taken quickly to a hospital most suitable for their injury or illness.
Each helicopter mission that WNAA and DLRAA attend costs approximately £1,400 and as the charity receives no National Lottery or Government funding, donations from companies such as giffgaff are fundamental in keeping this lifesaving service in the sky.
HELP FOR HEROES
Thanks to the fantastic British public, Help for Heroes (H4H) has raised over £135m since its launch in October 2007. All the funds raised to date have been either allocated or spent on the direct, practical support for the men and women who are wounded, injured or become sick while in the service of our country.
Bryn Parry OBE, CEO and Co-founder, Help for Heroes, "The Road to Recovery is a very long and hard path, these are young men and women today but they will grow old. We at H4H want to ensure that when the current level of public support has passed, as it inevitably will, they are not forgotten; they deserve the best and we are doing our best to get it."
BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Imagine you are going into hospital tomorrow – how do you feel? Scared? Anxious? Insecure? You may be feeling poorly or be worried about missing your family. Or you’re stressing about all the work you’re going to have to catch up on. But imagine if you were 5 years old and you’ve no idea what’s ahead of you.
Because being in hospital can be a difficult and confusing experience for anyone, but especially for children. So everyone at Birmingham Children’s Hospital works extremely hard to make any hospital visit as welcoming, comfortable and reassuring as possible.
Gifts from generous donors like you go a long way to achieve this; in particular, our current fundraising focus is to improve the unit for our cancer patients which is currently out-dated, dull and cramped. Over 10% of all children in the UK suffering from cancer will come to us. Your support will help us create a light, spacious and purpose built unit for our patients who come to us from as far as John O’Groats or Lands End for the very best treatment in the UK.
Ummah Welfare Trust is a UK-based international relief and development charity established in 2001. Inspired by the Islamic teachings of empathy, generosity and selflessness, the trust aims to alleviate poverty and suffering across the world. The rights of those who are neglected and oppressed are fulfilled by providing sustainable development solutions relating to food, shelter, education and health. This is achieved by:
• Providing emergency relief, such as food and medical aid, to victims of conflict and natural disasters.
• Providing clean potable water by constructing tube wells and hand pumps and trucking water to needy areas.
• Sponsoring orphans and widows and ensuring their rights are fulfilled.
• Reconstructing and maintaining homes, orphanages and schools.
• Establishing medical and rehabilitation clinics, especially for the treatment of women and children.
• Implementing income generation projects to help victims break their dependence on hand-outs.
Ummah Welfare Trust operates on a unique 100% donations policy. Every penny received is fully allocated to its designated project. Not a single penny is removed for other purposes.
We helped 3 million children through our health and hunger work in 2010.
We run world-class programmes to save children’s lives and challenge world leaders to keep to their promises to give children a brighter future.
Where we work
We work in more than 120 countries, including the UK. With your help, our vital work reaches more than 80 million children each year.
What we are doing right now
We're distributing life-saving water and treating malnourished children affected by the drought in East Africa.
We're getting essentials to children who face winter of hunger in Afganistan.
In countries such as Sierra Leone, we are building stronger health systems.
Our aim is to save lives from cancer. We do this through funding world-class research, providing information for patients, health professionals and the public, and influencing public policy to keep cancer at the top of the health agenda. We’ve saved millions of lives with our ground breaking work into preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.
People’s chances of surviving cancer have doubled in the last 40 years, and we’ve been at the heart of that progress. But more than one in three of us will still get cancer at some point. Our vital work, funded entirely by the public, will help ensure that millions more people survive
The RNLI is an independent charity, and does not receive any funding from the UK government. Our volunteer lifeboat crews and our lifeguards can’t save lives at sea without your support. We are volunteers across the UK and Republic of Ireland united by selflessness, skill and courage.
We provide 24-hour lifeboats and seasonal lifeguards dedicated to saving lives at sea. Lifeboats need to be designed, built, fuelled and maintained, and our crews trained and equipped. Lifeguards also need training and equipment.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a registered charity in England and Wales and only exists because of public donations. We've been here, looking out for animals, since 1824. It's our vision to work for a world in which all humans respect and live in harmony with all other members of the animal kingdom.
Every day, with the help of our people and our generous supporters, we take steps to achieve our mission. From rescuing a stranded deer to changing the law, we've already achieved so much and come so far.
Help keep the magic alive for thousands of children. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is full of remarkable children whose bravery touches everyone. With our supporters, we help keep the magic alive for thousands of children who need our help every year.
Alzheimer's Society is a membership organisation, which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Many of our 25,000 members have personal experience of dementia, as carers, health professionals or people with dementia themselves, and their experiences help to inform our work. The Society demands a better future for everyone affected by all forms of dementia. With the help of our members and supporters, we campaign for the rights of people with dementia and those who care for them through a combination of detailed policy analysis, lobbying, influencing and direct action.
I am sure you will all agree, these are fantastic charities and any one of them would be very worthy of this payback periods donation. So please be sure to vote on your favourite - voting closes midnight on May 31st.
Good luck to all!