A Huddersfield charity aims to break a world record … and thousands of children across Kirklees are urged to get involved by simply donating a rubber and 50p.
Fresh Futures, formerly the Yorkshire Children’s Centre, wants to break the world record for the most rubbers displayed in one room and it will need a massive community effort to achieve it.
The current record is 17,000 and Fresh Futures wants to beat that figure by collecting more than 18,000 which will be on show for people to visit at its base at Brian Jackson House on New North Parade in Huddersfield town centre.
The bid is part of the charity’s 50th birthday celebrations and is a fundraiser which goes towards the £3m a year it costs to run Fresh Futures. It employs more than 110 staff and is supported by a team of over 170 volunteers.
The charity’s fundraising and communications co-ordinator Lynne Haigh said: “The project is an ideal one for schools, nurseries, sports teams – in fact, any youth organisation – to get involved in. All people need to do is bring a rubber along to us with a 50p birthday gift for the charity.
“If you’re an organisation such as a school which can collect hundreds of rubbers for us then we can pick them up from you. We are only asking for a 50p donation for each rubber donated and every penny donated will support our work with disadvantaged children, young people and their families across Kirklees.”
Organisations that get involved will be listed and Fresh Futures will be sending all children who take part a sticker. Schools will get a certificate and an activity pack to do with the kids.
The campaign began on Monday, April 15, which was, believe it or not, National Rubber Eraser Day. In 1770 English engineer Edward Nairne is reputed to have been the first person to realise that rubber can erase pencil markings. Breadcrumbs had been used up to then.
Fresh Futures was set up by visionary educationalist Brian Jackson and has been helping families ever since. The charity focuses on four key areas – education, health and wellbeing, employability and healthy relationships.
Brian Jackson colleges in Huddersfield and Heckmondwike provide education for up to 80 young people aged 13 to 16 who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties and have been permanently excluded or are at risk of exclusion from mainstream schools.
The charity also works with some of the most disadvantaged people in Kirklees to try to get them into training or work.
Fresh Futures promotes healthy relationships at its child contact centres supporting parents, grandparents or other family members who are no longer living with their children or there has been a breakdown in family relationships. It runs other services to support the local community including providing warm spaces and running a Christmas appeal donating free gifts to children in the area.
For more on the charity go to https://freshfutures.org.uk/
For more information on Fresh Futures contact Lynne at lynne.haigh@freshfutures.org.uk
Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.
