Nottinghamshire Live has joined forces with The Nottingham Project to relaunch The Robin Hood Fund this winter. More than ever, vulnerable people across the city need our help and we'll be raising money and awareness in the run-up to Christmas and beyond.
This winter the money raised will be used to support the impacts of food and energy poverty on Nottingham’s most vulnerable citizens, including those experiencing poverty for the first time. It will also support Nottingham charities and community organisations hit hard by increases in energy prices.
Money can be donated to the fundraising page by clicking here.
This winter the money raised will go to Hope Nottingham, the city’s largest food bank, which will ensure that the food bank network receives the extra support to respond to increased needs; the Citizens' Advice Centres in and across Nottingham which distribute supermarket and energy vouchers; and the Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service (NCVS), known for ensuring that grassroots organisations receive the help they need to keep going.
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We have chosen to support these three organisations based on their scale and wider outreach to the charity sector. At a time when the focus must be on getting help to those that need it most, we believe that these partners can ensure this happens.
Director of the Nottingham Project Lee Walker said: "People and charities are struggling and it is set to get worse over the winter, we hope that we can raise as much money as possible to ensure that people have warm spaces and support. This support network of organisations will play a key role in helping the most vulnerable of Nottingham's citizens."
In 2020, the fund raised more than £100k for food banks, homeless support, vulnerable women, isolation and small charity support in Nottingham. The money raised went to provide food, shelter, and sanitary products.
The fund has now been relaunched given the very serious threat this winter that so many vulnerable people and families in Nottingham face. And 100 percent of the donations received from a GoFundMe online fundraising page will go to locally-based charities and organisations.
Natalie Fahy, Editor of The Nottingham Post and Nottinghamshire Live, also sits on the board of The Nottingham Project. She said: "This year, more than ever, organisations need a helping hand to support those most in need in our city. The rising cost of food, together with crippling energy costs, means funds and resources are stretched even more than they would normally be. I know times are hard for our readers too, but I urge you if you can to donate and help those who need it most this winter."
We will utilise the expertise of local anchor organisations to ensure that money raised has the greatest impact and reaches the places it is needed most. Every penny will help - and a target of £10,000 has been set, with all of the money received from the GoFundMe going to support the chosen causes.
All money raised will be held by NCVS in a ring-fenced way and will only be released to the organisations we have agreed to support. NCVS will not be a beneficiary of the money received.
The fund is managed by a group of volunteers from The Nottingham Project, NCVS, The Nottingham Post and Switch Up, founded by Marcellus Baz, who also runs the Nottingham School of Boxing.
Nigel Adams, Founder and Ambassador of the Hope Charity, spoke about the current struggles they were facing - and he said the “worst is yet to come”. He said: “Things are getting harder and harder because of the cost of living, we’ve seen an increase in energy bills and petrol and people are under more pressure.
"We’ve seen an increase in people using food banks but we’re also seeing anxiety about the whole thing and people worrying about what’s next. After Christmas, during the colder months that’s when people will run out of money. It’s January and February to be worried about but most people think it’s Christmas.”
The Hope Charity doesn’t just provide those in need with food parcels. The charity provides a free breakfast for people four mornings a week, they have debt advisors on citizen advice drop-ins on a Monday, a literacy group for those who don’t have English as their first language and more.
Mr Adams continued: “The impact of the cost of living has crept in, the impact is slower and then takes people by surprise, they haven’t done anything differently but, all of a sudden, they find themselves with less money. The worst is yet to come but the positive thing is the support from The Robin Hood Fund will be amazing.
“The Robin Hood Fund came at the right time. It isn't just food donations we’re in need of, we need diesel to put in the van. We can have food coming out of our ears which is great but then there’s not enough money for our gas bill.
“People who need food most of the time need help with other things and to get that support all in one place here is ideal for people. Our gas bill next year is scary, it’s a massive leap but we’ll find a way."
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