Press release -
Poole homeless charity launches Aviva crowdfunding campaign to boost funds for the renovation of ‘A Place for Change’ hub
Edging closer to its fundraising target, Routes to Roots launches a community crowdfunding campaign to help bolster funds for the exciting transformation of its future Hill Street base
Earlier this year, the Poole Based homeless charity, Routes to Roots, acquired Poole’s former Hill Street Baptist Church, to convert into a permanent base for the town’s homeless and vulnerably housed. A fundraising campaign was subsequently launched for the extensive renovations required to transform the new outreach facility to meet the complex needs of the charity’s clients.
Thanks to some very generous grants and donations, the charity has now passed the halfway mark of its fundraising target of £150,000 but there is still some way to go to reach the final figure needed for the renovations. To help boost this fund, Routes to Roots last week launched a crowdfunding campaign via Aviva’s Community Fund, which is a big supporter of small UK charities. The crowdfunding target of £10,000 will provide invaluable additional resources for the long list of work being carried out on the Hill Street building and one of the founders of Routes to Roots is confident that its target will be met.
“I have been heartened by the overwhelming generosity and support for our ‘A Place for Change’ project so far and we have been extremely lucky to have exceeded the halfway mark of our renovation target thanks to some amazing donations from individuals, substantial grants from charitable organisations and letters of support from advocates of the charity,” said the Reverend Pat Southgate, who co-founded the charity in 2002. “We still have some work to do to hit our target, but I am confident the Aviva Crowdfunding campaign will prove as successful as our other fundraising efforts.”
“We know that even the smallest charities can have a massive impact in building stronger communities,” said Jude Brooks, UK Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Aviva. “We are extremely proud to support Routes to Roots and look forward to enabling them to bring their idea to life. By caring more about our community today we can all create a better future tomorrow, so we hope the local community feels inspired to support their crowdfunding campaign too.”
The Hill Street renovations are due to be completed by late Autumn 2020, subject to the ongoing restrictions imposed due to the Coronavirus crisis. Routes to Roots’ Aviva fundraising campaign will end on 22nd July 2020.
For further information about Routes to Roots’ ‘A Place for Change’ project and details of how to make a donation, visit www.routestoroots.org/charity/
To make a donation via the Aviva Community Fund, go to https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/poole-homeless-centre.
ENDS
Media information & interview requests
Susan Gittins or Karen Bartlett
Routes to Roots Saltwater Stone
Tel: 01202 669331 Tel: 07910 005127
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Routes to Roots
Poole-based charity Routes to Roots was founded in 2002 to support local rough sleepers and the vulnerably housed and is dedicated not just to providing day-to-day support but also outreach services to help those in need make long-term change. Through its Amos House facility, it provides three short-term supported housing units, helping residents make the transition from life on the street to more permanent homes.
The Patron of Routes to Roots is The Right Reverend Karen Gorham, Bishop of Sherborne. The Trustees are the Reverend Pat Southgate, Chairman of Board of Trustees and Associate Priest at St Peter’s, Parkstone, Founder Trustee of R2R and Chaplain to the Homeless in Poole, Kate Mellor, Martin Finch, Andrew Teale and the Reverend Lucy Holt.
Routes to Roots currently runs five drop-in sessions a week offering necessities such as showers, hot food, clothing and sleeping bags, as well as outreach access to mental health workers, the local addictions team and housing advisers. Once refurbished, Hill Street will become the charity’s centre for all services to help homeless and vulnerably housed people in Poole. Founded on Christian principles, Routes to Roots supports all adults regardless of their faith.
Aviva Community Fund
The Aviva Community Fund supports small charities with forward-thinking ideas across the UK with funding, vital support and resources all year round. The annual fund is £1m with £250,00 per quarter available for small charity projects across the UK. This year the Aviva Community Fund has teamed up with online fundraising platform, Crowdfunder, to give eligible causes in the Fund the chance to learn valuable crowdfunding skills and inspire support from Aviva employees and the public.
As part of its funding support, Aviva is allocating every single one of its 16,000 UK employees an ‘Employee wallet’ with £60 in total, which will be split across each quarter of the programme. The employee giving goes live on 10 March and Aviva employees will have the opportunity to donate their allocation of funds to the participating causes that matter most to them. Employee wallet funds will be donated directly to the participating causes and added to funds raised externally on the Crowdfunder platform. The causes who meet their funding target, no matter how modest or bold, will be able to withdraw their funds and get to work building stronger communities with the new backing for their clever idea.
For more information please visit www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk
Saltwater Stone is working for Routes to Roots on a pro-bono basis. PR, marketing services and advice are being offered to the charity without charge.
