Stroud District Council staff, together with councillors, contractors and tenants have raised £3,468.89 for Stroud Women’s Refuge.
Members of the council’s charities group handed over a giant cheque to Angela Lamond of the SWR fundraising group.
The Stroud-based charity had been selected as SDC’s 2022/23 charity of the year, chosen by council employees who were invited to nominate a charity based in the Stroud district, then vote for their favourite from a shortlist.
It then benefited from fundraising efforts, alongside support for national charities such as Children in Need and Red Nose Day.
Connor Ward, chair of SDC’s Charities Group said: “We were delighted to have raised a significant amount of money for such a worthwhile local charity.
“Our fundraising efforts included a quiz, raffle and bake sale, and we sold Christmas cards and copies of the SWR cookbook Inspired.
“We also donated items via our annual Giving Christmas tree which was decorated tags detailing items most needed by the refuge which our staff and councillors bought.”
Members of the SWR fundraising team attended several fundraising events and gave a talk as part of the council’s International Women’s Day celebrations.
Jill Cooper, CEO of Stroud Women’s Refuge said:
“We have felt honoured to have been chosen by the staff at Stroud District Council as their charity of the year. It is very heartening to be recognised and valued so highly within our local community and we have thoroughly enjoyed working with representatives of the district council who have shown extraordinary generosity.
“Families supported by our services have experienced unbelievable challenges, particularly in recent years. This funding will help us to provide the vital safety and support needed to enable families affected by domestic abuse to build a positive future. We would like to thank everyone at Stroud District Council for their incredible support.”
Stroud Women’s Refuge supports women who have been forced to leave their home due to domestic abuse and was established in 1977 as the Stroud Beresford Group. Stroud District Council provided premises free-of-charge for the charity when it started up.
SWR was succeeded by The Cotswold Dogs and Cats Home as the current council charity of the year. Based in Cambridge, near Slimbridge, the charity cares for and re-homes animals including dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs, and provides subsidised veterinary clinics for pet owners who are suffering financial hardship.
Both Cotswold Dogs and Cats Home and Stroud Women’s Refuge benefit from Lucky Severn Community Lottery. A nominated charity receives 50p from every £1 ticket its supporters buy, with a further 10p going to other good causes in the Stroud district. Every week Lucky Severn ticket holders are in with a chance of winning prizes ranging from the £25,000 jackpot to free tickets. Find out more here.
One of the priorities in SDC’s Council Plan is Community Resilience and Wellbeing, supporting communities to help each other and build resilience through a network of community hubs and other community-led networks, with mental and physical health and wellbeing at its heart.
