Sally-Anne Youll

Hundreds of people who have lost family members to murder or violence have been given a little extra support this Christmas thanks to the Smile for Joel charity. The charity launched its Santa Smiles campaign at the beginning of December, giving toys, vouchers and other gifts to families struggling to face the festive season in the aftermath of huge emotional trauma. The charity received 82 requests for help during the campaign, helping more than 250 family members affected by loss. The requests were all made through Victim Support and included a young boy who was living with his grandma after […]

Hundreds of children stuck in emergency accommodation in Birmingham after fleeing violence at home will receive a little extra help this Christmas thanks to the Freemasons. The organisation has donated £7,500 to the Buddy Bag Foundation, which provides back packs filled with home comforts to children forced into hotels and B&Bs by domestic violence. The foundation recently issued a challenge to businesses across the Midlands to help pack 30 bags each after it emerged that hundreds of children had been stuck in temporary accommodation for months amid the coronavirus crisis. A rise in domestic violence meant that refuges were full

A West Midlands mum who started a collection to thank NHS staff as they battled to cope during the coronavirus outbreak has now reached over 30,000 key workers – and she’s not done yet. Victoria Hanson’s Hampers for Heroes idea has grown from offering hand cream to nurses to delivering hundreds of care hampers to thousands of under-pressure staff. She now wants to expand the scheme nationally to make sure the heroes working behind the scenes are not forgotten again – even beyond the Covid crisis. “We want to help people we take for granted, even post-Covid, whenever that might

Birmingham businesses are being urged to help hundreds of children who have been stuck in temporary accommodation since the first coronavirus lockdown amid a rise in domestic violence. The Buddy Bag Foundation has launched a new challenge to get at least 300 back packs filled with home comforts to the children who have been left living in hotels or B&Bs for months. Karen Williams, the organisation’s founder, said: “If a family has been the victim of domestic violence and there is no room at a refuge, they have to be housed in a B&B or hotel. “It was brought to

Business contacts have rallied round to help make wishes come true for a brave little girl who is battling cancer for the second time. Katie Cregeen, from Cannock, drew up a list of things she wanted to do and people she wanted to meet when she was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at the beginning of the year. Family friend and BNI Century member Kelly Nation helped her compile the list as, having gone through breast cancer herself, she had an idea of what Katie was going through and wanted to ensure she had some positive memories to take away