Winter Charity Appeal 2015/2016

Our Jane Bannister Memorial Winter Appeal this year has been a great success. The final total raised was £1,494.88 which is a fantastic effort, and we would like to offer our sincere thanks to everyone who so generously donated. The money raised has been split equally between this year’s nominated local charities, Mosaic and New Forest Nightstop.

Dorset Humanists has raised thousands of pounds in previous years for worthwhile charities. The appeal is named in memory of Jane Bannister (1941-2013) who was Chair of Dorset Humanists until 2009.

David Warden, Chair of Dorset Humanists, said, “We feel privileged to be able to make a positive difference to the lives of young homeless people, and bereaved children and young people. Jane would have been proud to know we’ve continued her efforts to support worthy local charities”.

Mosaic is a Dorset-wide charity offering a pathway of support to bereaved children, young people and their families. It also works with young people who are facing the death of a loved one. It provides individual, family and group support. Every child has the opportunity to attend a residential weekend programme where they can meet others and share their experiences. The charity receives some Local Authority funding but all other money has to be raised from alternative sources including donations from local groups. A representative from Mosaic spoke about their work helping bereaved children and young people at our Saturday 9^th January meeting.

New Forest Nightstop provides the only emergency overnight accommodation for homeless 16-24 year olds in the homes of trained and approved host households around the New Forest. Jude Todd, Manager of New Forest Nightstop  has previously led a presentation for Dorset Humanists on the plight of homeless people and her charity’s valuable work to help them.

Chair of Dorset Humanists David Warden is pictured presenting cheques to Jude Todd, Manager of New Forest NightStop (top right), and to Margaret Hannibal of Mosaic (bottom right).

New Forest Nightstop

Wednesday 24^th September 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With New Forest Nightstop Coordinator, Jude Todd

At the age of sixteen, Jude Todd was sleeping on the streets or in derelict buildings. She suffered considerable personal abuse, was exposed to drink and drugs, and rummaged in bins or begged to get food. In this talk, she will be sharing her personal story of surviving two years of homelessness, and explain how this led her to create New Forest Nightstop which offers safe, free emergency accommodation to homeless young people. One of the most surprising aspects of this inspirational charity’s service is that volunteer families allow the homeless to stay with them in their own homes. Welcoming families, along with suitable advice and support, help ensure vulnerable young people in difficulty are able to recapture their potential and avoid falling into the downward spiral of long term homelessness. The support given by Nightstop not only raises young people's self-esteem but their chances for employment, training, health and housing are also much improved. Join us for an informative introduction to this charity’s vital work, interspersed with a selection of uplifting stories about those who’ve been helped by the charity.

“Join us to hear Jude’s personal story of life on the streets, and learn how an inspirational local charity is tackling youth homelessness”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

[Dorset Humanists’ Winter Appeal 2013/2014 raised £1727 which was split equally between the charities Refuge and New Forest Nightstop. Refuge provides a range of support services for women and children escaping domestic violence, and New Forest Nightstop offers emergency overnight accommodation for homeless 16-24 year olds].

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Dorset Humanists help the homeless and victims of domestic abuse

Dorset Humanists’ Winter Appeal 2013/2014 raised £1727 to be split equally between the charities Refuge and New Forest Nightstop. Refuge provides a range of support services for women and children escaping domestic violence, and New Forest Nightstop offers emergency overnight accommodation for homeless 16-24 year olds.

Our group’s latest charity appeal was dedicated to the memory of Jane Bannister (1941-2013), a former Chair of Dorset Humanists, who sadly lost her brief battle with cancer in August last year. Jane was a keen supporter of both Refuge and New Forest Nightstop.

Paula McGoveney from Refuge said “We are enormously grateful, as our services have seen a 30% cut to their funding over the last year, and every penny raised is vital to help us fill that shortfall”. Jude Todd, from New Forest Nightstop, who experienced two years of homelessness herself when she was sixteen, said, “Thank you so much for the wonderful amount raised which will help bring safety to vulnerable young people from local communities”. “Our aim is to save them from reaching the streets and becoming victims there”. Jackie Hartless from Community First New Forest, the charity which manages New Forest Nightstop, recently visited us and gave an inspiring and informative talk about Nightstop and their work helping the homeless.

David Warden, Chair of Dorset Humanists, said, “We feel very privileged to be able to make a positive difference to the lives of young homeless people, and women and children who’ve suffered from domestic abuse”. “Jane would have been proud to know we’ve continued her efforts to support these worthy charities”.

Dorset Humanists is a Bournemouth-based community group for atheists and agnostics who want to make the world a better place.

If you wish to donate to either of the charities mentioned, they can be contacted as follows:

New Forest Nightstop Tel: 01425 478391 Email: nightstop@cfnf.org.uk

Refuge Tel: 020 7395 7713 Email: fundraising@refuge.org.uk

Dorset Humanists’ Winter Appeal

Last year, Dorset Humanists’ Winter Appeal raised £800 for the St Paul’s Shelter for homeless people in Bournemouth, and this year we are hoping to match or beat this sum in aid of two more local charities.

This year, we are supporting New Forest Night Stop and Refuge. Jane Bannister (1941-2013), a former Chair of Dorset Humanists, who sadly passed away this year, was very supportive of both these charities.

A member of Dorset Humanists has generously pledged to donate £400 if all other contributors together match this sum by 20th December. You can bring cash or cheques to our 14th December meeting or pledge your amount by contacting David Warden [ email: chairman(at)dorsethumanists.co.uk ]. Cheques should be made payable to Dorset Humanists (Winter Appeal) and can be passed to David Warden or our treasurer Dariusz Andersen.

New Forest Nightstop provides the only emergency overnight accommodation for homeless 16-24 year olds in the homes of trained and approved host households around the New Forest. The support given by Nightstop improves not only young people's self-esteem but also their life chances, and their outcomes for employment, training, health and housing are much improved. Nightstop is a unique and integral service in a multi-agency approach to youth homelessness.

http://www.newforestnightstop.org.uk/aboutus.html

Refuge is committed to a world where domestic violence is not tolerated and where women and children can live in safety. Refuge aims to empower women and children to rebuild their lives, free from violence and fear.

Refuge operates a three-pronged approach which involves:

• Providing a range of high quality services for abused women and children. Their national network of services supports women and children to regain control of their lives and move forwards in a positive way.
• Advocating for improvements to domestic violence policy and practice, and the implementation of legislation to meet the needs of abused women and children.
• Helping to prevent domestic violence through campaigning, education, training and research.

http://refuge.org.uk/who-we-are/

Please give generously and help us to support the work of these worthy charities.

January Bulletin and Newsletter

Even if you know nothing about Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' books, we recommend coming along to Professor Jack Cohen's talk on the ‘Science of Discworld’ this coming Saturday. 

Jack Cohen has spoken to us before and he's a very engaging and witty speaker, as well as an internationally-known expert on reproductive biology.  Nathanial Major, manager of the St Paul's Shelter for the homeless, which we supported with our recent Christmas Appeal, will also be giving us an update after the refreshment break. 

As well as all the usual news and views in this edition of the Bulletin, we have comment on the Census results for Bournemouth and Poole, a new President for the BHA, a report on 'Humanist Support for Prisoners',  Holocaust Memorial Day, and booking details for a Humanists’ Chinese feast and our Darwin Day event. 

All good wishes for 2013 and we look forward to seeing you soon

David Warden
Chair, Dorset Humanists

Click here to view details of our forthcoming and recent events.

Humanists’ help for homeless

(copied from Bournemouth Evening Echo of 31st December 2011)

Dorset Humanists’ Christmas Appeal has raised £800 for the St Paul’s Shelter for homeless people in Bournemouth. The shelter provides emergency short-term accommodation and access to a range of medical facilities, housing advice, education and training. During the coldest months, St Paul’s also runs the life-saving ‘Winter Watch’ service which provides much needed shelter, warmth and food for people who are sleeping rough.

The appeal was launched after Nathanial Major, manager of the shelter, gave an inspiring talk to Dorset Humanists at the Green House Hotel. Mr Major said, “I am extremely grateful towards the Dorset Humanists for such a generous donation over the Christmas period”. “ This money will be put towards our Winter Watch service as well as helping towards days out with our residents for which we receive no formal funding”. David Warden, Chair of Dorset Humanists, said “A key element of Humanism lies in helping some of the most disadvantaged members of society – we feel privileged to support the shelter in this way, especially at Christmas”.

Dorset Humanists is a community group for atheists and agnostics who want to make the world a better place.

Photo Caption: “GIFT: David Warden (left) hands a cheque for £800 to Nathanial Major, manager of the St Paul’s Shelter”

Humanist Support for Prisoners

Saturday 8^th December 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

A presentation by Amy Walden, Probation Officer HMP Winchester

Religious prisoners are able to practice their religion whilst in custody, providing them with much needed emotional and moral support from chaplains, time out of their cells, and a chance to form a network of friends. But what if you are not religious?

Amy Walden is the inspiration behind a positive new pilot project offering equivalent support to non-religious prisoners. In this presentation she considers the inequalities faced by the non-religious in prison, and explains how the British Humanist Association and HM Prison Service are seeking to address them. Despite considerable initial opposition, the pilot is proving to be a great success and it is hoped it will be rolled out across the prison estate.

Join us to learn about this exciting new pilot project aiming to transform the lives of Britain’s non-religious prisoners

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Hope for the Homeless

Wednesday 28^th November 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

As we head into another cold winter, imagine losing the safety and sanctuary of your home. Try to imagine walking bitterly cold streets, searching for a safe place to lay your head, while desperately trying to figure out where your next meal is coming from.

In our presentation and discussion, Hostel Manager, Nathanial Major will explain the spiral of events that can lead people from all walks of life into homelessness, and how agencies like St Paul’s Hostel can help.

Run by social action charity BCHA, St Paul’s Hostel in Bournemouth helps the homeless get off the streets and back on the road to independence.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.