Fundraising and Awareness Events
There are so many people suffering the impacts of loneliness and isolation right on our own doorstep and Befriending is something we can all get involved with to help people feel connected to other people and their community again.
Many of our volunteers enjoy getting stuck-in when it comes to fundraising events – we even have volunteers who are not Befrienders but who like to lend their time to help raise funds and awareness of the good work of the project. Of course, there is a significant element of financial costs in providing such a service and Befriending Lewis is not currently supported by any form of mainstream health, social care or government funding.
In late November 2016, we were delighted to announce the news that befriending Lewis had been awarded £150,000 by the Big Lottery’s Improving Lives Fund. This grant award represents a significant portion of the total project costs over a 3 year period, and gives us the encouragement to now find the remaining funds needed. We are grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for considering our application so favourably and for having the faith in us to deliver this much needed service for our community.
Our fundraising efforts in our first year raised over £5,000 – and this was all volunteer led activity!
15,000 ft Skydive!
Our courageous volunteer Hector took to the skies to complete a 15,000 ft Skydive to raise funds for the service. This was no mean feat as Hector also had to lose 2 stone beforehand in order to meet the weight requirements for the jump! Hector is also the Chief executive of Third Sector Hebrides and went all-out to put his life on the line for a cause he firmly believes in.
We have more exciting fundraising events coming up and we would love to welcome you to our fundraising team. If you would like to get involved then please get in touch
Curry Night
Local chef Deepak Gurung and his team offered their expertise to raise funds for Befriending Lewis by holding a take-away curry night in a local hall. Deepak’s curry’s were in overwhelming demand and we sold out the day before the event allowing hundreds of people to put their feet up and enjoy a delicious Friday night take away.
Deluxe Hamper Raffle
The Scottish Co-op in Stornoway generously donated a wonderful hamper for our raffle. We were able to raise some funds this way and speak to people about the benefits of Befriending.
