Aldeburgh Yacht Club hosts fundraising event for BIGKID Foundation
by AYC 25 Jul 2016 08:07 BST
16 July 2016
Aldeburgh Yacht Club raises thousands for disadvantaged London youth
A fundraising dinner held at Aldeburgh Yacht Club on Saturday 16 July raised over £10,000 for the BIGKID Foundation sailing project.
Organised by Lydia Freeman and Sue Thompson, the event started with people enjoying drinks on the club terrace as the sun set over the Alde on an unusually warm evening.
BIGKID director Helen Marasha welcomed the 75 guests and thanked them all for coming and for their generosity. She told the story of Armani, a young person from a disadvantaged background in South London who was at risk of gang involvement who had come on the pilot project in 2015, since when his life has completely changed and he is now a qualified football coach and role model to other young people.
Apart from raising money from the dinner, two auctions and a tombola raised over £5,000 and a further £5,000 was received from people who could not be there.
BIGKID is a small London based charity that exists to improve the lives of young people at risk of exclusion engaging them in sports, leadership and mentoring activities. Established in 2008 BIGKID works with around 1000 young people each year from areas of high deprivation, where gangs are prevalent.
Next year, with the money raised, and in partnership with Aldeburgh Yacht Club, BIGKID will teach 10 young people how to sail with the aim of getting them out of their comfort zones and trying new experiences that will build their self confidence and esteem.
Closing the event, Helen Marasha thanked in particular Aldeburgh Yacht Club, Lydia Freeman and Sue Thompson for their hard work putting together such a fabulous evening. She also thanked the team of volunteers who had worked tirelessly all evening and all the generous donors.
"Aldeburgh Yacht Club is embracing the project with BIGKID to open its facilities and its corporate abilities by teaching and nurturing the BIGKID young people to further their skills and enhance their sense of worth and self confidence, and to show them a wider part of Britain that really changes physical and emotional horizons," said Lydia Freeman, Aldeburgh Yacht Club member and part of the BIGKID fundraiser organizing team
To find out more about BIGKID and the sailing project, visit www.bigkidfoundation.org or follow BIGKID Foundation on Facebook or Twitter @BIGKIDCharity.