South Leeds charities share five figure donation in Christmas windfall
Two charities that support families and disadvantaged communities just a mile from Leeds city centre, have shared an £18,000 donation that was raised at a Christmas party hosted by Leeds property entrepreneur, Jonathan Morgan and his family.
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The money will be shared between Holbeck Together and Re:establish, and will make an immediate difference to people in need who live in Holbeck and Beeston in particular.
Jonathan founded Morgans, which pioneered city living in Leeds and historically held its Christmas party at Harvey Nichols for 20 years.
The event was traditionally held as a thank you to Morgans clients, staff, family and friends and after selling the business in 2019, Jonathan and his family reinvented the party to raise funds for these two charities. Over the past five years, the event has welcomed hundreds of guests and raised around £90,000 in total.
Holbeck Together was originally established as Holbeck Elderly Aid in 1992 and today it provides a wide range of services and support to people of all ages within a diverse and disadvantaged community. Its small but dedicated and skilled team work hard to ensure that no-one is left behind.
Re:establish is another small but dynamic organisation with a focus on young people, their future and their families. It runs various initiatives and programmes including a popular youth club. It focuses on developing skills, self-awareness and resilience and seeks to break the cycle of exclusion, under-achievement and adversity, which is so prevalent in South Leeds.
Jonathan said: “This party has become an annual Christmas tradition for lots of the city’s property and business community, as well as friends and family, and it’s a privilege that so many people have bought tickets and taken part in our raffles and auctions over the past five years to raise this money.
“Our chosen charities provide a hugely valuable service to people who live just outside Leeds city centre, but are often unable to capitalise on the life opportunities that such a vibrant and dynamic city offers to so many.
“Instead Holbeck is one of the most deprived areas in the UK, but Holbeck Together and re:establish work relentlessly to make people’s lives better and give them a brighter future, and they do it on a tiny budget. Being able to give them £9,000 each will make a real difference to their ability to offer some hope and opportunity.”
Re:establish team leader and development manager, Jo Sunderland, said: “We primarily work with seven to 19 year olds in Holbeck, Beeston, Cottingley and Hunslet who are growing up surrounded by drugs, crime and violence. We provide safe spaces for our young people to belong, run regular drop-ins, music lessons, mentoring, offer support and opportunities for life skill development, as well as trip and residential activities which build confidence and increase aspiration.
“Thankfully, it’s effective because I have a great team! But it takes time, patience and money, so we’ll always be grateful for the bridge that Jonathan and his family have given us into the city’s business community and the support that this event gives us. Collectively we can achieve more, empowering our young people to discover their innate value and just how much they matter.”
Elissa Newman, CEO at Holbeck Together, said: “People in Holbeck have a 12-year lower life expectancy than people living in Harewood, despite living just 10 miles apart. We’re working hard to change this and the support that we receive from this event makes a huge difference to a small charity like Holbeck Together as we strive to create a stronger and more sustainable future for Holbeck.”
For more information about Re:establish, visit www.reestablish.org.uk
For more information about Holbeck Together, visit https://www.holbecktogether.org/