Latest news with #HelpingHands
Glasgow Times
5 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow jewel thief targeted widow, 89, she cleaned for
Gaynor Welch worked at Helping Hands, a home cleaning service primarily used by elderly and vulnerable people near Bishopbriggs. On September 7, 2023, she was working with two other colleagues at the Torrance property of Robert Burrell, who was 89 at the time. After they left, Mr Burrell called the owner of the company to report that three rings, which belonged to his late wife and mother, went missing from his home. The owner called the police and informed them which house the cleaners were cleaning at the time. Officers showed up and Welch was detained for a search. A thin gold necklace was found in her trouser pocket. At first, the 34-year-old said she found the item and accidentally pocketed it but she then admitted she took it. Welch was asked if she had any other items and she took out three gold rings from her bra. She was arrested and the rings were returned to Mr Burrell, who was extremely upset but grateful to have them back, saying they had immense sentimental value. Another client, Louise Scott, identified the necklace as hers. As part of the investigation, cops went to H&T Pawnbrokers and spoke with staff, who confirmed Welch had previously pawned two rings worth £255. In an interview, the Castlemilk cleaner accepted having taken the jewellery but she said she couldn't recall where she stole it from and the owner was never identified. READ NEXT: Teen caused £125k of damage to luxury flats by setting cinema on fire with Fairy READ NEXT: Glasgow nurse caught drug trafficking after £200k raid on West End flat She appeared in the dock of Glasgow Sheriff Court this week after she pleaded guilty to three charges of theft. Her lawyer said: "She told me that in 2023, when this happened, he life was extremely chaotic, she was using substances and she needed the money. "She is disgusted with herself. She has not taken substances for two years and is engaging with Turning Point. "Her record is quite limited. She made attempts to turn her life around." Sheriff Lorraine Glancy observed: "She does appear to have turned her life around and these offences are of some vintage but they clearly meet the custody threshold." She sentenced Welch to 12 months of supervision and warned her that if she breaches the order, she could be sent to prison.
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Bradford woman jailed for spending £3k of charity cash
A woman has been jailed for spending almost £3,000 of funds from a charity she was running on shopping, travel and food deliveries for Tempest, director of Bradford-based charity Helping Hands, sobbed after she was sentenced to eight months in custody at Bradford Magistrates' Court on 39-year-old pleaded guilty to fraud in July, admitting she took £2,945.80 between 8 August 2023 and 3 January district judge Wallace said: "I have no doubt that when you set up this group, it was with good intentions. Unfortunately, there came a point in time when you decided to help yourself to the funds." Tempest, who was also ordered to donate £2,000 to a local charity by March 2026, told the judge: "I'd just like to say that I'm sorry." 'Act of desperation' Helping Hands, although not a registered charity, helped people in the Bierley area of Bradford by providing food, white goods, furniture and toiletries to those in mainly operated on Facebook and prosecutor Vicky Truman told the court that other members of the group began to suspect something was amiss due to Tempest's lack of transparency about the charity's would not allow the charity's treasurer, Claire Grove, to see the organisation's bank statements."[Ms Grove] was asked by a friend what the money donated was used for," Ms Truman said."She asked Miss Tempest and she said that she didn't have to prove anything to anyone."Ms Truman said Ms Grove has asked for screenshots of the charity's bank statements, but Tempest had "refused" to provide them."At that point she resigned from being treasurer," Ms Truman said, adding it was then she raised concerns with other moderators of the group before Tempest was reported to Action Fraud.A police investigation found Tempest had made 54 transactions to her partner, totalling more than £2,500, and 28 transactions to Uber and Uber Dosanjh, mitigating for Tempest, said her client had been "ridiculed on social media" and had even received "death threats and public shaming".Ms Dosanjh said taking the cash "was an act of desperation" and that she had shown genuine judge said Tempest's actions "undermines trust and public confidence in charitable donations, it's something we cannot tolerate". Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Sydney Morning Herald
01-08-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Alleged paedophile continued to work with children after being reported
'When the concerns were raised, JAG immediately took action, notifying NSW Police and the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian.' However, while James was banned from JAG centres, he was able to keep working as a casual with Randstad because his Working with Children check was not affected. 'We are deeply disturbed by the allegations, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the children and families impacted by the alleged offending,' Randstad Education said in a statement on Friday. 'Screening of workers, including for the accused, is conducted in accordance with best practice in Child Safe recruitment principles.' A person's Working with Children check is only affected if 'there is a sustained finding made … under the Reportable Conduct Scheme', the Office of the Children's Guardian says in its annual report. Reporting inappropriate conduct does not always prevent an individual from continuing to work with children. The OCG can place an interim bar on working with children in some circumstances, which it didn't do in the case of James. The OCG has been contacted for comment. The revelations that James continued to work in the sector come at a time of renewed focus on childcare and its regulation, after the arrest of Melbourne daycare worker Joshua Dale Brown and the screening of 1200 preschool-aged children for STDs. Industry heads have also raised concerns about the OSHC sector, which is becoming increasingly privatised and reliant on an unqualified, young and casualised workforce. The centres where James' alleged abuse took place were Pyrmont OSHC – City of Sydney; OSHClub – Barker College; Willoughby Kids House; Helping Hands – St Ives Park Public School; St Ives OSHC Centre – Kidzone; and Helping Hands – Lane Cove West Public School. On Friday, parents at Lane Cove West Public School expressed disbelief. 'The article popped up when I was at work, and I just could not concentrate after that,' said Renee, who has a five-year-old daughter at the school and did not want her surname used. She said OSHC provider Helping Hands has circulated a letter to parents, assuring them that they are taking the matter seriously, and that staff members are now banned from having phones while children are in their care. 'They said that Working With Children checks were comprehensive, but they're obviously not comprehensive enough,' Renee said. One parent, who works as a teacher at a different school, said his two children had been coming to Helping Hands for several years. He did not remember James. 'It's a travesty, an abomination really,' he said. 'They've got lots of safeguards in place, but it's scary to think someone like that worked here while my kids were there.' At Friday afternoon pick-up at St Ives Park Primary School, parents said the school had informed them about the allegations against James several weeks ago. One mother, who did not want to be named, said her children had attended the centre while James worked there, but she did not remember him. She had her own concerns about the OSHC facility, and once withdrew her children from holiday care when she found the three staff members on duty were all male and appeared to be inexperienced. 'What I saw, I didn't like,' she said, adding she planned to raise her concerns in a formal letter. A graduate of the elite Knox Grammar School and featuring on the Herald 's HSC High Achiever list in 2017, James worked for NSW Police in an entry-level role as a probationary constable at Chatswood Police Station from December 2021 to September 2022. After failing to complete his probation, he worked as a radio officer in civilian capacity until his resignation in May 2023. James was identified by the Australian Federal Police in a mid-2024 investigation into dark web child abuse material. Loading He is now facing 13 charges, including nine counts of aggravated use of a child to make child abuse material, one count of using a child to make abuse material, two counts of possessing abuse material and one count of refusing officers access to his phone. The specifics of the allegations are mostly too graphic to publish, but include claims the man filmed young boys as they used the bathroom at the daycare. James also allegedly pleasured himself in a classroom in front of children. Until his arrest, he lived at his family home on Sydney's lower north shore. All families of his alleged victims were contacted by investigators in June with letters. More than 1200 other families, whose children attended the services at which James worked, also received a letter outlining that a staff member had been charged. 'Based on information currently available, investigators believe the alleged behaviour of the man involves a very small number of children, however, the parents and carers of any child who may have had contact with the man has received a letter,' the AFP said in a statement. The nation's childcare industry has been in crisis since the arrest of Joshua Dale Brown in Melbourne on allegations he abused eight children. The case is unrelated to James' alleged offending in Sydney. Brown is facing 73 charges, including child rape, after the alleged discovery of a cache of child abuse material in May. Locations and dates worked Artarmon Before and After School Care - Willoughby City Council (June 2019) Bales Park OOSH Services (December 2018) Beacon Hill Vacation Care - Northern Beaches Council (December 2018) Camp Australia - Artarmon (February - December 2022) Camp Australia - St Andrew's Cathedral School (June 2018) Camp Australia - St Luke's Grammar School (April 2018) Chatswood ASC & VC - Willoughby City Council (November 2018) Cromer Vacation Care - Northern Beaches Council (January 2020) Cubby House - Artarmon (June - August 2019) Forestville Vacation Care - Northern Beaches Council (July 2018 - April 2022) The Girls & Boys Brigade - Surry Hills (November 2020) Gowrie NSW Erskineville Outside of School Hours Care (June 2018; February 2019) Gowrie NSW North Sydney Community VC (April 2023) Helping Hands - Bourke Street (March 2019 - April 2024) Helping Hands - Lane Cove West (April 2018 - September 2024) Helping Hands - North Ryde (May 2018 - August 2023) Helping Hands - St Ives Park Public School (December 2023 - May 2024) Helping Hands - Willoughby Public School (April 2018 - December 2022) Hornsby South Before and After School Care (May 2018) Jigsaw - Anzac Park Public School (May 2018) KGV OSHC - City of Sydney (November 2018 - April 2022) KidsCo Australia - Virtual Holiday Program (July - August 2021) Knox Grammar High School (March 2018 - July 2020) Knox Grammar School OSHClub (May 2024) Manly Vale VC - Northern Beaches Council (April 2019 - July 2022) North Shore Coaching College (July 2023 - September 2024) OSHClub - Barker College (May 2018 - May 2024) OSHClub - Beaumont Road (May 2018 - April 2023) OSHClub - Fort Street (May 2018) OSHClub - Highfields (April - November 2018) OSHClub - Hornsby South (August 2018 - July 2023) OSHClub - Knox Grammar Preparatory (May 2018 - February 2020) OSHClub - Newington Lindfield (February 2020) OSHClub - Smalls Road (February 2022 - August 2023) Our Lady of Good Counsel OSHC - Forestville (August 2018 - March 2019) Our Lady of the Rosary OSHC - Waitara (October 2018) Primary OSHCare - Chatswood (September 2019 - March 2020) Primary OSHCare - Forestville (February 2021) Primary OSHCare - Frenchs Forest (September 2022) Primary OSHCare - Killarney Heights (January 2023) Primary OSHCare - Mowbray (March 2020 - May 2024) Primary OSHCare - St Ives (July 2021 - January 2024) Primary OSHCare - St Ives North (February - March 2024) Pyrmont OSHC - City of Sydney (October 2018 - July 2022) SCECS - OSHC Rose Bay (January - May 2023) St Kieran's OSHC - Manly Vale (May 2018 - February 2019) St Martin's Davidson OSHC (September 2018) St Mary's OOSH - Erskineville (December 2020) Stanmore OSHC Service - Inner West Council (July - August 2018) TeamKids - ANZAC Park Public School (February 2021 - June 2023) TheirCare - Ravenswood School for Girls (May 2023) TheirCare - St Andrew's Cathedral School (December 2020) Ultimo OSHC - City of Sydney (July 2018 - September 2024) Uniting OSHC Brookvale (July 2023) West Lindfield Getaway - Vacation Care - Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council (April 2018) Willoughby Kids House (July 2023) YMCA Bankstown City (July 2018) YMCA NSW - Lycee Condorcet (July - August 2023) List of centres as at 1pm on July 31, 2025. Source:
Hamilton Spectator
31-07-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Food pantry changes access model to give more dignity to clients
The Helping Hands food pantry is adopting a unique approach to addressing food security in the city. Since May, the food pantry has been offering a choice model, where people can enter the grocery store-style pantry and select what they need for their family, rather than receiving a hamper. 'We've had folks standing in here crying because they've never had access to milk before or cheese, or that they can make Kraft Dinner for their kids,' said Erika Gilroy, Helping Hands development co-ordinator. The pantry features a fridge stocked with essentials like milk and butter, a freezer filled with frozen items such as fries, bread and meats, and shelves filled with a variety of dry and canned goods. Allowing people to choose gives them more dignity and has also reduced the amount of food distributed to clients. 'Less food is actually being taken than when it was in hampers,' said Dalyce Sather-McNabb, Northreach Society executive director. Northreach Society amalgamated with Helping Hands over the past year. 'There's actually more food to go around when people are given the opportunity to choose.' Gilroy said that many people accessing the food bank and their pantry have never needed to before. 'Grande Prairie is full of a lot of financial gain, but there's also a lot of struggle, unfortunately,' she said, 'we're seeing a lot of seniors, a lot of people with disabilities, and a lot of families, mostly single parents, coming into access services here.' She said that some families are making choices between rent or mortgage and groceries. 'It could happen to anybody; anybody can be in a situation where they might need help from Helping Hands or other food security places in Grande Prairie.' Still, Helping Hands wants to ensure a low barrier of access for those in the community, so it does not have an onerous application process or require financial information. 'Very few people actually abuse the system; they're hungry, they need food, their children are hungry and they need food, so keeping access as low a barrier as possible is part of the goal,' said Sather-McNabb. City council approved $160,000 last year to Helping Hands to fund a pilot project to create a backbone organization that would make a co-ordinated approach to addressing food insecurity in Grande Prairie and focus on long-term solutions. The city said the goal was not to remove any organizations in the city that provide food. 'With Helping Hands being the backbone organization, it would never be about eliminating any of the other organizations or what they do in the community; it's really about breaking down the silos and working more directly together,' said Tammy Wentzell, city director of Housing and Community Development, last year. 'A really big goal is to get to the point where we're decreasing duplication of services, that we're all supporting each other, that we're directing folks where they need to go to get the help they need,' said Sather-McNabb. Gilroy is meeting with other local food security agencies in Grande Prairie to gain a better understanding of what is being offered and streamline ways to collaborate. 'Collaboration takes time, building relationships takes time, and this is in no way should be considered a competition, or that we're a direct competitor of any other agency within the city, we're just here as an adjunct,' said Sather-McNabb. Recently, Helping Hands was able to donate extra produce it received to other food security organizations, as well as soup and frozen meals to Wapiti House and the Saint Lawrence Centre. Last year city council received multiple funding requests from different organizations for their food security programs, and found that collaboration between those organizations was lacking. The approach to food security in Grande Prairie was seen as reactive, relying on short-term relief and fragmented services. Last September, a meeting was held with local organizations which provide food to the public. The city recognized an urgent need for a dedicated and focused approach to addressing food security within the city. Helping Hands took on the challenge. Since then, Helping Hands has partnered with Food Banks Alberta, serving as a hub for Northwestern Alberta. The partnership has enabled the organization to distribute food to communities in the surrounding area on behalf of Food Banks Alberta. 'We get a lot of our dry goods and frozen goods from Food Banks Alberta, so that's been really great,' said Gilroy, noting it has also provided items in high demand such as baby formula, and has also provided a 45-foot freezer sea-can as well as a forklift and training. The partnership has also included information on how to scale the operation of the pantry so that it can help more people. Since May, nearly 16,000 kilograms of food have been delivered to Helping Hands. Food Banks Alberta also helps provide emergency relief to communities in the area. Helping Hands stores emergency items ready to be deployed, such as drinking water and care packages for evacuees. This is the first partnership by a city organization with Food Banks Alberta; the partnership may come with additional funding in the future. The partnership between Food Banks Alberta and Helping Hands will mean the organization will need to achieve the standards of excellence set by Food Banks Canada. 'Being a member of Food Banks Alberta automatically makes you a member of Food Banks Canada, so with that comes extra kinds of support,' said Sather-McNabb. The support from Food Banks Canada includes grants, which Helping Hands has already applied for and will continue to work on other applications as well. Helping Hands still needs food donations, monetary donations and volunteers. 'We really need volunteers; we need a robust, diverse group of folks, people with muscle that can help move things, people with trucks that can potentially deliver allotments to some of our other communities. 'A lot of the volunteers in the other communities don't have, maybe, the capacity to be picking up pallets of food, and we need volunteers for cleaning schedules, we need volunteers as we grow and as we potentially have more shopping days, we're just going to need more people,' said Sather-McNabb. She said that in the future, there will also be some fundraising endeavours. If interested in donating or volunteering, you can contact Helping Hands through their Facebook page at . 'The need is so great, and we can't, unfortunately, help everybody, but we try to help, or at least try to get people connected to somewhere else in the community, if we're not able to help them directly,' said Gilroy. Food insecurity affects about 19 per cent of Grande Prairie residents, according to the 2023 Food Access & Affordability Survey report, which was partially sponsored by the city. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Time of India
30-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Lifesaving Heroes: How Fishermen on Velankanni Beach Are Rescuing Tourists from Drowning
SAFE AND SOUND: Helping Hands, a team of 20 trained fishermen, has been saving lives since 1997. Pic R Baskar For about three decades, a group of fishermen has been saving lives on Velankanni Beach, so much so that the coastal security force calls them their 'first response arm' in emergencies. It's a movement, says P Antony Franklin Jeyaraj, that was born out of a moment of helplessness. In the summer of 1997, Jeyaraj, then a 27-year-old social worker from Velankanni, watched in shock as three tourists were swept away by strong waves. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai 'Family members were crying beside the bodies,' says the 55-year-old. 'I kept wondering, could they have been saved?' Jeyaraj then began thinking about a lifesaving service and that was how 'Helping Hands' was launched with a catamaran and a couple of fishermen. Today, the team has 20 trained fishermen, motorised boats and a permanent booth on Velankanni beach. 'We can now reach out to people in seconds,' says Jeyaraj. S Selvamani, a fisherman for more than 40 years, was among the earliest to join the Helping Hands lifeguards. Selvamani lost six of his family members, including his father and elder brother, in the Dec 2004 tsunami. 'I was traumatised seeing my family being taken by the sea. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 Surprising Benefits of This Sweet Little Fruit — You'll Want to Eat It Every Day! Learn More Undo A year later, I told myself I would not let anyone else die like that again,' says the 58-year-old who now trains younger guards. Two decades ago, saving lives from drowning was riskier, says Selvamani. There were no megaphones to issue warnings, no boats with motors. 'We would stand chest-deep in the sea for hours, blowing whistles and shouting to keep people from going too far. When someone was in trouble, we would just rush in to save them.' S Vivek, a fisherman from Velankanni who has been a lifeguard for more than 10 years, now leads the Helping Hands team. He's been going to sea since he was 16. His day begins at 3am with fishing, and once he is done selling his catch by 9am, he is on the beach till 6pm, on lifeguard duty. 'People panic when they're swept away. They fight the waves and get exhausted. When we reach them, they sometimes try to pull us under,' says the 37-year-old. Another major problem, says Vivek, are intoxicated swimmers. 'They ignore warnings and flail around in panic. Rescuing them is hard. It is sometimes easier when they start to lose consciousness,' he adds. Most people rescued are rushed for medical aid, and the team performs CPR until the ambulance arrives. 'The failed rescues take a toll on us mentally, especially when it's children or teenagers,' says Vivek. Footfalls at Velankanni peak during Christmas, Easter, New Year, and the annual St Mary's Nativity Festival, says S Arputharaj, parish priest at the Velankanni Shrine Basilica. 'Helping Hands is a big support in those times, especially with thousands visiting the beach every day.' Last Sept saw footfalls of more than a million people at the Velankanni Shrine Basilica. 'It is so overwhelming during the festival days that we now close access to Velankanni beach during the annual St Mary's Nativity festival,' says K Ramesh Kumar, inspector from Tamil Nadu Police's Coastal Security Group. Ramesh says police consider 'Helping Hands' as their first response arm during emergencies, like the community initiative 'Friends of Police' (FOP). The lifeguards say they do not remember the names of those they have saved. 'Sometimes, people we have saved recognise us. They come up, remind us of what happened, and thank us. That's our reward,' says Selvamani. Email your feedback with name and address to
