Latest news with #vulnerableYouth
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Shoebox Appeal charity launches new ‘tea party' drive
Children throughout Ireland are being asked to support vulnerable young people around the world by hosting a tea party in their final weeks of school. The new initiative is marking 15 years of the charity Team Hope, which works to transform children's lives by tackling poverty and inequality in African and eastern European countries. Advertisement Best known for its Christmas Shoebox Appeal, the not-for-profit organisation has revealed that people in Ireland have donated €2 million in life-changing aid since 2010. The Team Hope Tea Party campaign runs from June 14th-22nd (Conor McCabe Photograph/Mediaconsult/PA) The Team Hope Tea Party has a €240,000 target to fund vital projects such as clean water, education and income-generation opportunities in countries including Kenya, Burundi, Malawi, and Rwanda, where many live on less than two US dollars a day. The campaign, running from June 14th-22nd, is not confined to schools. Sports clubs, businesses and individuals across the country are all invited to take part. Advertisement Team Hope chief executive Deborah Lowry said: 'Over the past 15 years, we've not only delivered millions of Christmas Shoebox gifts but have also helped provide access to clean water, healthcare and support for communities that need it most. 'In June, we'd love if people can think beyond the box and host a tea party to help raise vital funds to support that work. 'In the five years to the end of this year, we will have improved the lives of 10,000 children in our sustainable development projects. 'The locally-based water projects in Kenya not only provide clean water to communities but also mean that girls, who previously spent hours collecting water every day, can go to school. There are multiple layers to the improvements our work makes to people's lives.' Advertisement Some of Team Hope's other projects include the creation of pineapple farms in Rwanda, an income generator allowing parents to support their families and send their children to school. Corduff NS pupils were urging children across Ireland to host a Team Hope Tea Party this month (Conor McCabe Photography/Mediaconsult/PA) 'We know that we are impacting hundreds of people in their own communities and thousands of children as a result of this work,' Ms Lowry said. 'While the shoebox appeal opens the door so we can help the poorest communities create their own future, we want to tell a different story; that these children are well loved, that they are full of hope. We are only the little seeds that helps them build a better future.' Participants in the Team Hope Tea Party can access a digital pack of downloads, including recipes and party ideas, as well as a donation page for their individual event through Advertisement
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Squatters still breaking into Slough council block
Squatters have still been able to break into a block of flats housing vulnerable young people after a council promised "urgent action", according to residents. Slough Borough Council pledged to secure entrances to Pendeen Court, in Cippenham, after reports of intruders sleeping in the entrances and laundry months later tenants have shown the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) several entrances were left unlocked, with dangerous rubbish left on the floor.A council spokesperson said they were aware of the issues and had been "working extensively to improve conditions for the residents". Pendeen Court is used as temporary accommodation for people who come to the council at risk of homelessness, many of who are young, single authority promised action in February after tenants revealed pictures of rough sleepers. When LDRS visited the building in May, residents showed how people could walk into the court through an unlocked bin store and how the front security door could be easily forced reported mattresses being left lying by a children's playpark in the courtyard and in tenant said: "All the doors are unlocked. There's the junkies that come in."There's glass in the park that people have to pick up and there are always cigarette butts lying around." Another resident said many living in the court "don't even want to come out of their flat".She added: "They're too worried to come out - there could be anything."A spokesperson for Slough Borough Council said bin stores were fitted with a combination padlock after the council promised action in said the padlock was found to be "no longer fastening securely" during an inspection on 20 May. 'Improve conditions for residents' The spokesperson added it had been fixed and the main door was due to be inspected on 22 May, the same day LDRS visited the court and contacted the council."We are aware of the issues being reported by residents here and we remain committed to making Pendeen Court a comfortable and safe place to live," they said."We have been working extensively to improve conditions for the residents here and will continue to do so and they know our team by name and can raise issues directly." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
