Category Archives: Philanthropy & Society

Stars ‘give it up’ for Lent fundraiser

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The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) launches its annual Lent campaign, ‘give it up!’ today. With backing from X-Factor host Dermot O’Leary and Coronation Street’s Ben Price (Nick Tilsley) the charity is urging people to give something up and make a difference for those living in some of the poorest communities in the world.

Lent is embraced by many as an opportunity to re-ignite those failed new years resolutions, to kick start a new health regime or kick out an old bad habit.

The official start of Lent, Ash Wednesday will see CAFOD is calling on people in England and Wales to give something up and donate the money saved to support their work in over 50 countries fighting poverty and injustice.

Life-long supporter of the charity, Dermot O’Leary is going all out, giving up chocolate, crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks, he said:

“I have been supporting CAFOD’s Lent fundraising since my school days and it’s just such a great and simple way to raise money. You only have to give up one thing, one thing, and you can make a massive difference to someone else’s life.”

Fellow TV star Ben Price is also joining the effort, giving up his daily diet coke and encouraging others to get involved.
“Over the years I have heard of CAFOD supporters giving up all sorts for Lent, from chocolate and magazines to Facebook and beer, raising millions of pounds in the process. Anyone can get involved and all donations, big and small, really can help transform lives.’
If you already live vice free or on a tight budget, you could get sponsored to give up an activity instead, like playing computer games or tweeting. You could even hold your own fundraising event; for further hints, tips and support just visit the ‘give it up!’ website.

As well as raising vital funds this Lent supporters can take action by backing ‘Get down to business’, a campaign supporting small businesses in the poorest countries. This campaign calls on the UK Government to support millions of vulnerable people as they work to lift themselves out of poverty by ensuring that overseas aid and trade policies put them first.

Rape: The No Crime Crime?

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There are not many subjects that people want to talk about less than rape. It’s never a nice subject and also evokes controversy. But, in my opinion, what is really controversial is how easy it is to get away with. In fact In 1977, according to one report, 30% of rape cases ended in conviction in the UK. Today it is 6%. The plan to grant anonymity to rape suspects was a surprise inclusion in the government’s coalition agreement in May. It seems to have been dropped by the Ministry of Justice, but the fact that such a law was thought up says little about our government’s respect for women who have to endure such an ordeal. The ministry said it had not ruled out anonymity between arrest and charge, something that is more understandable.

It was not in the Conservative or Liberal Democrat election manifestos, although it had been Lib Dem policy since 2006.

The coalition agreement pledged to “extend anonymity in rape cases to defendants”, with ministers stressing the need to “protect anyone who may be wrongly accused from harmful stigma”.

Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to bow to pressure from campaigners when he said he favoured a “limited extension” to the law to cover the period between arrest and charge.

Campaign group Women Against Rape said they were “glad the government has been forced to back down”.

A spokeswoman said: “Why should men accused of rape have special protection not offered to those facing charges of murder, terrorism or child abuse?

“People are no more likely to be falsely accused of rape than of other crimes. Why this attempt to further discredit and discriminate against rape survivors?”

Conservative MP Louise Bagshawe told The Observer that by “singling out rape in this way, ministers are sending a negative signal about women and those who accuse men of rape”.

The Truth is that 1 in 4 women have experienced rape or attempted rape, 95% of cases are never reported, 23% of reported cases are ‘no crime,’ or thrown out, by the police. Over 66% of reported cases never make it to court and the conviction rate is a depressing 6.5% for reported cases. It seems rape is the easiest crime to get away with. Then there is the fact that marital rape in the United Kingdom was only made illegal in 1994. By Michael Howard.

In a recent article in the London’s Evening Standard Met officers repeatedly breached official rules by writing off rape allegations as “no crime” incidents, a Scotland Yard confidential report revealed.

There was also delays in giving victims early specialist assistance, inadequate record-keeping and failure to arrange medical examinations.

The Met said the Sapphire units had now been reorganised and are run by the Yard’s Violent Crime Directorate.

In fact, it was announced in late 2010 that Scotland Yard boosting a specialist sex offences squad in response to a shock rise in rapes reported in London. Rape was up 37 percent in just 12 months.

Police believe much of the increase is due to women becoming more confident in reporting attacks because of a change in tactics in dealing with rapes, rather than a rise in offences.

There has also been a significant increase in “relationship rapes” involving couples. Which are hard to prove. All of this may have something good coming out of it.

There is a newly launched £21.5 million Sapphire unit, with a central command and new intelligence cell, that tackles sex offences across London.

A spokesman said: “The new Sapphire unit is completely victim-based. First of all when victims come forward we believe them and take their allegations seriously. That is our mantra. Secondly we will turn over every stone to get to the bottom of what happened. We have anecdotal evidence from rape crisis centres and havens to say word is getting round that [victims] will be treated with respect and dignity.”

Let’s all wish them good luck and hope for the best.

 

U.S. STATISTICS From Feminist.com

Fact: 17.6 % of women in the United States have survived a completed or attempted rape. Of these, 21.6% were younger than age 12 when they were first raped, and 32.4% were between the ages of 12 and 17. (Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women, Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, November, 2000)

Fact: The FBI estimates that only 37% of all rapes are reported to the police. U.S. Justice Department statistics are even lower, with only 26% of all rapes or attempted rapes being reported to law enforcement officials.

Fact: The National College Women Sexual Victimization Study estimated that between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 college women experience completed or attempted rape during their college years (Fisher 2000).

Fact: Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) calculation based on 2000 National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice)

Fact: One out of every six American women have been the victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. (Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey, National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998)

Fact: Factoring in unreported rapes, about 5% – one out of twenty – of rapists will ever spend a day in jail. 19 out of 20 will walk free. (Probability statistics based on US Department of Justice Statistics)

Fact: Fewer than half (48%) of all rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police (DOJ 2001).

Fact: Sexual violence is associated with a host of short- and long-term problems, including physical injury and illness, psychological symptoms, economic costs, and death (National Research Council 1996).

Fact: Rape victims often experience anxiety, guilt, nervousness, phobias, substance abuse, sleep disturbances, depression, alienation, sexual dysfunction, and aggression. They often distrust others and replay the assault in their minds, and they are at increased risk of future victimization (DeLahunta 1997).

Fact: Sexual violence victims exhibit a variety of psychological symptoms that are similar to those of victims of other types of trauma, such as war and natural disaster (National Research Council 1996). A number of long-lasting symptoms and illnesses have been associated with sexual victimization including chronic pelvic pain; premenstrual syndrome; gastrointestinal disorders; and a variety of chronic pain disorders, including headache, back pain, and facial pain (Koss 1992).Between 4% and 30% of rape victims contract sexually transmitted diseases as a result of the victimization (Resnick 1997).

Celebrities Get Lippy For ActionAid

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JOANNA LUMLEY, KATHY BURKE, SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR, BEVERLEY KNIGHT, ANNIE MAC AND MIRANDA RICHARDSON GET LIPPY FOR ACTIONAID

Celebrities mark the 100th anniversary of INTERNATIONAL WOMENS’ DAY on MARCH 8th 2011 by letting rip on women’s rights for the launch of ActionAid’s GET LIPPY campaign.

Celebrated photographer Rankin and anti-poverty charity ActionAid have joined forces to highlight the inequalities faced by millions of women across the world.

Together they asked six high-profile women to be photographed in support of women in developing countries who are speaking up to claim their rights and improve their lives – to GET LIPPY for women living in poverty.

March 8th is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.

For millions, it is the time to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements women have made since the first International Women’s Day when people marched across Europe for a woman’s right to vote, work and hold public office.

For ActionAid, International Women’s Day is also a time to shine a spotlight on the struggles women face now in the developing world and to build solidarity to tackle the urgent challenges ahead. ActionAid campaigns for a world where women and men, girls and boys, have equally good chances in life, free from want and free from fear.

Getting Lippy…. ActionAid asked the celebrities to send a message of support to the millions of women in the developing world who are struggling everyday to improve their lives.

Since ActionAid believes that more unites women than divides them, the charity also asked the celebrities to say what they thought was the best and worst thing about being a woman today.

JOANNA LUMLEY said: “I have travelled in all kinds of countries so I know some of the terrible disadvantages women have been struggling under and continue to struggle under all across the world. I want them to know that we are going to help, we are there for you.”

On what the best and worst thing about being a woman is “It’s obvious what women are best at. Multi-tasking, we are genetically able to multi-task – men can’t do that. What’s worst? The way we have been discriminated against in all religions and in all societies throughout all time. It’s incredible to think it’s not even 100 years since women got the vote in this country – bad.”

The British public can also GET LIPPY and send their messages to: www.actionaid.org.uk/iwd

Facts and statistics
1. One in three women will experience violence at some point in their lives.
2. An estimated 5,000 women worldwide are murdered each year in what are referred to as ‘honour killings’.
3. At least three quarters of civilians killed in war are women and children.
4. In Afghanistan, 80 per cent of women experience domestic violence.
5. More than 200,000 cases of rape have been documented in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
6. Nearly half of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls under 15.
7. Over two out of three people living in extreme poverty are women.
8. Women make up 70% – 80% of the world’s poor, illiterate and refugee populations
9. Sexual and domestic violence persist, despite some major advances in legislation.
10. In many parts of the world women aren’t allowed to own property or keep money they earn.
11. More girls than boys are denied an education.
12. While we have some prominent women heads of state, men still have a monopoly on decision-making — from village councils to national government and disaster response committees — so policies tend to ignore women’s needs.

Save the Children Launch ‘No Child Born to Die’

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David Beckham mentioned Save the Children’s No Child Born to Die on his Facebook page, reaching over seven million people. Piers Morgan and Stephen Fry, Alexandra Burke and Emma Freud twittered about it. Simon Cowell has backed the campaign, so has Helena Bonham Carter. The UK’s biggest names in show business, sport and journalism lined up to back Save the Children’s new campaign today – No Child Born to Die – which aims to save millions of children’s lives.

At the launch event for Save the Children’s No Child Born to Die campaign this morning:

* Alexandra Burke revealed she was “Born to Believe” and told how she was so moved by her trip to Haiti with Save the Children in 2010, that: “It was really heartbreaking…it opened my eyes up to many things..seeing what was going in Haiti and how it can be stopped…even if you put in £1 or £10 , it can make a difference. ”

* Edith Bowman – whose passionate belief in the cause was sparked by speaking to mums and children in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo , told Save the Children she was “Born to Talk…but about serious issues.” She said: “It just seems a ridiculous the number of children to be losing their lives in this day and age.”

* Amanda Mealing – who was “Born to Perform” told the launch event in central London about a newborn baby in Bangladesh who had died of septicaemia because its umbilical cord had been cut with “a sharpened bamboo stick”. She added: “I know that if I forego my one takeaway coffee a day, and (donate the money), it can make a real difference.”

* Natasha Kaplinsky who visited the Delhi slums with Save the Children earlier this month to see our life-saving work said she was “Born to Love, Learn and eat Fudge”.

Quotes from other celebrities backing Save the Children’s campaign:

* Piers Morgan announced he was ‘Born to Irritate’
* Actress Brenda Blethyn was ‘Born to Sing’ but reveals she’s never got round it.
* England footballer, Frank Lampard, is ‘Born to Play Ball’.
* Hugh Dennis is ‘Born to see Life from a Funny Angle’
* TV Presenter Dr Hilary is ‘Born to tell bad medical jokes’
* TV presenter Sarah Beeney was ‘Born to Laugh’
* Spooks star Hermione Norris confesses to being ‘Born to eat sweets’.

* Dr Abhay Bang, whose pioneering community-based methods reduced child mortality by an astonishing three quarters in 39 villages in India told the launch that empowering village women was one of the keys to success: “If you open a window of knowledge, the skills are in her hands, the knowledge is in her head, the equipment is on her shoulder, and the compassion is in her heart, she literally becomes a mobile health clinic.”

* Justin Forsyth, Chief Executive of Save the Children, said at the launch event in central London :“It is shocking in this day and age that 4000 children a day are dying of something as simple as diarrhoea or pneumonia: what a senseless waste of young lives.” He added: “We know what works, the tragedy is that just when we are beginning to make progress we risk slowing down. Our rallying cry is No Child Born to Die. We can end this massive loss of life. That is why we need every family, up and down the country to get involved…In five year’s time, we want to look back on 2011 as a turning point in the battle against child deaths.”

To sign up and show your support for the campaign visit www.savethechildren.org.uk/bornto. There you will find more information about ‘No Child Born to Die’, ways to get involved and real life stories of hope. Or Text I WILL TO 64118 (standard rates apply).

Spotted! Kate Middleton at The Ebury with bridal mags. {Celebrity}

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Kate Middleton has become a regular customer at stylish Chelsea Brasserie, The Ebury, where she was recently spotted poring over a stack of magazines, which looked suspiciously like bridal ones. The restaurant is located a stone’s throw from where the procession will be leaving Buckingham Palace, so is the perfect setting for viewing the Royal nuptials.

WILLIAM AND KATE ROYAL WEDDING SET TO BE MORE POPULAR THAN CHARLES AND DIANA’S.

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National Express brings in extra staff to cope as half price Royal Wedding coach tickets go on sale.

Coach operator National Express is preparing for a huge surge in bookings of coach tickets to London following the announcement that Prince William and Kate Middleton are to marry on 29 April 2011, and are already booking out extra vehicles to meet demand.

The company is slashing 50% off the price of its advance tickets travelling to London from anywhere in the UK for travel between 27 April and 1 May 2011 and bookings are now being taken. National Express has already had hundreds of enquiries since the wedding date was announced, from travellers wanting to book tickets to get to London to enjoy the atmosphere and excitement of the royal wedding. They have had enquiries from as far a field as Mexico and has brought in extra staff to man phones and process ticket sales.

The move will be the biggest peak time fare reduction ever offered by National Express and MD Andrew Cleaves predicts it will be the company’s busiest ever period. Andrew comments: “For Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981 we transported over 8,000 people to the capital for the occasion but we expect to far exceed those numbers this time. The Easter Holiday is one of our busiest times of the year anyway and with the extra Bank Holiday more people than ever will making the most of the break.

“We have never cut our prices by this much before for a major event but it is such a significant national celebration, we want to help as many people get there as we can. We recently transported over 50,000 from around the country to Birmingham for the Pope’s recent visit and we expect this will be the next busiest event in the country.”

National Express experience an average 100% increase in coach ticket sales to London for major Royal events and sales can be up to 300% higher than average from key royal fan base locations such as Cheltenham and Cornwall.

While Kate will be arriving at the Abbey in her own royal coach, National Express coaches also cover a number of ‘regal’ locations around the UK including Royal Leamington Spa, Caernarfon, Queens Parade in Bloxwich, Princes Rd bus station in Wells, Kings Head in Chacewater and Royal Well Bus Station in Cheltenham.

The coaches carrying visitors to London for the festivities will arrive at Victoria coach station, which is on the royal wedding route and just a short walk to Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.

National Express (and its former companies) has been carrying people right into the heart of London by coach to enable them to celebrate every single Royal event that has taken place over the past 80 years including the Coronation, the Abdication, the Silver Jubilee, all the Royal Weddings, Trooping the Colour, Royal birthdays and Royal funerals.

National Express provide Britain’s only scheduled national coach network, serving more than 1,000 destinations with 19 million passenger journeys each year across the UK. National Express provide Britain’s only scheduled national coach network, serving more than 1,000 destinations with 18 million passenger journeys each year across the UK.

The discount is available in all National Express ticket outlets – at the National Express call centre (+44 (0) 8717 81 81 78) nationalexpress.com, over the counter at all National Express coach stations and nearly 1000 other ticket agents across the UK.

Oxfam + Maths Expert = Formula for a Happy Christmas!

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7,000 calories, three weeks off work, 15cm of snow and no more than 10 hours of shopping. These are four of the factors that make Christmas perfect according to Oxfam Unwrapped, the charity’s gift range, which has teamed up with maths expert Chris Green today to unveil its formula for a happy Christmas.

The full mathematical formula looks like this (click to enlarge):

Rick Lay, Oxfam Unwrapped campaign manager, said: “Christmas is the busiest time for Oxfam Unwrapped. Around 80% of the money we raise is given over the festive period, so we were really keen to find out what makes people happy at this time of year; what makes a perfect Christmas.

“It’s great to see that ultimately, happiness at Christmas comes down to quite simple things, such as enjoying time off work to spend with friends and family.”

Key ‘happiness factors’ include:

  • Number of calories consumed on Christmas Day (any more than 7,000 calories and you’ll be too stuffed to enjoy yourself)
  • Amount of time off work (just one day off boosts happiness by 70%, with three weeks being the optimum amount)
  • Centimetres of snow (15cm is ideal)
  • Family arguments (more than five and happiness levels plummet)
  • Number of hours spent trawling the shops for gifts (any more than 10 hours and shopping-induced stress sees happiness decline rapidly)
  • Miles driven to see friends and family (0 miles is ideal, with 500 miles generating a 40% reduction in happiness levels)
  • The number of gifts you receive has an impact on happiness (6 gifts gets you to optimum happiness levels), but….
  • ….most crucially, how many gifts you give (even giving just one present makes a huge difference to happiness levels, increasing Christmas enjoyment by 50%).

Chris Green, the mathematician who compiled the formula for Oxfam, adds:

“We conducted research into some of the key factors that people associate with Christmas and calculated optimum scores for each factor.”

What’s your score? For any like-minded boffins out there who want to work out the formula for themselves, this is what your scores mean:

< 50% Roll on January!
50 – 60% Frosty the snowman
61 – 70% Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
71 – 80% You’ll be rockin’ around the Christmas tree
> 80% You wish it could be Christmas every day

“The good news is that most factors that impact on Christmas happiness are well within our control. Also, despite a lot of people thinking that Christmas is overly materialistic these days, as the formula shows, these types of things aren’t that significant.

“Most people will score between 50 – 100%, any less than 50% and it’s a case of ‘roll on January’!”

Rick Lay adds: “With the act of giving gifts topping the happiness factors, we hope that it will make people realise that Christmas is a time they can make a real difference to the happiness of others. A gift from the Oxfam Unwrapped range will not only make friends and family smile more, it will change the lives of people living in poverty all over the world.  Surely that’s got to mean a happier Christmas all around.”

Tea, cake and friends are the key ingredients for a FestiviTea Party

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For a second year running The National Autistic Society (NAS), the UK’s leading charity for people affected by autism, are asking people to get together during the festive season and raise money for charity by throwing a FestiviTea Party.

FestiviTea Parties are a chance for friends, family and colleagues to get together during the festive period and share tea, cakes and laughs whilst raising money for the National Autistic Society. They can be held anywhere and at anytime, whether it’s at home, work or even the local community hall. You can make your FestiviTea Party as big or small as you like, and how you raise the money is also up to you. Guests can buy tickets, make a donation, or pay for the cakes and biscuits you bake!

Christmas can often be a stressful time for many families, however it is especially difficult for the half a million people affected by autism; they can often become confused and frightened by sudden changes of routine, unusual foods and new social activities. The NAS relies on donations in order to provide support and services for those affected by autism, and every penny raised really does make a difference.

Jane Asher, President of The National Autistic Society and famous for her cake baking said: “A FestiviTea Party is a great way to have fun and raise money for charity at the same time. I love baking cakes, especially at Christmas time, and if you have children it’s a great activity to get them involved in too. But don’t worry if you’re running out of time: you could always ask some friends to help out, or even pick up some ready-made supplies from the supermarket. Christmas is the perfect time to gather friends together and give something back to your community, and every penny raised from FestiviTea Parties will go towards helping the half a million people affected by autism in the UK.”

Autism is a serious, lifelong and disabling condition, but the right support at the right time can make an enormous difference to people’s lives.

All funds raised through FestiviTea parties will be used to support NAS services including Advocacy for Education service, Befriending scheme, Parent to Parent support service and help! programme.

· £20 – will mean we can provide specialist one-to-one befriending support for one person with autism or a member of their family for a month

· £50 – will mean ten more people getting the understanding and help they need through our telephone support

· £100 – will help pay for a full diagnosis of a child at our internationally respected and renowned NAS diagnostic and assessment centre

· £200 – will mean one more adult meeting others, doing things, going places and feeling less isolated for a year at a NAS social group

To find out how to organise your own FestiviTea Party, visit: www.festivitea.org.uk or order a pack by calling 0845 180 0426.