This month’s winner of Shanly Group’s monthly charity prize draw is Trine Oestergaard Stafford, the managing director of House of Fisher, a Sorbon Estates tenant. House of Fisher nominated No5 Young People and Berkshire Women’s Aid (BWA) as the recipients of the donation.
House of Fisher is the biggest provider of serviced apartments and aparthotels in the Thames Valley area, with a presence in 11 locations across the region and a portfolio of 200 apartments.
Berkshire Women’s Aid (BWA) has been the local specialist domestic abuse service since 1975, when it opened its first refuge in Reading. The charity provides a wide range of services and programmes to deal with the immediate needs of domestic abuse victims and their children, helping break the cycle of abuse and trying to prevent it from damaging lives. The organisation supports over 8,000 survivors each year.
No5 Young People is a charity which provides mental health support to young people between the age of 11 and 25 through free, confidential professional counselling and outreach, operating in the ‘RG’ postcode area. It was set up 50 years ago by a group of teachers and social workers to offer young people an additional support system. No5 Young People provides a range of preventative work to help young people, including those at risk of permanent exclusion from school due to behavioural problems. Over the past year, No5 Young People has supported 1,800 young people and their families.
Tamra Booth, Operations Director at the Shanly Group, said: “We are delighted that our tenant, House of Fisher, has decided to help two local charities championing two extremely worthwhile causes. We are committed to supporting good causes, particularly in the areas in which we operate.”
Trine Oestergaard Stafford, managing director of House of Fisher, said:”Berkshire Women’s aid helped one of our staff members when they were going through a particularly difficult time. Having seen how much they did for our colleague, we wanted to give something back and enable them to continue providing their vital services. No5 Young People is also a great charity, helping young people with mental health difficulties. Our company hires a lot of young people and some apprentices, so ensuring these people have access to support services was an important consideration for us.”
Carly Newman, operations and relationship officer at No5 Young People, said:”We’re very grateful for this donation, which will help us host our annual performing arts concert. As performing arts are being cut from the school curriculums, we want to be able to continue offering young people an opportunity to use the arts as a means of coping with anxiety and building confidence.”
Andrea West, CEO of Berkshire Women’s Aid, said:”We would like to say a massive thank you to the Shanly Group and House of Fisher. Their donation will help provide children living in refuges with emotional support and help them adjust to these temporary arrangements in the best way possible.”