A youth charity has raised tens of thousands of pounds through its Christmas campaign.
Motiv8, a charity which supports young people from across the region aged from nine to 19 years old, took part in Big Give’s annual Christmas fundraising challenge.
The Christmas Challenge doubles the difference of the public’s donations, which are matched by Big Give’s ‘Champion’ partners, i.e. philanthropists, foundations and companies.
The challenge ran from Tuesday, November 28 until Tuesday, December 5.
Last year Motiv8, which provides safe spaces and development hubs for young people, raised £8,000.
This year it set out to raise twice as much with a target of £16,000, however in the first 24 hours alone, the charity raised a whopping £23,000.
By the end of the seven-day campaign, Motiv8 had received more than £27,000 of donations.
The funds, which were generously matched by Monday Charitable Trust, will be used towards the several hubs the charity runs throughout the Portsmouth area, as well as other essential services for young people, such as providing meals and essential education equipment.
Currently, around £26,000 supports the provision of a regular, weekly, evening youth hub offered for 40-60 young people who are struggling to engage in education, have been excluded or are persistently absent from school.
This is delivered alongside a 12-week targeted education/skills enhancement programme which provides additional tailored support.
The charity’s chief executive, Clare Ansell said: ‘We were over the moon to have exceeded our target of £16,000, especially in just the first few hours of the campaign being live. This money will make such a difference to our young people and will allow us to continue the work we put in to change lives.
‘However, we see first hand how the cost-of-living crisis is continuing to affect people across Portsmouth with our service referrals up 48% this year. This shows no immediate signs of slowing and means we need to work harder than ever to ensure that all young people whose families are struggling to make ends meet can receive the support that they need. Without the continuing generosity of our supporters this would not be possible so we’re hugely grateful.’
This year was the 14th year that the Big Give Christmas Challenge has gone ahead.
Launched by Sir Alec Reed, founder of Reed Recruitment in 2008, Big Give has raised more than £240 million for thousands of charities.
This year it raised a record of £33 million for 1,077 charities in just one week.
Individuals, groups, and businesses can donate to Motiv8 any time, either via text, post, online or through its Community Lottery.For more information, go to Motiv8’s website
Motiv8 works with young people, aged 9-19 years old, and up to the age of 25 for young people living with learning difficulties and disabilities. It provides safe spaces, with trusted adults, to help young people and families develop skills, tools and resilience to overcome challenges.
Each young person and family’s situation is unique and may require a different type or length of support. Motiv8’s approach provides flexibility and allows young people and families the opportunity to remain engaged and access ongoing support. They may return to sharpen their skills, if required, as Motiv8 recognises there may be further setbacks on their life journey.
