It’s been a tough year for so many in our communities and for those facing the added hardship of surviving the winter without a home or regular meal or help with mental and wellbeing issues, it’s going to be tougher still. So this year, as a business, together with other organisations in our group, we have decided to invest or corporate Christmas present fund in support for those charities and initiatives that provide vital help to the homeless in our communities, across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and which may have struggled to raise funds, because of the pandemic. This year, above all others, it felt more important and appropriate for us to offer practical and immediate assistance to our communities and those in greatest need.
Our Ampthill branch has chosen to support the Amicus Trust. The Amicus Trust provides support and accommodation for homeless individuals in Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Leicester. Providing individuals with complex needs with somewhere safe to live and the support to achieve a future free from homelessness.
Kellie Ormond, Marketing and Fundraising Manager at the Amicus Trust said: “Thank you so much for the donation of £500 to Amicus Trust, it is amazingly kind of your organisation to support the charity in this way, and we wanted to say how much it is appreciated.
“Amicus Trust supports 33 homeless adults in Luton and Dunstable, and a further 127 throughout the rest of Bedfordshire including veterans of the UK armed forces. The majority of service users have complex needs including relationship breakdown, early life trauma, mental health issues, PTSD and difficulty adjusting to life outside the forces – we provide accommodation and support to help individuals to get back on their feet, find employment and move onto their own home.
“Your donation is especially appreciated this year as the pandemic has further impacted on the mental health of many of our service users, your donation will go towards making Christmas a little brighter and provide a Christmas meal for the residents and essential items they may need.”
Our Ampthill branch is also collecting much needed supplies for the Amicus Trust and has set up a donation box for staff and local people to be able to contribute if they can.
They are looking for donations of the following items: hats, gloves, scarves, new pants and socks, tins of meat or fish or vegetables and new sealed toiletries and will accept items up until 14th December.
The boxes will be placed in the reception areas of each branch with safety and social distancing measures in place for those that want to drop in with donations.
If you would like to donate directly to this charity, further details can be found on the website: www.amicustrust.org