WIREDGOV

Yesterday (28 April 2015) staff at Ordnance Survey presented Southampton Women’s Aid with a £11,548.78 donation, after 12 months of fundraising activities.

Ordnance Survey started a fundraising campaign in April 2014 and over the last year staff have been engaged in a wide range of fundraising activities, running challenges, a charity football tournament, a lunch-time quiz, charity auctions, Christmas Fayre, a Gala Concert featuring Ordnance Survey’s workplace choir, ‘Off the Scale’, film screenings and the ever popular cake sale.

Sonia Cottrell, Chair of Southampton Women’s Aid said: “In this time of austerity and financial hardship for many people a small charity like Southampton Women’s Aid struggles to get funding to continue with all our projects. It is absolutely vital for our survival that there are companies, and people, like Ordnance Survey who so generously raise funds for us and the amount raised is absolutely staggering and we are so, so grateful.”

The money will be used by the charities CYP project which helps children and young people aged 11 – 21 who are or have experienced domestic violence in their families or in their own intimate relationships. The charity help them with a course of one to one sessions tailored to their individual needs and also by going into schools and teaching about healthy relationships, which is vital as violence within teenage relationships is growing at an alarming rate and is something society needs to address.

Money will also pay for the charity to run another pattern changing course for women who have been affected by domestic violence. These courses teach women about healthy relationships and hopefully equip them with the confidence and knowledge to avoid further abusive relationships.

For the next 12 months Ordnance Survey will be supporting Holding Little Hands, part of Southampton Hospital Charity – www.holdinglittlehands.org