NEWS RELEASE
Thousands of parents to benefit from Sainsbury's support of leading family support charity
Issued: 31 August 2005
For immediate use
Thousands of parents facing social isolation and struggling with disability, bereavement or illness will benefit from a new partnership between Sainsbury's and Home-Start, the UK's leading family support charity.
Sainsbury's will be raising money for Home-Start in 465 of its supermarkets across the UK for two weeks in September. It is aiming to raise more than £300,000 for the charity. It will also promote Home-Start to its 14 million customers who pass through the stores during the fortnight.
2.4 million families in the UK have children under five years old. Home-Start already has a powerful impact on the lives of 31,000 of them every year, thanks to its unique network of 11,000 trained volunteers who help parents with young children through regular, weekly visits at home.
Demand for Home-Start support has always been higher than the number of volunteers available. And the charity will now be able to reach out to even more of them thanks to the developing partnership with the retailer, and the launch of Home-Start's first fundraising fortnight.
The Sainsbury's/Home-Start campaign will run alongside Home-Start's own Big Tea Party fortnight - September 4th to 17th - when the charity's supporters will be holding hundreds of Big Tea Parties across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Supporters include Andrea Catherwood, ITV News Presenter, who organised her own Big Tea Party before her twin boys were born on 24th August.
"65% of the families that come to Home-Start say they feel socially or physically isolated," said Gary Bruce, charitable affairs manager at Sainsbury's. "We are raising money for the charity because its work mirrors our own desire to support families across the UK. We recognise the importance of parents' happiness and health on children's lives, and feel the best help is provided by local communities, for local communities."
"It would be simple for us to make a straight donation to the charity. But we want to help raise awareness of Home-Start's work across the UK. That is why we are raising their profile as well as raising money through our supermarkets. In some areas we are also linking up with the local Home-Start schemes to raise awareness even further.
"Home-Start already supports 1 in 80 of the nation's children through its network of 338 community-based schemes. It plans to expand until support is available in every local community in England. In Scotland it plans to double its assistance to families, and in Northern Ireland and Wales it also aims to increase the number of parents it supports. Sainsbury's wants to help this happen," Gary Bruce added.
Of the 31,000 families Home-Start supported last year:
ENDS
CASE STUDIES: strong case studies written in the first person by parents who have benefited from Home-Start's help are available alongside this release.
PHOTOGRAPHS: a) some case studies have agreed to photographs being taken.
b) Andrea Catherwood, ITN News Presenter held her own Big Tea Party before the birth of her twins. Photographs of this are also available.
Press offices:
Annie O'Brian, Press and PR Manager, Home-Start.
t: 0870 220 6712; e: aobrian@home-start.org.uk; m: 07917 392130
http://www.home-start.org.uk
Hannah Chance, Press Officer, Sainsbury's. tel: 0207 695 8260
e: Hannah.chance@sainsburys.co.uk
Sainsbury's and Home-Start - a developing relationship:
Sainsbury's and Home-Start have worked together for the last two years. In 2003 Home-Start recognised that many parents needed guidance giving their under-fives a healthy and balanced diet. Sainsbury's were able to provide expertise and support for a project that helped the charity's volunteers give cooking and dietary advice to families. In 2005 we are building on this success and Sainsbury's is delighted to be supporting Home-Start's Big Tea Party Campaign and to be raising funds and awareness in stores this September.
For immediate use
Thousands of parents facing social isolation and struggling with disability, bereavement or illness will benefit from a new partnership between Sainsbury's and Home-Start, the UK's leading family support charity.
Sainsbury's will be raising money for Home-Start in 465 of its supermarkets across the UK for two weeks in September. It is aiming to raise more than £300,000 for the charity. It will also promote Home-Start to its 14 million customers who pass through the stores during the fortnight.
2.4 million families in the UK have children under five years old. Home-Start already has a powerful impact on the lives of 31,000 of them every year, thanks to its unique network of 11,000 trained volunteers who help parents with young children through regular, weekly visits at home.
Demand for Home-Start support has always been higher than the number of volunteers available. And the charity will now be able to reach out to even more of them thanks to the developing partnership with the retailer, and the launch of Home-Start's first fundraising fortnight.
The Sainsbury's/Home-Start campaign will run alongside Home-Start's own Big Tea Party fortnight - September 4th to 17th - when the charity's supporters will be holding hundreds of Big Tea Parties across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Supporters include Andrea Catherwood, ITV News Presenter, who organised her own Big Tea Party before her twin boys were born on 24th August.
"65% of the families that come to Home-Start say they feel socially or physically isolated," said Gary Bruce, charitable affairs manager at Sainsbury's. "We are raising money for the charity because its work mirrors our own desire to support families across the UK. We recognise the importance of parents' happiness and health on children's lives, and feel the best help is provided by local communities, for local communities."
"It would be simple for us to make a straight donation to the charity. But we want to help raise awareness of Home-Start's work across the UK. That is why we are raising their profile as well as raising money through our supermarkets. In some areas we are also linking up with the local Home-Start schemes to raise awareness even further.
"Home-Start already supports 1 in 80 of the nation's children through its network of 338 community-based schemes. It plans to expand until support is available in every local community in England. In Scotland it plans to double its assistance to families, and in Northern Ireland and Wales it also aims to increase the number of parents it supports. Sainsbury's wants to help this happen," Gary Bruce added.
Of the 31,000 families Home-Start supported last year:
- 10,400 are headed by single parents
- 65% feel socially or physically isolated
- more than 2,500 children are on Child Protection Registers (and 822 were taken off these registers during Home-Start support)
- more than 2,500 of the children are registered disabled
- more than 1,800 parents are registered disabled
ENDS
CASE STUDIES: strong case studies written in the first person by parents who have benefited from Home-Start's help are available alongside this release.
PHOTOGRAPHS: a) some case studies have agreed to photographs being taken.
b) Andrea Catherwood, ITN News Presenter held her own Big Tea Party before the birth of her twins. Photographs of this are also available.
Press offices:
Annie O'Brian, Press and PR Manager, Home-Start.
t: 0870 220 6712; e: aobrian@home-start.org.uk; m: 07917 392130
http://www.home-start.org.uk
Hannah Chance, Press Officer, Sainsbury's. tel: 0207 695 8260
e: Hannah.chance@sainsburys.co.uk
Sainsbury's and Home-Start - a developing relationship:
Sainsbury's and Home-Start have worked together for the last two years. In 2003 Home-Start recognised that many parents needed guidance giving their under-fives a healthy and balanced diet. Sainsbury's were able to provide expertise and support for a project that helped the charity's volunteers give cooking and dietary advice to families. In 2005 we are building on this success and Sainsbury's is delighted to be supporting Home-Start's Big Tea Party Campaign and to be raising funds and awareness in stores this September.
