News Releases
Home-Start launches its 'Kisses for Kids' fundraising appeal
BIDDNG CLOSES AT AROUND 8PM/20:00GMT ON MONDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2012
BID ON YOUR FAVOURITE CELEBRTIY KISS HERE
Exclusive pendants are available from:
- Charlie Brooks
- Gaby Roslin
- Holly Willoughby
- Jo Joyner
- John Partridge
- Judy Finnigan
- Max Brown
- Patsy Kensit
- Preeya Kalidas
- Rachel Bright
- Richard Madeley
- Marc Elliott
- Twiggy
ISSUED: 17th January 2012
Twiggy, Holly Willoughby and Patsy Kensit are amongst the latest celebrities to pucker up for Home-Start’s ‘Kisses for Kids’ appeal.
Home-Start UK, the country’s leading family support charity has teamed up with Smallprint® the original silver keepsake company to design a range of exclusive celebrity kiss pendants.
Perfectly timed for Valentines Day all pendants will be auctioned on eBay and each winning bidder will receive their one- off celebrity pendant in good time to be given or received as a Valentines gift. Not only will the recipient get a kiss from their favourite celebrity as a piece of jewellery, but as proof of authenticity they will also receive the original kiss print, signed by the celebrity.
The ‘Kisses for Kids’ fundraising appeal will raise much-needed funds for Home-Start UK, the national organisation that oversees the running of 327 local Home-Starts across the UK.
Bidding for Home-Start’s ‘Kisses for Kids’ appeal will start on Friday 27th January and ends on Monday 6th February. To view the pendants and bid for your favourite, log on to www.home-start.org.uk/kissesforkids
Home-Start’s unique approach is to recruit and train parent volunteers to support struggling families in their own homes. This can be for any reason including domestic abuse, multiple births, isolation, depression, bereavement and mental health. Last year Home-Start supported almost 77,000 children and their families.
Life is very difficult for many young families at the minute, and Home-Start is seeing an increase in families coming forward for support with more complex needs such as financial pressures, housing difficulties and relationship breakdown. But Home-Start can help, and in difficult times, make fragile families strong again. In the last year, almost a thousand children have been removed from a child protection plan where Home-Start was supporting the family.
Television personalities Richard and Judy, Spooks actor Max Brown, radio presenter Gaby Roslin, actress Jo Joyner and Eastenders love rivals Christian, Amira, and Syed (John Partridge) (Preeya Kalidas) (Marc Elliott) and Charlie Brooks are among other celebrities who are backing the appeal.
Max said: “I grew up with Home-Start, as my mum works for the charity. So I’ve seen first hand the difference their volunteers make to families who are finding life hard. The 'Kisses for Kids' pendants are such an original idea by Home-Start. I hope my ‘Kisses for Kids’ pendant will raise enough money to help change a child’s life.”
Sue Peake- Redhead, corporate fundraising manager for Home-Start UK said: “When I saw how popular Smallprint’s personalized jewellery was becoming, asking them to get on board as a partner seemed like a great opportunity. Something as simple and quirky as asking celebrities for a kiss print seemed like a brilliant new way to raise funds for Home-Start. I am delighted with the response so far, and I’m confident that even more celebs will get on board before Valentines Day. All you need to do to buy one of our exclusive pendants is log on to www.home-start.org.uk/kissesforkids.”
Maija Pykett, Founder and Creative Director of Smallprint, said:
“We are thrilled to be playing such a crucial part in Home-Start’s ‘Kisses for Kids’ campaign. The nature of Smallprint as a family orientated brand means that we have a history of supporting charities for children, particularly home-grown ones like Home-Start. All of our jewellers deal with many different families on a daily basis, so helping to provide support to those who are struggling is a cause that is very close to our hearts.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor
Home-Start
Home-Start is the UK’s leading family support charity. We recruit and train volunteers to support parents, in their own homes, with at least one child under the age of five. Our home visiting work is unique in the UK. The charity was set up in 1973 and now has 327 Home-Starts supporting nearly 36,000 families and almost 77,000 children each year. Almost 17,000 volunteers visit families in their own homes – parents supporting other parents in a variety of situations including isolation, bereavement, multiple births, illness or disability.
Smallprint
Set up in October 2004, Smallprint creates beautiful jewellery that captures a child's fingerprint forever in pure, polished silver.
Smallprint was the first company in the UK to specialise in the creation of silver fingerprint jewellery and keepsakes.
Smallprint jewellery is made from a product called Precious Metal Clay (PMC), which allows babies' fingerprints to be taken straight onto a piece of jewellery. This means that each piece of fingerprint jewellery has actually been touched by someone you love.
Smallprint has 70 franchisees in the UK and 65 franchisees in other countries around the world
Love Cosmetics Ltd
Love Cosmetics, an online discount cosmetics retailer kindly donated all lipsticks as part of the kits that enabled the celebrities to donate their kisses for this appeal. www.lovecosmetics.com
Press contacts-
Jo McLeish, press and PR Officer, Home-Start UK, tel: 0116 2587933,
e: jmcleish@home-start.org.uk
w: www.home-start.org.uk
Claire Latham, PR/communications, Smallprint (Franchising) Ltd, tel. 0121 704 9006,
e: claire.latham@smallp.co.uk
w: www.smallprint.com
