Charity

CWN is pleased to announce a new partnership with Haven House Children’s Hospice (“Haven House”), following a rigorous selection process to select its new Charity of the Year. Haven House becomes CWN’s new Charity of the Year for a two year period during 2018 - 2019.

Haven House aims to provide the highest quality holistic and palliative care services for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions (aged from birth to 19 years), along with their families, who live in the charity’s local communities across eleven London boroughs, West Essex and East Hertfordshire.

Since it was founded in 2003, Haven House has supported over 900 families through the most difficult circumstances, helping them at every stage of their child’s journey through a range of services, complementary therapies and counselling. In addition to crucial end-of-life care and support, Haven House provides holistic care, such as music therapy and physiotherapy, designed to improve the emotional and physical wellbeing of children, their parents and families during this difficult time in their lives.

“CWN, along with its members, looks forward to working in partnership with Haven House, and to contributing in a meaningful way towards the charity’s ‘Vision 2020’ initiative. This project aims to support 500 children and their families per annum at critical times of need through core respite, end-of-life and community service activities, teenage cancer and mothers and babies groups, by 2020.

“Vision 2020 in particular was a mission we were both humbled and inspired by, believing that our membership, representing a diverse range of professions, sectors and backgrounds, could lend support and guidance in a variety of ways. Both Haven House and CWN are celebrating key milestones in 2018, with CWN reaching its 40th anniversary while Haven House will celebrate 15 years of service. We look forward to a meaningful partnership at an auspicious time for our organisations,” said Sandy Lucas, President, CWN.

Pushpinder Gill, Director of Fundraising at Haven House, said, “We are delighted that City Women Network has chosen Haven House to be its charity partner through 2019. Not only will the partnership help with our plans to support more life-limited children and families in our area, but it will also help to raise the profile of our work in the City. We look forward to a successful partnership celebrating both of our organisations’ special milestones.”

Haven House Children’s Hospice

Haven House Children’s Hospice cares for babies, children and young people aged from birth to 19 years old with life-limiting conditions, and their families in our local communities across West Essex, East Hertfordshire and North and North East London. In the hospice children benefit from play activities as well as day and overnight stays. Through the Holistic Care Centre, children can access a range of therapies, including music therapy, physiotherapy and therapeutic yoga. Families can also take advantage of support groups for parents and siblings as well as complementary therapies designed to reduce stress and anxiety.

Contact

Kate Rosenthal, Corporate Partnerships Manager, 020 8505 9944

Scott Roberts, PR and Celebrity Manager, 020 8505 9944

 

CWN Charity of the Year

The CWN Board elects a not for profit UK-registered charity benefiting women or children, or both, living in the UK as a partner every two years. CWN focuses on charities with annual income of up to £5 million in the fields of education and training, health or social issues and poverty. Nominations are canvassed by CWN’s External Relations Committee starting in early October of the relevant year.

Our nominated charity receives support from CWN’s membership in various ways and is the sole beneficiary of all our fundraising initiatives and relevant member events, including the British 10K Run, our networking and social events.

To review the selection criteria for Charity of the Year please visit our website here or at www.citywomen.org

Contact

admin@citywomen.org

CWN Runs the British 10K

Once again a team of runners from CWN ran the British 10K around the City of London to raise funds for our Charity of the Year. The iconic race this year took runners down the Embankment and past the likes of Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey 

Working Chance, which CWN is supporting for the second year in 2017, is an award-winning recruitment charity supporting women leaving the criminal justice and care systems into jobs with mainstream employers.

The British 10K is one of CWN's regular fundraising events. Whilst none of our runners matched the fastest woman finisher at 33:36 minutes (!), all our valiant runners Sally Todd, Brenda Trenowden, Madelaine Verchere, Sarah Brakebill Burgess and Isabella Reggio each ran a great race to support such a worthy cause in Working Chance. 

CWN takes part in British 10K London Run

CWN once again took part in the annual British 10K London Run around Westminster on Sunday 11 July 2016 on behalf of our Charity of the Year, Working Chance. A team of five CWN runners, amongst a turnout of around 17,000 participants, completed the race, supported along the way by the CWN Charity Committee.

Working Chance, CWN’s member-nominated charity for 2016, helps female ex-offenders to find meaningful work and aims to break down the barriers they face in their pursuit of employment by changing attitudes amongst employers.

The CWN team aims to raise £4,000 as a result of this initiative to go towards our fundraising efforts on behalf of Working Chance in 2016.

Jocelyn Hillman founder of Working Chance awarded OBE

Jocelyn Hillman, founder and chief executive of Working Chance, CWN’s Charity of the Year for 2016, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2016. Jocelyn was recognised for services to the rehabilitation of women ex-offenders.

After running employability workshops in HMP Holloway, she was determined that the untapped potential of the women she met be recognised. In 2007, she founded Working Chance, a specialist recruitment consultancy for women ex-offenders, to help them get quality, paid work and become financially autonomous. 

The charity is now based in a busy office in north London. There, a skilled team of recruitment consultants, 40% of whom are ex-offenders themselves, help women get work and employers to break down barriers to diversity. 

Since 2007, Working Chance has helped place more than 1000 women into jobs so that they can become role models to their children and communities. Jocelyn Hillman said: “This is not only an honour, it is recognition of the hard work of all the staff at Working Chance, the talented women who have found jobs through us, and the many far-sighted employers for whom they now work. Helping women with convictions get jobs enables them to move across the social divide from lives of exclusion to lives of contribution.”

Nicki Fisher from Pret A Manger said: “We always know when one of the women we are interviewing is a Working Chance candidate, as they are well prepared and very professional. We are looking for future leaders and the women coming to us from Working Chance have the talent and skills to succeed.” 

Michelle (not her real name), a Working Chance candidate said: “Working Chance has transformed my life and my children’s lives. Now that I’ve got a job, I can support my family properly and pay my own way. I’ll always be grateful.”