Recent updates
The latest news from our projects
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Anyone who ordered merch
An update for The Man Down Programme
May 4 2020
Hello all,
Firstly thank you so much for your patience. Sadly Covid-19 has affected our printing BUT the good news is we are about to put the orders through! It may take a couple of weeks for the hoodies/tees + plus I have to pack them up, and send them.
Pin badges will take one month to arrive then I will pack them and send them.
Hats - 3-4 weeks from today plus postage and packaging time.
This platform does not allow for sizes or colours (!) so can I please ask that anyone who has not given me their size/colour contact me on the email address below ASAP.
Can I ask that you all email me with your postal addresses as well please.
please email me directly: ladygemlo@protonmail.com
size, colour, postal address and correct name for postage.
Only I will see this.
Best wishes and once again, thank you for your support and your patience.
Gemma
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THE LAST 24 HOURS
An update for Help Save Trattoria Domenico Italian Restaurant
May 1 2020
I cant thank you all enough for the support given to us in the last 24Hours!
We wen't live yesturday around 6pm and since then we have raised £3022 .
I Personally want to thank our local MP Barry Sheerman and these wonderful people, Barry & Kay from crowed funding who have helped me and are still guiding me through this tense journey.
This is incredible guys and me and everyone at Trattoria Domenico are so overwhelmed by this and I'm so happy to see so many supporters in the last 24hours !
We miss you all and were sending our family love to you all .
I went to send a special Thank You to our very first supporters for getting us going,
Chez & Rich
T.Jones
Kay Klugn
Prohold
Spammiek
Bekahduce
Derek
TRATTORIA Love's You all and of course Giuseppe cant wait for your return
x x x
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MEGA THANKYOUS
An update for Community Care Package
Apr 16 2020
The service is up and running and sending out 300-400 boxes a week.
we have been innundated with offers of help.
we are one of a number of groups popping up in our area to help folks at this time.
This crisis is really hitting some people hard. If you can help please do .
we've been getting some really lovely messages that highlight the need for us all to keep pushing on.
I am heavily pregnant plus we have a high-risk child in the household so if possible it is best to leave box on doorstep. Thank you so much, this is such a help and I am hoping to make a donation asap. X
I have lost the persons number, they don't know the box is coming, but they need it. The person is ill in despite of the virus and doesn't get out much, Thank you Pluff family
I'm unsure if you can deliver to my sister as she is in Kingswood, but she is a single mum, who has asthma, with 2 young children. They are on Universal Credit and struggling at the moment. Usually myself and our Grandma help them out often buying food, gas and electricity for them, but we are unable to visit them during lockdown and cannot get an online delivery for another 3 weeks at least. If you are able to deliver them a fruit/veg box it would be very appreciated. Thanks for everything you are doing to help our community in Bristol x
Just to say this will be a life saver and is much appreciated as I can't go out of at least 12 wks.
J. has a 12 year old son who has severe autism and Jason cant leave him alone. This has made it impossible to shop and online shopping is not working. Needs urgent food help to get him by till he finds more support .
Ordering on behalf of my girlfriend as she works alot is struggling with finances and is unable to shop due to being a key worker in current times.
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Feed the Homeless Bristol Crowdfunding update
An update for Emergency fund for the Homeless with Give a Sh#t Xmas
Apr 10 2020
We thought you would like an update on how your donations are being spent and how the ever changing situation is developing.
On 29th March Feed the Homeless decided the walk that evening would be the last for now and that we would focus on the 200+ people that had been taken off the streets and placed in accommodation by providing them with packs of essential items.
However, since then we have found in excess of 130 people who are still sleeping rough on the streets. We believe there are many reasons for this including sofa surfers who can no longer ‘surf’ and ‘employees’ who had accommodation with their job, but the job no longer exists.
These people are very vulnerable and whilst every effort is being made to accommodate them, they presently need food urgently.
Therefore, we are currently working together with organisations such as Caring in Bristol, Roots, Bosh, St Mungo’s & the Methodist Circuit to provide support for this group with food and other help. We will be distributing at 8pm in Champion Square with the aim of covering 7 nights a week whilst we are needed. The service is for the rough sleepers only.
We will of course be strictly adhering to all present safety guidance and ensuring social distancing is observed at all times.
It is so important that we can continue this work and therefore we are keeping the Crowdfunding campaign running to help us fund everything we do.
You have been more than generous in helping us with this but if you could spread the word far and wide that we still need funds we would be very grateful.
.
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Your Upfest crowd-funding pledge: Action Required.
An update for Upfest 2020
Mar 31 2020
Dear Upfest Supporters,
We’re exceedingly grateful to everyone that has supported our crowding so far indeed we can’t hold the festival without you.
It has been apparent for many weeks that it would be impossible to host a safe festival for our artists , visitors and volunteers at the end of May, we are working with Bristol City Council on rescheduling the festival which we hope to do at the end of the summer.
Given the situation we will be changing the type of crowdfunding we’re operating from a must hit target of £25,000 by the 5th of April to an ongoing target of £25,000 in order to still raise funds for a future festival and ultimately raise this money to keep us in a position where we can host another festival in the future.
As someone who has pledged, we are now giving you three options:
- Confirm your pledge and we'll take the amount pledged in the next 14 days from the card details you’ve provided. If you agree to this, we will then make arrangements for you to receive your reward as soon as possible. Please note some rewards such as street art tour and artist murals will be postponed until it is safe to operate these activities, we'll keep you updated when these are re-arranged.
- Suspend your pledge and we’ll get in touch once we have a new date for the festival and check again if you’d still be able to support the Upfest, at which stage your reward would then be fulfilled.
- Cancel your pledge.
Thanks once again for everyone’s support and given time we hope to see you at our next festival!
Please email artists@upfest.co.uk as soon as possible with what action (1, 2 or 3) you would like to take with your current pledge.
Stay safe and keep looking after each other,
Steve, Emma & the crew.
View postponement details HERE
(Photo by Paul Box, Artwork: We Are Family by Oli-T)
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For anyone who has ordered merchandise....
An update for The Man Down Programme
Mar 30 2020
Dear all,
I really hope that you are all keeping well in this most unsettling of times.
We wanted to update you on our position - some of you have donated and bought our merch (THANK YOU)... However I am sure it will come as no surprise that the printing and creation of our merchandise is temporarily on hold.
When we set up MDP we wanted to support local businesses and order through independant printers/merchandise companies. Since these are not deemed 'essential' businesses they are now closed and facing the worries of how they will cope as small businesses in the wake of the pandemic.
It would mean a lot to us to ensure that we stick with the companies we are working with so that they have some guaranteed money once this situation has changed.
With that it means that our supporters will have to be ok with this, and though you have been incredibly patient so far we are are asking that you hold on a little longer to get your tees/sweatshirts/caps/badges etc.
None of us know how long this will last but we are all in it together and our community is one of love, compassion and support.
Without these family run independant businesses we wouldn't have such a great team!
We hope you understand. Any problems please message me.
Big love
Gemma MDP
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Feed the Homeless/Give a Sh#t Xmas Crowdfunding Campaign update #2
An update for Emergency fund for the Homeless with Give a Sh#t Xmas
Mar 28 2020
Hi to all backers
We just wanted to give you another quick update on the Feed the Homeless crowdfunding campaign that you have so generously contributed to.
The response we have had so far has been overwhelming and we are already closing in on our initial target of £5000 which of course is fabulous.
Therefore we have taken the decision to raise our target to £7500 which at the present rate of progress we feel that is easily reachable.
With the help of Bristol City Council and other Bristol based homelessness charities, we have managed to move the majority of the homeless off the streets and into hotels which obviously is a vital step forward. The charity Caring in Bristol are provided all those accommodated with 3 hot meals a day whilst Feed the Homeless are providing all other essential items such as snacks, hot drinks, toiletries and basic clothing.
All of the money raised by this campaign is being used to pay for those essential items. And as I am sure you will appreciate, because there is no indication how long the Coronavirus lock down will last, we have no idea how much money we will need to raise thus our continuing campaign.
But once again thank you for supporting this campaign, it is truly, truly appreciated. We have produced a brand new video which explains everything. If you could share the url below far and wide we would be very grateful.
There is also a share link on our Fundsurfer page here - https://bit.ly/fth-2020
Many thanks once again and keep an eye out for future updates
Regards
The Feed the Homeless team
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Update #1 - Success.... But there's more to do!
An update for Who will get the Bailout. The Banks or the People?
Mar 28 2020
Hey!
Thank you so much to everyone who shared or contributed - we already crossed the line!
PLUS we will be doing more - much more! So please do keep sharing and ask friends to contribute.
The banks don't sit idly by but see a crisis like this as an opportunity - and it's up to us to object, or they will just carry on.
The first cartoon was published today here - with this article. Hope you like it!
More soon!
Barry & the Team
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Update
An update for Emergency fund for the Homeless with Give a Sh#t Xmas
Mar 27 2020
Here’s an update on what’s going on with our homeless/rough sleeping population in Bristol.
The council have taken over a number of hotels, youth hostels and b&bs, which they are moving everyone on the streets into so they can isolate. Most people have now been housed.
If you see anyone out you can check with them whether they’ve been housed. If not direct them to the council offices at 100 Temple Street during office hours. They are housing everyone regardless of their refugee status or connection to the city. Out of office hours still use Streetlink on 0300 500 0914.
A portion of the shelters are closed but the soup kitchens are mainly still running. We’ll be out with Feed The Homeless tonight and Sunday helping manage the queues and providing Sleep Pods for anyone that hasn’t or can’t be housed for what ever reason. We’ll be sticking to one spot in Champion Square where the police have authorised their soup kitchen.
The amazing Shada Nasrullah created an ingenious system to social distance in the queue last week using orange buckets, pics below. It took a little while for everyone to get it but then worked a charm! Molly Mishi May is providing hand made masks for our volunteers.
As we’re now not putting people in youth hostels ourselves the money raised for that is now going to put together welcome packs for the guys as they move into the hotels to isolate. The first ones, made yesterday, are a weeks food. More of these are being made today, 150 in total. Also clothes and toiletries packs being made up today and tomorrow. Thanks for your help Louis Straker, Jess and Joe yesterday.
We already spent 3 times what has so far been given on the fund raiser for accommodation and now supplies, so if you can give any more it would massively help! Please give here:
https://www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/emergency-fund-for-the-homeless-with-give-a-sht-xmas
While I’m here a massive big up to Bristol Wings youth hostel who were so helpful and friendly when we were housing people, and have now given the whole hostel over to the temporary housing project. Support them if you can when we’ve got through this. (Some of the other hostels were less helpful...)
It’s amazing to have everyone off the streets, which comes as a bit of a silver lining to the dark corona cloud. So much other amazing examples of communities working together too, not least all the homeless charities working together more than ever. Try and stay positive everyone, we’ll get through this and maybe come out a better society as a result... ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Covid-19 Impact
An update for The Man Down Programme
Mar 17 2020
Dear all
With the uncertainty of the national government response to the coronavirus outbreak we must let you know that this has directly impacted our work.
It is having a huge impact on the demographic of people we are working with. And as such our London interviews are being rescheduled.
Secondly - lots of fundraising and some sponsorship has been lost due to cancellation of event which means we are significantly underfunded.
The MDP team would like you to know that we support every decision that is made in the interest of public safety. Though WE as a project have lost money our priority is to help and support the artists and self employed music industry colleagues who will face financial hardship.
We wanted to be transparent about our position as this will inevitably delay some of our work and completion of the film.
Our priority is keeping the masses safe and well.
MDP team ❤️