Recent updates
The latest news from our projects
-
One week to go, Upfest 2022 Crowdfunding
An update for UPFEST 2018
Apr 4 2022
Hey everyone,
Have you seen our 2022 crowd-funding is underway for our returning festival this may? Huge thanks for your support in previous years, you can pledge, support and be rewarded HERE. Whilst we've got a mountain to climb in just under a week to achieve this essential funding for this years event we know with your help we can do it!
We understand if you can't support the festival by pledging this year, but if you could share the crowd-funding page on your social's (link below) that would be absolutely amazing.
We've some amazing rewards once again, including the hot of the press Upfest IV Book which you can either get one of the main edition, or one of 80 which have been hand painted artworks hidden inside a framed book featuring artists such as My Dog Sighs, Curtis Hylton, Snub23, Guy Denning, Sian Storey, Andy Council, Caryn Koh, Farrah & Bex Glover to name but a few. Check the rewards out HERE and help us bring Upfest back with a bang...
big UP
The Upfest Crew
-
Amazing Press release from OggaDoon about our work!
An update for Funding Ukrainian Emergency Aid & Supplies
Mar 4 2022
Notes to editors:
For all press enquiries and to arrange an interview, please contact Nicola Finn, OggaDoon PR and Digital Media on 07779245709 or email nicola@oggadoon.co.uk
Press release – Presidium Network
Date: 3rd March 2022
Heroes don’t wear capes; they help those in crisis. The Presidium Network are once again looking to help those going through a humanitarian crisis
- The Presidium Network is a UK non-profit CIC that operate tirelessly behind the scenes to help those currently embroiled in a humanitarian crisis.
- The Presidium Network are verified sources available for comment on the latest situation on the ground to help get aid in the correct hands quickly, combat fraud and also false news.
- Set up to help deal with complex challenges during Afghanistan, it is now gearing up to help the people of Ukraine in their efforts to protect their country and their people.
- The Presidium Network want to discourage those who plan on using the crisis in Ukraine to their advantage and keep the lines of communication and compassion open to all.
The professionals that helped to make this possible have worked in the finance and humanitarian sector collectively for over 40 years, the masterminds are:
- Scott Richards, the founder of the Joint Test Force for Anti-Corruption.
- Kristina Touzenis, Former Head of International Migration Law at the International Organisation of Migration.
- Dominik Byrne, Fundsurfer and Trillion Impact – Infrastructure investment specialist in developing countries and over 10 years in humanitarian infrastructure deployment.
- Oliver Mochizuki, CEO of Fundsurfer and Trillion Impact.
These are the men and women who are dedicating themselves to helping the people of Ukraine the same way they helped those struggling with the conflict in Afghanistan. But the Presidium network has also partnered with 3 other international organisations who helped with the efforts in Afghanistan and other crisis zones. This has created a coalition called the Joint Humanitarian Operations Centre. This coalition aims to work with local NGOs private organisations and individuals in crisis zones to help create efficient logistic supply chains, as well as have locals run the operations.
The companies are:
- Smart SBC is a Swedish organisation that specialises in humanitarian logistics and technology as well as long term infrastructure. They have deployed in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Africa.
- Ospreys Global, is an organisation from the US that specialises in humanitarian medical supplies and logistics.
- Shoulder2Shoulder, again based in the US, is a charity that supports evacuations from crisis points.
Each of these companies has 2 representatives that make up the Joint Humanitarian Operations Centre (JHOC). The support that JHOC offers is second to none and includes finding food, water, and medicine, they can also provide evacuation support including transportation, emergency infrastructure technology (water systems) and intelligence analysis reports. It’s key to point out that the organisation is not a short-term support scheme but a long-term development team that can support a country even after the crisis has ended. The JHOC’s logistic model is designed to be a helping hand when it comes to humanitarian aid, they can assist evacuation efforts, can buy, and deploy humanitarian aid anywhere in the world and have a strict financial policy run by Fundsurfer. This is overseen by the JHOC advisory board to make sure everything is legitimate. Most of the money that is spent goes on buying and distributing resources to the crisis zones
JHOC currently has 2 active projects at the moment, Afghanistan where wither is a dedicated local team delivering aid and helping keep those under direct threat alive through the use of safe houses and even with the ongoing issues involving trade and such, there is a registered organisation in Afghanistan itself that has licences to operate and import good into the country, one of only a few due to recent events. Between the JHOC organisations collectively they have helped support 26,000 people stay alive and over 2000 people have been evacuated due to the support of the JHOC including vulnerable women and children and government officials.
In Afghanistan, there are over 7000 more people who are yet to be evacuated and millions more who are starving or sick, so being able to get those people help is a crucial part of their goal. Vaccination centres are now active and supporting the people of Afghanistan. When it is safe to do so the organisation will send in one of the international teams that can help with the operations scalability. Because of the handling of Afghanistan JHOC now has the capacity to work with other crisis zones, more specifically Ukraine which is now fully operational!
With the ongoing humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in Ukraine, the JHOC has successfully set up a trusted local network of volunteers to handle local operations in Ukraine which was curated from previous contacts of the team. Alongside this, they have also got a team of drivers ready to help with the evacuation process. Part of the resources that have been procured are 2 warehouses, one in Ukraine and the other is located in Poland. Up to 20 lorries have been acquired to support the efforts to provide humanitarian aid and carry the resources from the border into Ukraine to then be stored and distributed if and when it is needed through the network as far as Eastern Ukraine. The network has also got 3 trusted Ukrainian NGOs that will be helping supply aid to the front line and other areas that need assistance.
Volunteers from Poland have also come forward, helping carry out humanitarian aid over the border and assisting in the evacuation of the Ukrainian people over to Poland. Through our network of drivers in Ukraine, 40 people have already been relocated safely out of Kyiv, mostly women and children, and more buses and trains have also made it to safety. Currently, any goods that have been donated to the Ukraine via the Polish border are being picked up by the JHOC logistics team to take deeper into Ukraine for those unlucky enough to be unable to escape
Resources for the people of Ukraine and Afghanistan are still needed and fast. There are 2 dedicated and verified fundraising pages dedicated to helping raise funds for those in need
If you want to help the families who have been affected by the ongoing conflict, you can donate here:
Afghanistan: https://www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/afghansupport
Ukraine: https://www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/UkrainianAid
Once the funding increases, JHOC will deploy at least two of their teams into Ukraine to manage the base and coordinate from inside Ukraine. Using these 2 links can help get money and resources into both countries and be used on frontline support. UHOC do offline fundraising for any management or costs outside the crisis zone.
**ENDS**
Notes to editors:
For all press enquiries and to arrange an interview, please contact Nicola Finn, OggaDoon PR and Digital Media on 07779245709 or email nicola@oggadoon.co.uk
Presidium Network
The Presidium Network is a UK non-profit that provides support to communities in crisis to manage humanitarian issues and represent the needs of people affected by violence or poverty to international-policy makers.
Our Mission is -
Provide recommendation and coordination services to international stakeholders and advocacy for communities affected by conflict and widespread violence and/or violations of human rights to decelerate violence, and improve the respect for human rights;
We find and advocate for practical and programmatic solutions to specific and broad societal issues and situations for communities facing uncertainty as a result of violence or social instability;
We work diligently with our partners to ensure that humanitarian aid and services reach vulnerable and displaced civilian populations;
-
Latest update on Afghanistan Fundraising Campaign
An update for Supporting Afghan families in need
Feb 28 2022
We have joined with two experts in the world to create the Presidium Network, a non-profit CIC. We are now putting all our donations through the CIC rather than Fundsurfer directly with a dedicated board and team that is delivering support inside Afghanistan and help with security and logistics to save people lives.
We have also joined up Presidium with three other organisations creating a micro coalition called the Joint Humanitarian Operations Centre (JHOC). Under JHOC we have a dedicated team in Kabul delivering aid, medical supplies vaccines and evacuation support. Our three partners are Smart SBC, Shoulder to Shoulder and Osprey Global which allows us to have full supply chains to support those in crisis zones such as Afghanistan and Ukraine. Giving us stability of support. This coalition is directly supporting over 12,000 people on a daily basis either stranded in Afghanistan or are vulnerable in a new country but also indirectly helped over 26,000 people to survive in the Taliban. We want to help millions more.
The reality is that very few families have been given asylum into the UK, EU and US and we still have over 200 people stuck either in Afghanistan or temporarily stuck in third party countries without permanent asylum. We have been supporting one vulnerable family who are stuck in Pakistan waiting for the UK to make a decision on their asylum, they have lost everything and have no formal support in Pakistan. Also we will be making a donation of £1000 to Community Aid Box to support Afghan nationals that have been located in the Bristol area.
We want to do more and have the capacity now to deliver thousands of tonnes of aid to every part of Afghanistan, however we need the money and support to buy the food and medicine as well distribute the resources throughout Afghanistan as well as help people relocate and settle in safety.
Thanks for your help and support, please keep sharing project page and we will update you again soon.
Dominik & the Presidium Team
-
Extending the Closing Date
An update for Help the Stokes Croft Land Trust purchase its first building and bring it into community ownership
Feb 28 2022
Thank you so much to everyone who has committed investment for shares in the Land Trust so far! We have had such a brilliant response so far as the idea of community asset ownership transforms in a reality. At the moment the total committed is approaching £190,000.
To give us more time for the share offer to reach its target, the Stokes Croft Land Trust board has decided to extend the share offer for a further three months, to 31 May 2022. Please note that your investment amount will not be taken from your card or bank account until the project reaches the minimum target however we are almost 70% of the way to our minimum target.
We have, hopefully, some great news coming, as this week we will hear whether we have been awarded match investment funding, which would allow us to double a significant amount of the investment! We will update everyone as soon as we know the outcome.
For now, please continue to with your support and encourage your friends and family to join our unique Land Trust community share offer.
Thanks again for your support!
Keith Cowling
Stokes Croft Land Trust, Director -
Join us for our exhibition!
An update for Help the Stokes Croft Land Trust purchase its first building and bring it into community ownership
Feb 8 2022
Hi,
Thank you for joining us on our campaign to purchase the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft in Bristol. So far, we have raised over £175,000 of our £272,000 minimum target, with more than 235 investors.
Our latest exhibition, exploring the history and role of community land ownership, opens at 12 pm today at The Vestibules, City Hall, College Green.
The showcase will allow attendees to learn and be part of an important, democratic and new economic system for land ownership, whilst also giving people the chance to meet members of our board.
The exhibition is open from 12 pm to 7 pm today until Thursday 10th February, and from 12 pm to 5 pm on Friday 11th February. If there is someone you know who may be interested in attending our showcase, please do share the news with them.
To stay up to date with our progress, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. For any other questions, email info@stokescroftlandtrust.org.
Many thanks,
Keith Cowling
Stokes Croft Land Trust, Director -
£160,000 raised!
An update for Help the Stokes Croft Land Trust purchase its first building and bring it into community ownership
Jan 18 2022
Hi,
We are delighted to announce that we have reached over £160,000 of our £272,000 minimum target to purchase 17-25 Jamaica Street and 14 Hillgrove Street (PRSC HQ) and transfer the building into community ownership. Thank you for joining over 200 other investors to make this possible so far!
You can still help us to reach more people by telling your friends, family and colleagues about what we are aiming to achieve and sharing our Fundsurfer page with them www.fundsurfer.com/sclt.
It would be great if you could like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with our progress.
For any other questions, email info@stokescroftlandtrust.org.
Let’s invest in our community.
Many thanks,
Keith Cowling
Stokes Croft Land Trust, Director -
Fundsurfer launches Winter 2021 Afghanistan Funding Appeal
An update for Supporting Afghan families in need
Dec 22 2021
Thanks for your support it means a lot. We have now set up a registered CIC to manage donation allocation and have launched our Winter campaign to provide as much help as we can.
- Fundsurfer is seeking £5 million in funding from online and offline donations to support Afghan refugees this winter
- The funding would support thousands of Afghans under threat from the Taliban, sourcing safe housing and longer-term evacuation and essential resource
- A short film has been produced to encourage investment from high net worth donors
Fundsurfer, which has acted as specialist advisors to the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Energy for the past three years, has launched a funding appeal to support Afghan refugees facing direct danger this winter.
The appeal, which aims to raise £5 million to reach thousands of at-risk Afghani’s seeking refuge through registered charities, has already received support from high net worth donors, philanthropists, and investors. These funds will be used to directly support the transitions and placements of families from Afghanistan.
Under Taliban control, millions of families have no access to food or basic resources to survive. Millions are starving and the situation is getting worse by day. Thousands of Afghans are being targeted directly by the Taliban and many are being beaten and detained. The UN and international governments are moving slowly and there is a lack of government strategy and evacuation programmes from the UK and US. With a harsh winter approaching, many Afghans will be stuck without heat, shelter, and food. Those in hiding will be stranded in cold winter conditions and unable to reach the safe houses.
The funds will be used to create a humanitarian route into Kabul, fly food and medical resources into Afghanistan, and help partner NGOs to pay for resources on the ground, including employees to distribute the resources. A short film has been made to showcase the fundraiser and its goals.
Led by Dominik Byrne, who has raised over £2 million in voluntary donations and has helped distribute funding from UK, EU, and US donors across the world, the Fundsurfer is set up to support and work with registered charities in the UK, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. All money collected will be distributed by Presidium Network, a UK CIC (Reg no:13716487).
Dominik is trained in the Sphere Standards of Humanitarian Aid, and understands the disruption of funding and resources into crisis areas. He has directly consulted the Afghanistan government over the last three years and is backed by UK politicians such as Siobhan Baillie MP and Lord Jim Knight.
Since the fall of Kabul, Fundsurfer has been working tirelessly to support 450 people facing real-life threats to reach safety, championing their cause to the UK and US government. It has also been running fundraising for impact projects in education and energy.
Fundsurfer has joined forces with the US charity, Joint Task Force for Anti and Counter Corruption, which was operational for over 7 years in Afghanistan. It aims to keep as many people as safe as possible before they exit the country. It is also advising other established networks that are helping over 2,000 people who are facing danger and need to leave Afghanistan safely.
The charity has three land and air evacuation routes now open to Pakistan, Qatar, and Tajikistan both through land or air. In Pakistan, accommodation, food and basic resources are needed to support families escaping. Fundsurfer aims to take over two hotels in Islamabad to house families for up to three months until they can be moved to a final asylum destination such as the UK, EU, or US.
Pakistan has agreed to issue free temporary visas if Fundsurfer can pay for the families’ stay and get them processed with third party states. This will save thousands of lives. In the UK, US, and EU, funding will be used to cover housing, food, travel, language lessons, and other essential resources. Fundsurfer already has an established network of UK Refugee and Community based NGOs in place, including GARAS and Community Aid Box, to help distribute resources.
Since 2014, the Fundsurfer platform has raised over £20m through its online and offline fundraising and partnerships with high net worth donors. For more information, please visit the dedicated crowdfunding and investment platform at fundsurfer.com and donate to the Afghanistan funding appeal here fundsurfer.com/afghansupport.
You can watch the fundraising film below:
-
Over £150,000 invested so far!
An update for Help the Stokes Croft Land Trust purchase its first building and bring it into community ownership
Dec 16 2021
Hi,
Yes! In just three weeks since launch, we have now reached over £150,000! Thank you for investing with us; we are one step closer to reaching our minimum target of £272,000 - can we get to £200,000 before the end of the year? With your support, we can…
Remember that money will not be taken from the chosen payment method (debit/credit card or bank transfer) until the project has reached its target level, this may not be until February 2022.
Please tell everyone you know to help us spread the word and get more people involved in this truly exciting project. Make sure you are following us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates. If you have any other questions, please get in contact at info@stokescroftlandtrust.org.
Together, we can make a difference.
Many thanks,
Keith Cowling
Stokes Croft Land Trust, Director -
Can you help us reach more local people and businesses?
An update for Help the Stokes Croft Land Trust purchase its first building and bring it into community ownership
Dec 10 2021
Hi,
Thank you for supporting the Stokes Croft Land Trust’s community share offer campaign. We are close to reaching yet another milestone, with almost £150,000 invested of our £272,000 minimum target and we have around 150 investors so far.
Below, we have dedicated a special thank you video to everyone who has made this possible so far.
We want to make sure that we hit our targets before our deadline of Monday 28th February 2022 and to ensure this becomes a reality, we need your help further!
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and register your interest on our website to hear regular updates from the campaign. Share the Fundsurfer page with your friends, colleagues and networks far and wide so that our message reaches as many people as possible.
If you have any questions about other methods of getting involved, please contact info@stokescroftlandtrust.org
Together, we can create a new model for the ownership of land and buildings as our part of making a better future for our city.
Many thanks,
Keith Cowling
Stokes Croft Land Trust, Director -
Halfway to our minimum target in less than a week!
An update for Help the Stokes Croft Land Trust purchase its first building and bring it into community ownership
Dec 1 2021
Hi,
Since our community share offer launched last Thursday, we have raised over 50% of our minimum target of £272,000. We would like to thank every person or business who has purchased shares to help bring local buildings and land into community ownership.
We are not resting at the halfway point! We’ve still got plenty to achieve and you can help us further by telling your friends, colleagues and family members what we are aiming to do to change how the buildings and land in our city are owned. For regular updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter or subscribe to our newsletter. If you have any further questions, please email us at info@stokescroftlandtrust.org
Thank you for joining us on our mission.
Keith Cowling,
Stokes Croft Land Trust Director