Local people in Littleover, Mickleover and Chellaston have helped Rotary Club of Derby raise £2,500 for specialist Derby charity Safe and Sound.

Volunteers and Rotary Club members took their Santa Sleigh across the local communities – collecting donations from generous residents.

The money will go towards Safe and Sound’s Butterfly Appeal which is raising money to expand the work that the charity does to support children and young people who are victims of or at risk of exploitation.

Safe and Sound Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said: “We are extremely grateful to Rotary Club of Derby for choosing to support our charity this year.

“Santa Sleigh brings so much joy to families across Derby and we are heartened by people’s  response through their generous donations.

“This will help us to support many more young people in our local communities to stay safe and to continue to raise awareness of the increasing dangers of online grooming and exploitation facing boys and girls as young as eight.”

For more information about child exploitation, how Safe and Sound can help and how to support the local charity, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk or follow on social media.

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Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR, Tel: 01332 515102/07951 945665; [email protected]

About Safe and Sound

Formed in 2002, Safe and Sound is an inspiring Derbyshire charity that transforms young lives affected by child exploitation with innovative, hands-on programmes.

The charity works at grass root levels delivering individual support to each child as well as families and carers.  This vital support enables them to move not just to a place of safety, but emerge unshackled and undefined by their experience and enabled to reach their full potential.

The charity continues to specialise in child sexual exploitation and is now developing its services to support children and young people facing or at risk of wider exploitation which are often interlinked.  These include physical and emotional violence, neglect, modern day slavery, radicalisation and human trafficking, domestic abuse, missing episodes and County Lines.

Safe and Sound is led by former police superintendent Tracy Harrison with the support of a specialist team; an experience board of Trustees and now a team of Ambassadors who are helping to raise the profile of the charity and the issue of child exploitation.

Safe and Sound’s expertise came to the fore during the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s first prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse.  The charity’s specialist team supported every young person affected by the criminal actions of 13 defendants who were jailed in total for up to 22 years for 70 offences.

For more information about child exploitation, Safe and Sound Derby and how to support their work, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk

About Rotary Club of Derby:  The Rotary Club of Derby meets regularly and welcomes new members from all walks of life who want to make new friends while getting involved in charitable work in the community.  Rotary International connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary