More than 180 bikers joined a festive convoy to deliver Christmas joy to vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people across the county.
The riders, dressed in festive costumes, were led by Derbyshire police’s Upright Derbyshire team and the support team from Pidcock Motorcycles in Long Eaton.
Flanked by a police motorcycle escort, they travelled from Long Eaton to the Darley Abbey Mills offices of Safe and Sound – Derbyshire’s specialist charity that supports young people and families across the county whose lives are affected by child exploitation.
Hundreds of toys which have been collected from benefactors around the county were unloaded for distribution amongst the families across the county who are supported by Safe and Sound.
Organiser PC Craig Holmes explained: “Upright Bikes is a safety awareness initiative led by Derbyshire police in recognition that motorbikes make up just 1% of vehicles on the road but are involved in 19% of accidents across the county.
“This was our fourth toy run and we have had the best response ever – both in terms of the gifts donated and the number of bikers joining the convoy.
“We were keen to donate the gifts to Safe and Sound because this is all about the most vulnerable road users supporting some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our county.”
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison added: “The Upright Bikes Toy Run is an incredible sight and we are honoured that they have chosen to support us.
“These presents will bring so much joy to the young people and families who we support at a very dark time in their lives and who thoroughly deserve light and happiness at this special time of year.”
A golf day organised by two Derby businesses has raised £2,000 for the county’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound.
A group of 64 golfers took part in the event organised by Invictus Communications in Melbourne and German Automotive service and repair centre in Ascot Drive, Derby.
Jonny McPhee, managing director of Invictus Communications has been a long-time supporter of Safe and Sound including installing a new telephony system at the charity’s offices to ensure they could keep their helplines open.
He also nominated Safe and Sound to be the chosen charity for the recent East Midlands Business Awards which raised £13,000 to support their work.
He said: “Safe and Sound do an incredible job protecting and supporting young people and families whose lives are affected by child exploitation.
“Therefore, when we started planning the golf day with Ian Essex and the team at German Automotive, I was adamant that Safe and Sound would be a chosen charity for fundraising on the day.
“Our whole ethos is buy local, sell local and support local and I am delighted that we have once again been able to make a positive difference to this amazing charity.”
Tracy Harrison, CEO of Safe and Sound met with the golfers on the day as they teed off. She said: “Once again we are very grateful for the generosity shown by Invictus Communications and the businesses and individuals they work with.
“Every penny raised goes into directly supporting young people and families in our local communities through 121 and group support, positive activities and outreach work.
“We can only do this with the support of our local business community and I hope they all realise what a positive difference they are making to so many people’s lives.”
The generosity of a Derby business owner will enable specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, to provide vital support to more than ten young people and their families over the coming year through match funding.
John Shaw, managing director of family-run Vibrant Doors in Sinfin doubled the amount raised at a recent music night to raise funds for Safe and Sound which supports and protects children, young people and families whose lives are affected by child exploitation.
That pledge, in turn, was match funded by Big Give – bringing the total raised for the charity to £5,800.
Mr Shaw set up Vibrant Doors at his kitchen table in 2012, and now heads up a team of 20 who supply internal and external doors and accessories to customers across the UK.
He said: “I was blown away when I attended the music night and learnt more about the incredible work that Safe and Sound do to support and protect children, young people and families across the county.
“I am Derby born and bred and, as a family business, we are all committed to supporting our local communities in whatever way we can.
“I am particularly passionate about supporting young people to develop their skills and confidence to progress in the workplace and most of our management team started here straight from school.
“Safe and Sound therefore match our company values and I am delighted that our support has opened the doors to match funding for the charity to provide support for young people and families who really need it.”
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison added: “Any child, anywhere, can become a victim of child exploitation whether through online grooming or being targeted by individuals and gangs who prey on the vulnerabilities of young people.
“The youngest person we worked with this year is eight years old. We are also supporting a growing number of families because the impact of child exploitation has a ripple effect – potentially destroying lives and family relationships.
“The generosity of companies and individuals across the county like John and the Vibrant Doors team enables us to provide specialist 121 and group support as well as organising positive activities to build self confidence and providing much-needed outreach support within local communities blighted by child exploitation.
“We are so grateful that this donation opened further doors through the Big Give national initiative and this money raised will be a lifeline so many young people and families across the county who need support to move forward positively with their lives.”
The music night, held at The Venue in Abbey Street features some of Derby’s most successful and up and coming music and dance performers and was organised by Sharon Jackson, a former case worker at Safe and Sound who is the founder of Shield – a safeguarding and child protection training service.
Sharon Jackson concluded: “The music night was a fantastic showcase for local talent, particularly young and up and coming musicians and dancers from this area. As well as generating new audiences for these superb performers, it raised much-needed funds to help the charity expand its work across the county.”
A former soldier is returning to the boxing ring to raise money for Safe and Sound, Derbyshire’s specialist charity that supports young people and their families whose lives are affected by child exploitation. Harry Sloman (22) from Melbourne now works in construction after serving in the Mercian Regiment. He will be taking part in an Ultra White Collar Boxing event on November 25 at Arleston Hall in Derby and is asking family and friends to sponsor him in his endeavours.
Harry explained: “I first took up boxing when I was a teenager because I was being bullied at school. It gave me the self-confidence and self-esteem that I needed to get me out of a black hole and I have since taken part in six white collar boxing events – winning all of my bouts.
“I am really looking forward to the training and then the event itself and I hope to raise a decent amount of money for Safe and Sound.
“The scale of grooming and child exploitation – especially in our local communities – really resonated with me because of how vulnerable I felt when I was younger. “Feeling confident and in control of your life is so important to a young person’s wellbeing and safety so I felt this was the perfect way to raise money for Safe and Sound.”
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison added: “We are very grateful that Harry has chosen to raise money for us in this way. “Boxing is a key part of our positive activities programme for both young boys and girls to help build their confidence and resilience which are crucial to them moving forward with their lives.”
A former soldier is returning to the boxing ring to raise money for Safe and Sound, Derbyshire’s specialist charity that supports young people and their families whose lives are affected by child exploitation.
Harry Sloman (22) from Melbourne now works in construction after serving in the Mercian Regiment. He will be taking part in an Ultra White Collar Boxing event on November 25 at Arleston Hall in Derby and is asking family and friends to sponsor him in his endeavours.
Harry explained: “I first took up boxing when I was a teenager because I was being bullied at school. It gave me the self-confidence and self-esteem that I needed to get me out of a black hole and I have since taken part in six white collar boxing events – winning all of my bouts.
“I am really looking forward to the training and then the event itself and I hope to raise a decent amount of money for Safe and Sound.
“The scale of grooming and child exploitation – especially in our local communities – really resonated with me because of how vulnerable I felt when I was younger.
“Feeling confident and in control of your life is so important to a young person’s wellbeing and safety so I felt this was the perfect way to raise money for Safe and Sound.”
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison added: “We are very grateful that Harry has chosen to raise money for us in this way.
“Boxing is a key part of our positive activities programme for both young boys and girls to help build their confidence and resilience which are crucial to them moving forward with their lives.”
Some of Derby’s most successful and up and coming music and dance performers will come together for a special event in the city next month to raise money for specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound.
The event has been organised by Sharon Jackson, a former case worker at Safe and Sound who is the founder of Shield – a safeguarding and child protection training service.
Keen to support the charity, Sharon has brought together a wide range of music acts including soul, rap, jazz, ballads, country Indie-rock as well as dance to perform on Friday October 6 at The Venue between 7pm and midnight.
The headline act for the evening are Indie/alternative quartet, Shadows Of A Silhouette, who graced the YNOT main stage this summer and are heavily influenced by their working class background and groups such as Arctic Monkeys.
The line-up also includes The Steve Frixou Band, Feurtado Beats, Samiie Licence, Jon Ryan, Henry John, Karolina, Richard Comfort, Sharon Jackson, the Nadia Dance Group as well as accomplished musicians and Safe and Sound team members Sheila Isles and Jamie Joseph.
Sharon Jackson explained: “The music night will a fantastic showcase for local talent, particularly young and up and coming musicians and dancers from this area, and to highlight the amazing work that Safe and Sound do in our local communities to support and protect children, young people and families whose lives are affected by child exploitation.
“We hope that it will generate new audiences for these superb performers as well as much-needed funds to help the charity expand its work across the county.”
Nathan Brown, who is a founding member of Shadows Of A Silhouette and performs lead vocals and rhythm guitar, continued: “We wanted to be involved in this event because we know and are very aware of the amazing work Safe and Sound does to protect vulnerable children from the many predators in our society.
“They have been relentless over the past 20 years in highlighting the need for more work to be done at all levels to safeguard children. Their work takes a lot of time and effort and is funded by charitable donations in the main. Without their voices, a lot of the voices of the vulnerable children would go unheard.
“It therefore means everything to us to able to be part of this music event to help raise money for the charity. Music is in our blood, and we get the pleasure of putting smiles on people’s faces when we take to a stage.”
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison concluded: “Music and dance played a really important part in our 20th anniversary celebrations last year and made me realise just how many talented artists and particularly young people we have across the city and county.
“Sharon has done an incredible job bringing the music night together and we look forward to engaging with a whole new audience to raise awareness of the dangers facing young people both online and in our local communities and what we do to help them and their families move forward positively with their lives.”
