Bournemouth-based charity AOK Rucksack Appeal is set to bring further support to the homeless of Dorset this year, after receiving a £1,000 donation from Saxon Square Shopping Centre in Christchurch, as part of the popular Shopping Centre’s annual community donation campaign.
The start-up charity lived up to its name this Christmas when it distributed more than 150 rucksacks of essentials – from sleeping bags and clothing, to toothpaste and soap – to those facing life on the streets of Christchurch and Bournemouth.
This year, the charity hopes to expand its network and offer programmes to encourage personal development amongst homeless people, including poetry and choral activities, in a bid to encourage those on the streets back into society.
“It’s all about getting to the root of the problem at the earliest possible opportunity,” said Sally Harvey, chairperson and founder of AOK Rucksack Appeal.
“Our goal is to ensure the newly homeless don’t stay homeless for long. Getting help to people right in the early stages, when a person may be facing that terrifying first night on the streets, gives us the greatest chance of turning a life around.”
Saxon Square Shopping Centre’s annual community donation campaign, which supported Christchurch Lifesaving Club in 2014, aims to find worthy groups and organisations in the local area to benefit from the £1,000 cash boost, as part of the Centre’s ongoing commitment to giving back to the surrounding community.
The Centre, with support from its 30 high street and independent stores, launched the annual search in December and received more than 70 entries from local groups.
Bryan Taylor, Saxon Square Shopping Centre manager, said: “The work Sally and the team deliver at AOK Rucksack Appeal is marvellous and certainly deserving of commendation. We’re proud to have been able to help support them through Saxon Square Shopping Centre’s community donation campaign, and look forward to seeing what difference the grant makes.
“Christchurch is a really tight-knit community, so it’s great to be able to offer something like this by way of thank-you to the wider community that supports us.”
Sally continued: “It’s the little moments that make all our efforts worth it. At Christmas, one gentleman came to us petrified at the prospect of his first night out in the elements.
“We sorted him out with a rucksack and sleeping bag, but more than anything it was our being there in general; the friendly face able to say ‘we’re here if you need us’ that provided the most comfort. He was so grateful, and that really stuck with me.
“Another woman came in to collect her rucksack a few weeks back and couldn’t quite believe that she was lucky enough to be able to choose which of our variety of back packs she would like. It was so humbling. She chose a blue one in the end.
“We very much appreciate the donation from Saxon Square Shopping Centre and will begin using it right away. First on the list is developing our poetry project. We hope to produce a book of all the poems written by those involved.
“With the added boost this donation has given us I look forward to seeing what the rest of the year brings for AOK.”
For more information, as well as details of updates on when 2015’s Community Donation Campaign will be launching, please visit the Saxon Square website at www.saxon-square.co.uk.
More information about AOK Rucksack Appeal can be found on its website, www.aokrucksackappeal.org.uk.
