The Mayor of Elmbridge for 2023-24, Councillor Richard Williams, is delighted to have raised £38,803 for charitable causes, donating £36,018 to Oasis, the Cobham based charity that helps vulnerable families and children. The Mayor of Elmbridge Trust Fund will also receive a donation from these proceeds. These are the charities he had chosen to support during his Mayoral term of office.
The funds were raised with various events including the Mayoress’s Ladies’ Luncheon, a Charity Ball, a special performance of ‘Posting Letters to the Moon’ at Esher Theatre, a concert performed by Elmbridge Choir and a 10,000ft skydive by the Mayor, his son in law and two senior executives of the Hilton Hotel in Cobham.
The Mayor was able to thank everyone for the huge support he received at his Civic Reception in April and at the Annual Council Meeting in May.
The funds raised will enable Oasis to provide vital, preventative, and holistic support to the 130 families they look after. This support is multifaceted and tailored to each family, focusing on the parents as well as the children.
The amount raised will help fund the following services:
- Outreach - this forms the foundation of the support given to families. The Outreach team works closely with each family, helping them identify their challenges, providing a plan of support to help them rebuild their resilience, independence, and self-esteem.
- The Freedom Programme for victims of domestic abuse - a valuable course helping survivors understand the different forms of abuse and its impact on them and their children, as well as avoiding falling into successive abusive relationships.
- The Therapeutic Arts programme - some of Oasis' clients find it difficult to open up in counselling. Therapeutic arts provide a safe environment for clients to begin to unpick their trauma and gradually begin to focus on their own self-care. Through self-care they begin to focus on the care of their children and loved ones, rebuilding bonds that may have been broken in the past.
- The onsite Ofsted registered nursery - offering free pre-school childcare to parents so they can go back to work, education, or training.
- School holiday fresh foodbanks which provide families with much needed healthy food and ease the financial burden for households.
- Utility bursaries to help ease the burden of energy bills particularly during the winter months.
As Oasis receives very little funding, it relies wholly on the generosity of the community, businesses, and the lottery of successful grant applications. Oasis says, “The money raised by the Mayor and Mayoress will have a huge impact on Oasis, helping us to continue our important work with vulnerable families and children."