It’s time to vote!
The Club needs you to vote for which charity should become our final charity partner and host a bucket collection on Saturday March 9 (Bradford City v Peterborough United).
Every penny raised at the bucket collection will go to the charity, to help them fund the amazing work they do.
So far, the charities you have chosen have raised thousands of pounds for their vital work.
To help you with your decision, we've described each charity along with how they will put the money raised to use.
So take a look and cast your vote at the bottom of the page!
ANDYSMANCLUB LTD
Charity number: 1179647
Website: Click here.
Twitter: @andysmanclubuk
Facebook: @andysmanclub
Andys Man Club is a suicide prevention charity and is the founder of the social media campaign #ITSOKAYTOTALK.
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK. One man every two hours ends their life by suicide, and 75% of men that end their life have no known mental health condition and are not known to services.
Established in 2016, Andys Man Club was formed after the tragic loss of Andrew Roberts to suicide. Andrew had no known mental health condition and they believe if he had a place to go and talk, he would have been here today.
Andrew’s brother-in-law and mother – Luke Ambler and Elaine Roberts – wanted to prevent other families going through the tragedy they have.
Men often feel that showing emotion and talking about problems can be seen as a weakness, but at Andys Man Club, men can attend support groups where they can meet likeminded men, to help each other through tough times from shared experience.
The first group was opened in Halifix in 2016 where 9 men attended – two years later, the Shay Stadium opens it’s doors to 50+ men every Monday evening to have a chat and get problems off their chest.
All of their groups are run by volunteers up and down the UK, including one in Peterborough.
In summer last year, the charity opened it’s first Club in Peterborough, so the charity would love to join the two Clubs for this bucket collection.
Andrew Greenway, Project Development Worker at Andys Man Club, said: “The bucket collection will allow us to raise awareness of our charity. We are a male suicide prevention charity started in West Yorkshire in 2016 after the sudden and tragic suicide of Andy Roberts
“We also hope to reduce the stigma attached to men talking about their issues and we firmly believe that #ITSOKAYTOTALK
“It will also allow us to raise funds to support the groups and to hopefully allow us to open more groups and support more men across the UK
“It will give the men who attend our groups the opportunity to talk and spread awareness of our clubs and to engage in a social occasion, allowing them to become further involved with the charity.
“The money raised will purchase provisions for the existing groups, tea, coffee, sugar, etc and also hopefully allow us to travel further to spread wider across the country and to promote our clubs and the #ITSOKAYTOTALK message.”
EPILEPSY ACTION
Charity number: 234343
Website: Click here.
Twitter: @epilepsyaction
Facebook: @epilepsyaction
Around 600,000 people are directly affected in the UK. The impact can be significant: if uncontrolled, the condition means a bar on driving and may cause difficulty with employment; in some cases, those affected are afraid to leave home due to the risk of having a seizure in public and the perception of stigma.
Each year, around 1,000 people will die as a result of a seizure.
Despite the risks and challenges, with the right help, 70% of people with epilepsy could control their seizures and lead a relatively full life.
Epilepsy Action is the UK’s biggest community of people with a shared vision – everyone affected by epilepsy getting the understanding and support they need to live their best possible life.
The charity provides the following services:
- Epilepsy advice, information and support through a helpline (NHS accredited)
- Promote better care through providing training, information and networking for those in a medial profession
- Fund research into better treatment and support
- Raise awareness and understanding in wider society
- Provide a voice for epilepsy across the UK, promoting what people with the condition can achieve.
Becoming a Bradford City Charity Partner would help raise awareness of epilepsy amongst the thousands of supporters at each match.
The charity does not receive any Government funding and is entirely funded by voluntary donations.
Just £17 can fund one of their experts to answer a call from a vulnerable person, desperately seeking advice.
Harvinder Chagger, Epilepsy Action’s Corporate and Merchandise Fundraising Officer, said: “Your support will allow more people affected by epilepsy to get the support they need, when they need it most.
“With your support we can talk to more people about epilepsy and the impact it has on individuals, families, friends and carers.
“£8 will help a parent and child with epilepsy, complete our parent and carer elearning course. (This project is being encouraged by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health as very necessary).
“£180 will help fund a trained volunteer to deliver a session in a school, workplace to educate people about the challenges of life with epilepsy.”
FAIRWEATHER PROJECT
Charity number: 513759
Website: Click here.
For over ten years, Fairweather has provided vital services to vulnerable and marginalised members within it’s community.
From supporting students battling mental health, to assisting young transgender people in their transitions to housing and empowering vulnerable women and children.
At Fairweather, Community is key. Their ideology states that people are more than their mental health or social status – and those that need support also have the potential to offer support to others.
Fairweather supports people with issues surrounding mental health, abuse (both emotional and physical), financial hardship, bereavement, unemployment and many others.
They work with people on an individual basis to ensure we can provide the support both that they need, working to a support plan with regular contact time and counselling.
The organisation is Bradford based and they have had a great track record of providing results for the service user.
THE CELLAR TRUST
Charity number: 701982
Website: Click here.
Twitter: @TheCellarTrust
Facebook: @TheCellarTrust
The Cellar Trust works with people from across the Bradford district experiencing mental health challenges, supporting recovery for some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our communities.
They help people to cope in crisis situations, and provide a range of services that give those experiencing mental ill-health the chance to rebuild confidence, realise their full potential and live more independent and fulfilling lives.
They started as a small grass roots project in the 1980s and they are now the district’s leading third sector mental health service provider, working with around 3,000 people each year.
1 in 4 people in the UK experience a mental health problem in any given year, and according to the Bradford Mental Wellbeing Strategy, mental health issues affect around 155,000 people in the district in any given year.
Their staff work with people who are severely disadvantaged. As well as mental health problems, many are also struggling with other issues such as unemployment, financial difficulties, housing problems, and family breakdown.
Often, people go to them in crisis – sometimes suicidal – with little self-belief, sense of direction or hope in the future.
We help people to see that they can have hope in the future, and support them to develop the resilience, skills, qualifications and confidence to get back into work and build together.
Georgia Scott, from The Cellar Trust, said: "Becoming a Bradford City charity partner would hugely benefit us. Mental health problems make it difficult for people to believe they have a bright future.
"Our work is about giving people hope – helping them to believe in themselves and in their future - but to do this we need the help and support of our local community.
"Bradford City, and its fans, are known for their resilience, dedication, commitment, and sense of community, and we’d be very appreciative of the support that comes with those fantastic traits.
"As with all charities, this is a challenging time, but we’ve always worked hard to keep our services going to serve the Bradford district.
"The money we raise will help to support our crisis service, vocational workshops, café, charity shop, and employment services."
THE WHOLE AUTISM FAMILY
Charity number: 116642
Website: Click here.
Twitter: @TheAutismFamily
Formed in October 2014, The Whole Autism Family was formed by parents who wanted to build a better future for their children.
They are a completely voluntary group and all of the money they raise as a group, goes directly to the supporting families affect by autism.
They take great pride in knowing that they have created a fantastic network, offering access to literature, training courses and professional guests.
The support group is accessible by the whole family, from individuals affected by autism, siblings, parents and carers to extended family members, greatly reducing the isolation felt by many.
Phil Taylor, from The Whole Autism Family, said: "Becoming a charity partner would benefit us, as it allows us to firstly raise awareness about a disability that affects 1 in 100 people, but can in many cases remain hidden for many years.
"Also as a small locally based charity it gives us an opportunity to raise awareness about ourselves and show that there are people there willing to support families who may be affected by Autism.
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CAST YOUR VOTE BELOW!
Voting closes at 12:00pm on Monday February 4.