MONDAY UPDATE

Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Easter Appeal we launched last Thursday.

We teamed up with Acts 435 to encourage readers who help make someone's Easter special this year. We highlighted 20 local requests for help on the Acts 435 website, encouraging people to donate to one of the people in need, and the response has been fantastic. Early this morning, a flurry of donations completed the appeal, meaning all 20 requests have been met in full - and the full £1,645 requested has been donated.

Thank you to everyone who donated or helped spread the word.

If anyone would still like to donate to the charity, please visit www.acts435.org.uk and search for the region or issue of your choice.

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ORIGINAL STORY

THOUSANDS of us want to do our bit to help those in need. But often, it is hard to know where to start.

Today, one of York's charities shows how you can help make someone’s life better at the click of a button.

We have teamed up with Acts 435, the anti-poverty charity founded by the Archbishop of York, to run this Easter appeal. On this page are 20 true stories of people who have fallen on hard times and need a helping hand right now.

Each of these stories has been verified by an independent advocate, and every penny given will go to the recipient you choose. You don’t need to donate the entire sum - you can give a part of the total if that is more manageable. 

The charity was launched in the summer of 2010, to allow people to donate directly to specific people in need, and it has already met more than 3,000 requests.

If you are able to help with one of these stories, please do - and help make somebody’s Easter very special this year.


1 - Just £50 for help with rent and utility bills

This mature, single lady is on job seekers allowance and is desperate to find a job. She attends a Job Club and hands out her CV but has been unable to gain employment. She is struggling to pay her rent and utility bills and would be extremely grateful for help until she finds employment.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03426

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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2 - Just £100 for help with counselling fees

John in York struggles with mental ill health. He works between episodes but has accumulated debts. He is working with the Citizens Advice Bureau and has requested counselling. The CAB is seeking funding for this.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03431

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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3 - Just £100 needed for fridge for bedsit

Christopher, 60, in York was homeless but has now been housed in a bedsit in a sheltered housing scheme. However he can’t afford some of the basic equipment to make this bedsit a real home. A donation for a fridge would make a real difference to his life.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03534

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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4 - £40 still needed for emergency food, gas & electric

Laura, 28, is a single parent in Leeds whose benefits were stopped when it was wrongly reported that her mother was living with her. The school holidays have started and Laura needs
money for emergency food, gas & electric.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03505

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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5 - Just £80 for food, gas & electricity

Christine in York lives part time with her son, who is unemployed. They are surviving on her wage which is only enough to cover the rent and council tax. She is threatened with eviction and is working with Christians Against Poverty. She needs to apply for a Debt Relief Order, which she will have to save for.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03446

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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6 - Just £100 for new cooker

A lady in Sheffield has recently moved due to marriage breakdown. She has no cooker and cannot afford one on her Employment Support Allowance benefits - she is asking for help. 

www.acts435.org.uk/R03373

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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7 - Just £85 needed for a fridge and a cooker

Mary and her daughter recently arrived in York from Poland. They are working hard to settle into a home after a domestic crisis. Mary’s daughter is happily settled in school. They need help to buy a reconditioned fridge and cooker from the local Community Furniture store and £100 will make this possible.

www.acts435.org.uk/R3467

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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8 - Just £100 for two single beds

M in Hull is a single parent & busy mum with five children aged 10-17 years. M is on a low income & manages day to day, however, there is little left over for replacing larger items of furniture. M’s two sons need their single beds replacing as soon as possible as they are old and very uncomfortable.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03469

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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9 - Just £70 for man to buy ID to help maintain his tenancy 

A Bradford man who was homeless man aged to secure a property but he no longer has his ID. If he cannot prove his identity he may have his benefits stopped and become homeless again. Money would pay for travel and purchasing new identity documents. 

www.acts435.org.uk/R03470

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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10 - Just £100 for homeless man to pay for new identity papers

A homeless Bradford man has been sleeping rough for six months as he does not have identity papers to register for work or benefits. Money will pay for travel and buying a new identity document which will mean he can get off the streets.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03471

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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11 - Just £90 for debt relief order fee 

Bob in York has learning difficulties and needs more support. He has a lot of debts, partly because he hasn’t understood how to manage his outgoings. The Citizens Advice Bureau is supporting him and has persuaded his council not to take eviction proceedings. Bob’s next step should be a Debt Relief Order, and he’d be very grateful for the fee, which he cannot afford.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03480

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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12 - Just £100 for household goods

L in Sheffield is a young mum who is now in a new home with her son, aged two and a half. She recently fled domestic violence and has little money to buy the necessary items for her new home including curtains and bedding for her son’s room, pots and pans and such like. She is asking for help with these things.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03482

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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13 - Just £50 for utility bills 

G in Sheffield has been sanctioned by the Department of Work and Pensions for his Employment Support Allowance and has had no money for 12 weeks, he is struggling to pay bills and asks for £50 to help pay for gas and electricity.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03483

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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14 - Just £100 for children’s bedroom furniture

Children’s bedroom furniture needed for a single mum in Garforth who has been left on her own by her partner with two children aged five and three. She is unable to claim for benefits until she has moved to rented accommodation near her mum. Her partner cleared the house while she was at work and has left her with very little furniture.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03484

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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15 - Just £50 for a washing machine

This applicant in Barnsley has worked hard to turn his life around after struggling with his mental health and other health issues. After moving home, he now needs help to buy a washing machine, as he looks forward to building a new life in a new home.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03407

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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16 - Just £50 for a debt relief order 

The applicant in Barnsley had been a sole trader but due to the economic downturn he lost his business. This led to him having poor mental health and living alone. He has had the courage to visit the Citizens Advice Bureau to get help and they are helping him apply for a debt relief order so that he can make a new start.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03409

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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17 - Just £90 for a debt relief order

This Barnsley applicant has struggled with finances and plucked up the courage to seek advice and help from the Citizens Advice Bureau. They are applying for a Debt Relief Order and need help to pay the £90 fee.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03496

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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18 - Just £90 needed for a debt relief order 

This young Barnsley woman recently parted from the father of her two children, who are both under five, due to domestic violence. The father lost his job and there have been other family pressures. The Citizens Advice Bureau is helping the mum apply for a Debt Relief Order and £90 is requested to pay the fee for this.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03497

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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19 - £100 for a mattress

M in York is working with Christians Against Poverty to help sort his finances out. He is sleeping on a divan base as he has no mattress nor funds to buy one. He has a back and leg injury due to a road accident. A decent night’s sleep can only help.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03506

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--

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20 - Just £100 for hospital travel during child’s surgery

A young Pontefract mother of two is living in a refuge following the breakdown of her marriage. Her four year old son has a serious heart condition and is awaiting surgery at Alder Hey Hospital. This will involve travel and accommodation expenses. Money is tight and any help would be very gratefully received.

www.acts435.org.uk/R03501

--UPDATE: COMPLETED--