We’d like to try a Mumsnet Giving week - tell us your thoughts/ which projects you'd like to support

[JustineMumsnet]

Now then: without wanting to gush, one of the great pleasures of toiling at Mumsnet is watching how much you all give to one another - in terms of advice, humour and friendship, obviously, but very often in material ways, too.

Over the years, we've made a few ad hoc donations to causes and charities close to Mumsnetters' hearts, but I've been pondering how we might formalise the goodwill and try to do a bit more. And I thought it might be an idea to give a Mumsnet Giving Week a go.

Here's how it could work... (and do bear in mind that this is a first pass and we're very much open to suggestions on how to improve/refine the idea; if it works well, we'd like to make it an annual event). Together, we settle on some deserving causes that could do with our collective support: maybe you're trying to bring a community garden back into bloom, for example, or want to start a support group for parents of children with SEN, or are trying to raise funds to buy a piece of vital equipment for a good cause. Or there might simply be a deserving small charity that you want to support.

Once we've agreed who we'd like to back, we'll then have a week in which we promote and highlight them, and in which Mumsnetters can donate as much or as little as they choose, via a Yimby crowdfunding page (here's a bit more about Yimby.com, a new crowdfunding community for social good).

At the end of the week, MNHQ will match your donations (although I think we'll have to set a £25k limit for match funding, just in case one of you turns out to be Bill Gates and drops a million - which of course would be marvellous, but would also leave us struggling to meet the payroll).

If this all sounds ok to you, we'd like your suggestions for projects we should support on this thread. They don't have to be registered charities; indeed, our feeling is that national charities don't tend to struggle for exposure and are probably not in most need of our support. Instead, we'd love to use this as an opportunity to give smaller organisations and community projects some airtime. And because we also want to make sure that the causes are ones that existing Mumsnetters have settled on, we're only going to shortlist projects suggested by members who are registered as of now. (Apologies to newbies who join after this point, but there's always next year.)

After this thread's been up for a bit, we'll go through it, pick a shortlist of five and ask the Mumsnetters who submitted the ideas to start a Yimby crowdfunding page in support of them. We'll then - with much fanfare - announce the start of the Giving Week, during which we'll encourage everyone to donate. And at the end of the week, we'll match what's raised.

Do hope you think this is a good idea - please shout if you think it's lousy or we've missed a trick... Otherwise, please submit your nominations for deserving projects below.

[Indith]

I am going to add millies trust. It was set up after a little girl lost her life to choking at nursery. It provides first aid courses free of charge in the north east to those with under 1s and for a small donation to others who want to take the course.

[WheresTheCoffee]

I'd like to nominate Woolly Hugs!!

[Cirsium]

Muirfield Riding Therapy is a Riding for the Disabled member group I volunteer with who help hundreds of children and adults each year. We work with physiotherapists who use the horse as a therapy tool with amazing results and also have many former educational professionnals volunteering who help us support riders with learning disabilities and conditions such as ASD. We don't charge any of our riders and need to raise £80,000 annually largely through fundraising to provide this service.

[Indith]

Sorry, not just north east. North West too.

[Doobydoo]

Chidren's Hospice Southwest....started by a couple who had 2 children with life limiting conditions.Run entirely on Charity donations....they now have 3...I have worked there...they are fantastic with families,the ill child and siblings and beyond.

[SilkStalkings]

As a mum of a child with Pathological Demand Avoidance autism, I'd like to recommend Society [[http://www.pdasociety.org.uk/]]. It's the only organisation dedicated to this particular 'colour' on the autistic spectrum as the condition is still unrecognised by many NHS areas. They're working on becoming a registered charity and is run by volunteers.

People with PDA are superficially high functioning but very easily and unpredictably get stuck in anxiety-based meltdowns. It requires a different handling to other ASDs and it takes an almost superhuman amount of understanding, thick skin and patience to help a PDA child through a meltdown. Families are generally covered in bruises and bites,houses are trashed, I know of many such parents who have contemplated suicide, marriages have been wrecked, and the children themselves face very uncertain futures. It's been suggested that much domestic violence and stalking could be down to undiagnosed PDA but there is not enough research done yet due to it not being widely known.

[SilkStalkings]

Whoops PDA Society

[Solasum]

Is there any way this could be divided into national and local? So a few 'big' causes that MN can match (I vote WA and the cakes) but also a list by region so people could also donate to a cause very local to them? Administered through the local pages maybe? That way many many more causes could be supported, and presumably some of these charities would be very grateful of even small amounts.

[Solasum]

Or, as WA is recommended to so very many women on MN, maybe MN could set up some kind of longterm funding connection to WA? Every little helps and all that.

[SilkStalkings]

Agree that WA should have the lion's share or be official MN charity perhaps (or even just 'Mumsnet Charity of the Year').

[EvaTheOptimist]

I would also support donations to Womens Aid and/or local refuges. Or foodbanks.

[FloraPost]

I know Penguin .

Ooh yes, the Portage Association. We have portage too, it's aces. If you do have a portage service where you live, please think about donating any games or toys aimed at preschoolers you no longer use. Our service always has items going missing or getting broken (hazard of the job) and doesn't have the funds to replace.

First vote still goes to Down Syndrome Education International though!

[DraggingDownDownDown]

I would like to nominate Autism Concern. //www.autismconcern.net

This is the only charity in the area that organises day's out and social groups for all children on the spectrum. However they can only do this if they have enough funds - which are rapidly running out.

My son accesses this group and it has given him the opportunity to feel "normal" and to be himself without the risk of being laughed at or teased. It also means that we get to spend time with our other son and to give him the attention that he misses out on.

[LocalEditorRedbridge]

How about a food bank charity? www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects

Families all over the country, and within the Mumsnet community, are struggling to feed themselves.

[Littlefish]

I would support any domestic abuse or rape crisis charity nomination.

[Bunbaker]

Without Sheffield Children's Hospital DD, and a great many other children, wouldn't be here today. So I would like to nominate them.

DD has been a long term patient on and off for many years, and the dedication and the "leave no stone unturned until they get a firm diagnosis" view from the HCPs, plus support for the parents as well as the children has won my thanks and admiration over the years.

DD, on her own initiative has also done some fund raising herself without any prompting from me.

[ilovemonstersInc]

Bunbaker I mentioned Sheffield childrens too. They have been the only hospital who have done something to help ds. Like your dd without their help ds wouldn't be here today. Sheffield isnt our local hospital, hes been to 2 local hospitals here and 1 is a childrens hospital and they did very little compared to Sheffield. They have been absolutely amazing with his care and now hes struggling again they are the only people who are willing to help just need another referral as he was transferred back

[Bunbaker]

ilovemonstersInc I skim read the entire thread to see if the hospital had been mentioned, but I must have missed your post.

I hope all goes well for your DS

[Iamfrankieheck]

Another vote here for //pdasociety.org.uk

This organisation is doing such valuable work in trying to raise awareness for this condition, which is part of the Autistic spectrum but requires completely different handling.

They provided me with my 'light bulb moment' when I suddenly understood that PDA was what my child had. Years of visiting Pediatricians, SALT, OT, CAMHS, Educational and Clinical Psychologists and it was this little group on the internet that made me understand why my Son was struggling and provided my family with much needed support and strategies to help us help him.

All of the professionals above should have been able to tell me about this condition and help me sooner, but instead I had to educate them. Please help us make this the other way round.

Also, If you are reading this and don't know what PDA is...please click on the link

[ilovemonstersInc]

You too bunbaker

[gardeningmama]

I second cheapskatemum above in support of DifferentTogether A much needed (almost totally lacking) support for partners of those with Aspergers. DifferentTogether is a new project and would benefit greatly from this kind of recognition. Living with someone with Aspergers can have a hugely stressful and emotionally abusive effect on the NT (Neurologically Typical) partner and children can suffer badly too. Without support, these marriages can fail and children can carry emotional problems into their adolescence and beyond.

Mumsnet Giving is a great idea

[TittyNotSusan]

What a great idea!

Can I mention the charity I'm involved with? MedEquip4Kids provides equipment for neo natal and paediatric units that wouldn't otherwise be available. They fund the clown doctors previously mentioned and they also fund multisensory rooms, overnight beds, refurbishments of children's wards and outside play areas (eg recently at Countess of Chester and Burnley, shortly funding one at Stepping Hill in Stockport).

They have two projects that might fit well with MNers. They are working with paediatric continence teams across the UK to provide extra resources for families struggling with a disabled child. Things like musical potties and picture books. In particular focusing on children with learning and physical disabilities and those with anxiety etc.

Also they are about to launch a project working with CAMHS teams across the UK. They will be putting together boxes of resources for CAMHS professionals. Although the service is funded by NHS / LA, there is no budget for any extra resources for families eg picture books, stress toys for children with ADHD, emotions picture cards for children with ASD or trauma.

My DD has used equipment they provided throughout her life, and my niece was then in an incubator they provided when she was born at 30 weeks so it's a cause close to my heart.

[WickedWitchoftheNorthWest]

I love this initiative, what a great idea.

I'd like to nominate the Skelmersdale Ecumenical Centre. The centre does so much good work for this community which is the most deprived community in West Lancashire. They have a food bank, lunch club, charity shop, and lots of classes and activities for people of all ages. They are particularly strong on supporting local immigrant populations (and goodness knows with UKIP on the rise these communities need all the help they can get at the moment). They have a Polish dancing group, a Latvian club, and more.

At Christmas last year they distributed hundreds of extra food parcels with mince pies in, etc. and they also distributed Christmas presents for children of all ages. They do not include any Christian literature with the presents - in fact they give them to the parents unwrapped and also give them wrapping paper so they know what their children are getting as the parents wrap them themselves.

This centre is woefully under resourced and there is so much more they would like to do if they had the money, such as extending the food bank and having a soup kitchen (nearest soup kitchen is in Southport which is a long way and people needing to go there can't afford transportation). The centre has been running since 1972 but with all the cutbacks lately they are really struggling.

skelmersdaleecumenicalcentre.org/

[Tenrec]

Great idea. I suggest Haven House Children's Hospice, in Woodford. They do so much work and mean so much for the families and children who go there.

Also, YoungMinds. Okay, not small or local, but adolescent and child mental health is often overlooked in fundraising. I know my DC's schools, my work and so on have been involved in fundraising for charities for people affected by a variety of diseases, but never a mental health charity. There's so little support, CAMHS are stretched and to try and prevent/manage mental health problems in adults, mental health problems in children must be dealt with, but often aren't because of ignorance and stigma. There's still very little awareness of even adult mental health, and YoungMinds help professionals, adults and the children/teens recognise and manage their health problems. I know that with my MH issues, it can feel very isolating, and especially for kids, who will have their classmates saying things like 'that's mental' or 'schizo' and so on. Like I said, it's not local, but it doesn't have as much recognition as it should do.

[Tenrec]

Oh, this is YoungMinds and the real life stories are heartbreaking.

This is Haven House