Yes, we're that old already...Move On is turning 25 in September!

To celebrate, we're hoping to raise £25,000 to help us change lives for another 25 years - and we need your help!

But first off, let's refresh; who are Move On, what have we been doing for 25 years, and why should you help us do it for another 25?

Move On is a mentoring, employability and support charity, providing opportunities to change lives. We work with vulnerable people of all ages, particularly young people aged 14-25, supporting them in taking their next steps to lead an independent, fulfilling life.

The people we support are vulnerable, often for many reasons including poor mental health, addiction, care experience, homelessness, and debt. Many have experienced trauma, neglect and abuse. Lack of opportunity has often led to them achieving few qualifications and skills, experiencing low levels of confidence and motivation as a result. Our services offer people the chance to find their path.

We also run two social enterprises - Move On Wood Recyling (MOWR), and FareShare Glasgow & the West of Scotland (FSGWS). MOWR is a sustainable wood recycling service and retail business, while FSGWS is a regional centre for surplus food redistribution charity FareShare. In addition to their key missions of tackling poverty and waste, both social enterprises are actively involved in our work supporting employability in our community.

We're really proud of the fact that our support is person-led, and comes in a range of formats. Through services such as employability training, careers advice, literacy and numeracy support, and much, much more, we're helping fight socio-economic inequality by providing everyone who comes through our door with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Through our social enterprises, we're also working to fight poverty and food insecurity amongst groups often left on the margins of our society, as well as tackling climate change by reducing food and water waste, and the unnecessary release of harmful greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.

Most importantly, we continue to believe in our people, even when they've never been given the chance to truly believe in themselves.

It's a big mission, and we're so proud of what we've achieved over the last 25 years. That's why we're taking our 25th birthday as an opportunity to tell our story, raise awareness around our cause, and most importantly, raise funds.

The last two years in particular have presented a challenge across the third sector, as we work to raise increasingly hard to access funds. Add to that the cost of living crisis, which sees our services more in demand than ever, and you have a great reason why we want to make the most out of this special landmark.

That's why we're asking for your help. We're brimming over with ideas for what we'd like to in the next 25 minutes, never mind the next 25 years. £25,000 will help us change so many lives - we'd love for you to be a part of it!

There are loads of ways you could get involved! For example, you could hold your own individual fundraiser - it can be big or small! In-person events are now possible again for the first time in over two years; why not take advantage, and help us out in the process! You could hold a bakesale, set a personal fitness challenge, arrange a fun event in the office; all ideas welcome!

Or if you'd rather get involved in one of our fundraisers, members of the Move On team will be taking part in the Edinburgh Kiltwalk on the 18th September - the same month as our birthday! With all funds raised matched at 50% by The Hunter Foundation, it's an amazing chance to really maximise sponsorship. We'd LOVE for you to join us! You can join our "25 Years of Move On" team and meet our founder and some of our staff members, or form your own group. Just remember to select Move On as your charity! With distances between 5, 15 and 24 miles, there's a route available for everyone. You can sign up here - we're more than happy to help you with any questions on registering!

We'll also be releasing an FSGWS charity cookbook - complete with a VIP guest submission! Keep an eye on our socials to find out how to get your hands on it.

We also know that you're really busy. If you don't have time for a fundraiser - we get it! It's so important to us that we hit our target though, so if you can give any kind of donation, it would be so appreciated.

The cost of changing a life varies so much. Just £5, for example, will allow a vulnerable young person to meet their mentor for a hot chocolate, receiving some much-needed support in the process. £10 lets us feed a family of 4 suffering from food insecurity. On the other hand, £500 would let a disadvantaged young person train for their forklift licence, while £2500 would fund them to receive their full van drivers licence, training, and forklift licence - offering them the essential skills to find their pathway to a lifelong driving career.

No donation towards this amount is too small, and every penny will help change a life.

We are so grateful for your support! We're also here to help - if you need support with your fundraiser, including branded materials, don't hesitate to contact rachel@moveon.org.uk - we want to hear about everything you're doing, so please get in touch.

Here's to the next 25! #25YearsOfMoveOn