This April i will be packing my rucksack and i will be embarking on a trip from Sheffield to Poland. Last year Bummit raised over £66,000 for charity on their trek from Sheffield to Budapest, this year we are hoping to beat it.

We have 7 days to reach the Polish city of Krakow on a budget of 15 pounds with a halfway point in-between. Never having the experience of hitch hiking, this trip will be challenging and exhausting but i am nevertheless looking forward to the experience.

So please dig deep and sponsor!

All of your donations go to the charities supported by Sheffield Rag, these include:

1.    SUST - Sheffield User Survivor Trainers (local)

They are a network of mental health trainers who offer mental health service training in Sheffield and the South Yorkshire area. The charity offers a variety of courses to help those suffering with mental health problems, such as depression and self harm. What makes the charity so great is that it continues to help users by encouraging them to become trainers themselves; this in turn enables them to confront their problems and increase their confidence. Both the trainers and the users of the charity benefit. Here are a few examples of training courses that the SUST offers -

• Depression Awareness / Improving Access to Psychological Therapies
• Mental Health and Vocational Rehabilitation
• Mental Health Service User Empowerment
• Mental Health: Stigma and Discrimination
• Mental Wealth: Positive and Negative Aspects of Recovery
• Physical and Mental Health: A Joint Approach
• The Best Medicine: Laughter Workshop
• Understanding Self-Harm
• Using Creative Writing for Mental Health
• Working with Depression and Anxiety

2.    Doncaster Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Service (local)

Open five days a week, the service offers free one to one counselling (both at the centre and by telephone) to those who have experienced rape and sexual abuse. At present, the service is open to both genders above the age of 14 but they are aiming to lower the age limit. Those who have suffered from a form of sexual abuse may feel that they have no one to confide or seek advice from; it is services such as this that provide the answer. However, the service will only continue to be successful if it remains free for its users. The money you raise will contribute towards the wage for a full time member of staff.

 

3.    Operation Florian (International)

OF is unlike any charity that Bummit has supported before. This a global charity that provides equipment and training to improve fire fighting capabilities in areas of the world that are most in need. OF was established in 1995. After Croatia and Bosnia were damaged by the war, much of their fire fighting equipment was destroyed. Firefighters from the ‘Defence Fire Service’ decided that they wanted to help more, and thus Operation Florian began. Now, they have increased links with Croatia and operate in 20 charities. They work in conjunction with a wide variety of international organisations from the Kosovo Protection Force to the United Nation, and incredibly they run ENTIRELY by volunteers. This highlights how much the charity relies on donations, especially considering that practically 100% of funds are converted into aids. We are hoping to buy a fire engine for OF, which can be used time and time again!

 

 

4.    S.A.L.V.E (International)

 

We donated £1200 of the BabyBummit funds to S.A.L.V.E but would like to support them in a bigger way from our main hitch. S.A.L.V.E helps orphaned and rejected children living on the streets of Jina, eastern Uganda by taking them off the streets and into a school which provides them with much needed care, including counselling and most importantly, education. This education is vital for the children if they are to start a better life for themselves; many have been abandoned on the streets. S.A.L.V.E does not only help the children but also the wider community, for example encouraging women to trade the jewellery that they make. The work that the charity undertakes is fantastic but of course there is much room for expansion in order to benefit more of the community. Thus, donations are crucial.

Please check out the websites for further information, they are all fantastic:

 

SUST -     http://yourvoicesheffield.org/etc1/

DRASACS - http://www.drasacs.org/

Operation Florian - http://www.operationflorian.com/

S.A.L.V.E. International - http://www.salveinternational.org/

 Any help is greatly appreciated,