Comic Relief

We are proud to partner once again with The London Standard for our Winter Campaign. Our CEO, Samir Patel says: "This winter over 300,000 people in the UK will face the bitter cold, without a place to sleep or call home. Many have lost everything — be it their home, safety or even loved ones — and spend every day full of fear and in urgent need of food and warmth. With your help, we can offer people support for a new beginning. Our joint appeal will provide safe accommodation, urgent food, essentials such as bedding, mental health support, and travel tickets so a young person who is seeking asylum or experiencing homelessness is able to get to school or a hospital appointment.” Donate today at: https://lnkd.in/exSAyaQg By supporting Comic Relief, you're giving someone more than just a warm coat or a hot meal. You're giving them the comfort of knowing that they matter, that someone cares. Because when people are safe in their home, they can put down roots with all the belonging and joy it brings.

A massive Thank You to our amazing suppliers, from Billy Monger and all of us on the Comic Relief team. Without you, Billy’s Ironman challenge would not have been possible. We captured this message with Billy during his training sessions (Pre-Kona!) but can now confirm that, with your help, Billy raised a jaw-dropping amount of money to make a real difference to those in poverty in the UK and around the world. There is still time to find out more about Billy’s challenge and donate here: https://bit.ly/billy_li Canyon Bicycles GmbH, SRAM, LLC, HUUB Design, Eko?, TriDot, Precision Fuel & Hydration, Dorset Orthopaedic Ottobock.care, ?ssur, DHL Express UK, Zwift, and the Weir Archer Academy.

This #BlackHistoryMonth, we’re proud to spotlight Imkaan, a Black and minoritised UK-based organisation committed to addressing all forms of violence against Black and minoritised women and girls. In the wake of this summer’s far-right riots, Imkaan has worked tirelessly to reclaim the narrative for Black women, providing safe spaces for healing and mobilising action to challenge racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia. Our emergency funding has helped Imkaan bring together their frontline member organisations, offering support to women and girls directly affected by the violence. These spaces allowed them to voice their fears, strategise for safety, and push for accountability from those in power. Imkaan continues to empower Black and minoritised women, reclaiming their stories and fighting for justice all year round, not just during Black History Month. We are proud to be part of this journey. Visit https://www.imkaan.org.uk/ for more information.

We are so proud of our partnership with Sainsbury's and the important work we’re doing together through our Nourish the Nation programme, to ensure that children have access to good food during the school holidays. We know that this can be a particularly challenging time for many families experiencing food poverty and were pleased to join Baroness Boycott in the House of Lords to discuss the importance of the Government led Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme and how Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief are working together to support this programme to ensure more children are able to access healthy and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

October 17th is the United Nation’s annual #DayForTheEradicationOfPoverty. Comic Relief are proud, as always, to champion our vision of a just world free from poverty.

This #KinshipCareWeek we would like to shine a light on the fantastic work from Kinship. ? Kinship's work helps kinship carers feel less isolated and more empowered, supporting them to come together as part of a community and build their skills and confidence to create positive change across society - so that life can be better for all families. Comic Relief are delighted to have supported Kinship in raising much needed awareness of kinship care and helping kinship carers campaign for the support that they so desperately need. #ThisIsKinshipCare

As Comic Relief heads into its 40th year, we are seeking a Chair and two new Trustees to help to drive us forward. At the heart of it, the “what” remains the same — delivering a just world, free from poverty — but the “how” is changing in order to respond to changing fundraising dynamics, grant-making dynamics and story-telling opportunities that are generated by the people we seek to support and impact. Our Board of Trustees bring a diversity of skills, experience and expertise who can turn those opportunities into reality. We are looking for individuals who will help ensure that Comic Relief keeps its place as a leading, iconic, global charity that has a special place in the hearts and laughs of the great British people — and most importantly, changes lives for the better as a result. If this sounds like you – we’d love to hear from you. Find out more at:?https://lnkd.in/e5_wHrFM

The Comic Relief team is thrilled to have won two prestigious Charity Times Awards! ?? Charity Leader of the Year?– A huge congratulations to our CEO, Samir Patel, for his outstanding leadership and dedication to helping this organisation pivot towards the future. We appreciate him so much, and he is truly deserving of this award. ???Charity with the Best Social Media Presence?– We are incredibly proud to be recognised for our Social Media presence. A big thank you to our partners at TikTok for helping us push the boundaries of charity comms. Both achievements are a testament to the hard work, creativity, and passion of everyone at Comic Relief – and, of course, to our amazing partners and supporters. As we head into our 40th year, we’d like to say - we’re only getting started - onwards!

As part of our ongoing work towards a just world, free from poverty, Comic Relief is proud to support partners tackling injustices suffered by racially minoritised and migrant communities in the UK. We found the recent racist and Islamophobic hatred and violence in the UK deplorable. Our partners have spoken with us about the impact of this violence, and we recognise their urgent need for additional support. We have responded by offering extension funding to all existing Comic Relief UK grantees working with racially minoritised and migrant communities. This additional emergency funding will help vital work supporting those who have been most affected. Whilst we are pleased to see that the terrible violence of recent weeks has appeared to have ended, its impact, and subsequent recovery, will be felt deeply across communities well into the future. We are committed to continuing to partner with organisations that tackle the injustices that keep people held back and support those experiencing inequity.If this is affecting you, there are links to resources available at:?comicrelief.com/support

Exciting news! We are thrilled to announce the appointment of two new trustees. Joining our wonderfully dedicated board of trustees, Tess Alps and Marc Nohr will use their passion, leadership, and extensive creative experience to support Comic Relief’s vision of a just world free from poverty. Tess has amassed a wealth of marketing and advertising experience throughout her career having worked with the likes of Channel 4, ITV, The Royal Academy of Arts and the Advertising Standards Authority. She was the founding CEO, and latterly the Chair, of Thinkbox – the central marketing body for commercial TV – and has also served as the UK Chair of global media agency PHD. Now a member of BAFTA, Tess is also currently a non-executive director at Channel 4. Marc joins our board having spent the last 30 years leading advertising and marketing services agencies both here in the UK and around the world. Advising some of the biggest brands in the world including NGOs and major public institutions.?His agencies?have earned over 175 awards for?creativity and effectiveness – while individually he has been awarded three?Fellowships for his contribution to the marketing industry. Marc is currently chairman of cultural and arts centre JW3 and is an Executive Coach to CEOs across a variety of sectors. Interim Chair Tom Shropshire said ‘On behalf of Comic Relief, we are delighted to be welcoming Tess and Marc to the Board. We are very fortunate to have their skills, experience, and expertise around the Board table and, together with their passion for Comic Relief, we are even more confident in our ability to deliver impact and help to create a just world, free from poverty.