THE Blue Lamp Foundation is asking people support its work through text giving, this Emergency Services Day.

The Foundation chose March 1, St David’s Day, as Emergency Services Day, in memory of the charity’s founder David Rathband, to not only celebrate his achievements, but the work of all our emergency service heroes.

The Foundation knows that the public value the work of the emergency services and that they are there when we need them.  This campaign will mean that the Foundation is there when the emergency services need help and support after being injured in the line of duty.

Charity Chairman Peter Sweeney, said: “This will be the Blue Lamp Foundation’s fourth national Emergency Services Day and we want to ask everyone to join us in celebrating the work carried out by our emergency services, by donating a couple of pounds through text giving.

“We want to build on this day, building awareness and making it more successful, year on year.”

The day follows the example of the United States, which already has a National Emergency Medical Services Week, supported by the American College of Emergency Physicians, bringing together local communities and medical personnel to honour the dedication of those who provide day-to-day emergency services on the front line.

PC David Rathband was shot and blinded whilst on duty with Northumbria Police, on July 4, 2010. He had the idea of starting a charity from his hospital bed. His charity, The Blue Lamp Foundation, has gone on to provide emergency financial aid to cover the unexpected costs of emergency personnel injured in the line of duty.

In the last year, the Blue Lamp Foundation has financially supported organisations working to rehabilitate emergency services staff injured in then line of duty, as well as provided individual grants to emergency services personnel.

Members of the public, who want to join the Blue Lamp Foundation’s text giving campaign, this St David’s Day, should text a message saying BLUE01 £2 To 70070 (to donate £2) or BLUE01 £3 to 70070 (to donate £3). All text messages are free from all networks.

Peter Sweeney added: “We are very proud of our work in The Blue Lamp Foundation and are committed to continuing to deliver David’s vision for helping his emergency services colleagues in appropriate circumstances.”

-ENDS-

For further information, contact:

Sharron Ashurst, PR Director, 07775 801471 email: s.ashurst@bluelamp-foundation.org

PC David Rathband’s Blue Lamp Foundation is delighted to be part of Police Charities UK which lists all charities that support the Police family in one place.

The new website acts as a reference guide for anyone who may need to access help and support from the various UK Police charities. To find out more about Police Charities UK and the charities which are part of it, please click here.

The work of the Blue Lamp Foundation is 365 days a year and the support we’re able to give to our injured emergency services heroes is making a difference.  Did you know you can do your bit to help us to help them through payroll giving?

Payroll Giving is a flexible scheme which allows anyone who pays UK income tax to give regularly and on a tax free basis to the charities and good causes of their choice.

Payroll Giving donations are deducted before tax so each £1.00 you give will only cost you 80p, and if you’re a higher rate tax payer it will only cost you 60p.

Payroll Giving (also known as Give As You Earn or workplace giving) is a cheaper way to give to charity because its tax free – for example, a donation of £5 per month costs the basic rate tax payer £4.00 (the taxman pays the rest!)

Higher rate taxpayers- the only way to pass on your 40% or 45% tax to charities. Only 28% can be recouped via other ways of giving.

Start your New Year with a good deed and sign up to support The Blue Lamp Foundation and our injured emergency services heroes.  Thank you.

A very big thank you to Mental Health Nurse Paul Kerrigan who recently completed the Mersey Tunnel 10k and raised nearly £300 for our charity.

Paul took on the event and the chance to raise some money for charity after being shocked by Home Office statistics showing the number of our emergency services heroes who’ve been assaulted whilst on duty.

Paul said: “The newly published grim statistics for on-duty police officers, paramedics, nurses, doctors, NHS staff and firefighters show injury and assault rates now at record highs.  Personally, I do think there has never been a more urgent need for medical, financial and rehabilitative support for all three of our emergency services at a time of huge cuts to public services.

“Before we allow others to complain about response times and performance, let us provide the safety net for those that provide one to us, day in, day out.  Let’s honor the legacy of our fallen emergency service personnel in a practical way for the benefit of all those currently serving and in turn, the public they serve. Only we can make it happen.”

Congratulations on your achievement Paul on behalf of everyone here at the Foundation!

The Blue Lamp Foundation is looking forward to being able to help more injured emergency services personnel thanks to the proceeds from a charity golf day.

The event held at Kent and Surrey Golf and Country Club and organised by Peter Whatmore, Anti-Social Behaviour, Domestic abuse and Housing specialist, raised £2,200 on the day thanks to the generosity of those taking part.

The golfers arrived to somewhat foggy weather but that soon cleared and they enjoyed the sunshine for the rest of the day.

Congratulations to Sharratts who had the winning team and to the overall winner Ben Halsey.

Peter Whatmore said: “We hold this charity golf day annually and this year I wanted to support our emergency services in a way that helps injured officers and their families.”

Peter Sweeney, Chairman of PC David Rathband’s Blue Lamp Foundation, said: “We are very grateful to Peter and all those who took part in this charity golf day as the Foundation relies solely on donations and fundraising efforts of those in our communities.  The money raised will pay for two of our injured emergency services personnel to attend a residential rehabilitation programme covering physical and or mental injuries suffered as a result of being on duty.”

Special thanks go to the team at Kent and Surrey Golf and Country Club for all of their hard work before and on the day and to all of the event sponsors:

• Mears Group = longest drive
• MHS Homes = nearest pin
• Clarke Willmott solicitors = nearest the pin
• Armour Group = four ball London club + hole sponsor
• K & T Heating = trophy sponsor + hole sponsor
• Jenner Group = hole sponsor
• Martin Arnold = hole sponsor
• Calfordseaden = hole sponsor
• Capsticks = hole sponsor
• Groundscapes = hole sponsor golf pic Me Jonathan Tom
• Cleanscapes = hole sponsor
• Low carbon Exchange = hole sponsor
• Kent and Surrey Golf club who donated a four-ball

Most fundraisers choose a cause close to their heart as well as setting themselves a personal goal or challenge.  For Becks Richards from West Yorkshire it was also the experience of a friend and colleague that prompted her to lace up her running shoes for charity.

Becks has signed up for the Asics Greater Manchester Marathon and will join the 15000 plus fun runners and athletes at the event on Sunday 2^nd April.

As part of her challenge, Becks has pledged to raise funds for PC David Rathband’s Blue Lamp Foundation after a colleague at West Yorkshire Police suffered mental and emotional injuries due to her role as a Road Traffic Accident investigator was helped and supported by the Foundation.

Becks said: “Listening to the plight of a fellow colleague, who has served in the Police Force for 21 years, and finding out that there was nothing available until she discovered PC David Rathband’s Blue Lamp Foundation.   I had to do something to help, choosing to fund raise for a specific charity had to be something close to my heart.

“The emergency services are there when we need them.  The Blue Lamp Foundation provides support to any Ambulance, Police or Fire personnel who are injured in the course of duty.

“I enjoy running and exercising, so to run the Manchester marathon for a charity that is entirely funded through private donations, seemed the least I could do to help.”

Becks has set herself a target of £750 and she’s already well on her way to achieving that.  Please help and support her if you can via her JustGiving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Rebecca-Richards74

Best of luck to Becks with her training and fundraising!

The Blue Lamp Foundation has united with other police charities to improve access for officers and their loved ones.

More than 20 organisations attended the Police Charities UK launch, signalling their commitment to work in partnership and share best practice, experience and resources to provide the best support possible to the wider policing ‘family’.

A new website was also unveiled: www.policecharitiesuk.org, which will signpost those in need to the correct organisation.

Blue Lamp Chairman Peter Sweeney signed the Police Charities UK pledge on behalf of the Foundation.

National Police Chaplain, Revd Canon David Wilbraham, said: “Unfortunately, given the nature of policing, sometimes things go wrong. Police officers get injured or are sadly sometimes killed in the line of duty. There are several excellent organisations providing specialist help and treatment and others who are there to pick up the pieces for families when officers are tragically killed. But sometimes it can be confusing knowing where to turn. Today is the start of a new joined up approach which will hopefully make it easier to access the services of various police charities.

“We have also included the Northern Irish, Welsh and Scottish charities because there are no borders in the policing family and there have always been historical ties between the countries and our respective police forces.”

Also attending the event was the Director General of Crime, Policing and Fire Group Paul Lincoln who spoke of the Home Office’s support for the initiative.

Policing and Fire Minister Brandon Lewis said: “Police charities play an incredibly important role in caring, rehabilitating and supporting police officers, staff and their families. Police Charities UK will help organisations across the voluntary sector work more collaboratively and further improve the valuable services they provide.

“Police officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe on behalf of the public and in sad and tragic circumstances we must make sure they and their families receive support when they need it most.”

PFEW Chair Steve White said: “The charities involved will remain separate entities in their own right but in a sector with busy and varied demands, we identified a need to forge stronger relations between those carrying out this important work. Working together in this way will enable charities to identify common goals, avoid duplication and maximise resources at a time when budgets are increasingly constrained.”

 

 

THE Blue Lamp Foundation is asking people support its work through text giving, this Emergency Services Day.

The Foundation chose Saturday, March 1, St David’s Day, as Emergency Services Day, in memory of the charity’s founder David Rathband, to not only celebrate his achievements, but the work of all our emergency service heroes.

The Foundation knows that the public value the work of the emergency services and that they are there when we need them.  This campaign will mean that the Foundation is there when the emergency services need help and support after being injured in the line of duty.

Charity Chairman Peter Sweeney, said: “This will be the Blue Lamp Foundation’s fourth national Emergency Services Day and we want to ask everyone to join us in celebrating the work carried out by our emergency services, by donating a couple of pounds through text giving.

“We want to build on this day, building awareness and making it more successful, year on year.”

The day follows the example of the United States, which already has a National Emergency Medical Services Week, supported by the American College of Emergency Physicians, bringing together local communities and medical personnel to honour the dedication of those who provide day-to-day emergency services on the front line.

 

PC David Rathband was shot and blinded whilst on duty with Northumbria Police, on July 4, 2010. He had the idea of starting a charity from his hospital bed. His charity, The Blue Lamp Foundation, has gone on to provide emergency financial aid to cover the unexpected costs of emergency personnel injured in the line of duty.

In the last year, the Blue Lamp Foundation has financially supported organisations working to rehabilitate emergency services staff injured in then line of duty, as well as provided individual grants to emergency services personnel.

Members of the public, who want to join the Blue Lamp Foundation’s text giving campaign, this St David’s Day, should text a message saying BLUE01 £2 To 70070 (to donate £2) or BLUE01 £3 to 70070 (to donate £3). All text messages are free from all networks.

Peter Sweeney added: “We are very proud of our work in The Blue Lamp Foundation and are committed to continuing to deliver David’s vision for helping his emergency services colleagues in appropriate circumstances.”

-ENDS-

For further information, contact:

Sharron Ashurst, PR Director, 07775 801471 email: s.ashurst@bluelamp-foundation.org

 

A Police Constable from the British Transport Police is the latest member of the emergency services to show their support for the Blue Lamp Foundation by taking on a personal challenge to raise funds.

Laura Burrows, pictured here in a recent half marathon, is well underway with her training for this year’s Brighton Marathon which takes place on Sunday 9^th April.

Laura said: “As a serving Police Officer this charity is close to my heart. I can genuinely see the need for this and I want to do everything I can to help raise more much needed money to assist those in need injured protecting and serving the public.

“This is my first marathon, I’m so excited! Training is going well and I completed a half marathon last Sunday which went really well! It’s hard fitting it all in around my 3 and 4-year-old girls and working but I’m getting there! Money is coming in thick and fast and I’ve already hit my target and hoping to double it!”

Laura is hoping to raise as much money as she can for the Foundation.  You can help her by pledging a donation on her JustGiving page: http://www.justgiving.com/Lauraburrows1213

If you are taking on your own challenge in 2017 and would like to join Laura raising money to help injured emergency services personnel, please contact us: info@bluelamp-foundation.org.  #injuredonduty #999heroes #doingmybit

We’re looking to share the love this Valentine’s Day and support our injured emergency services heroes. #injuredonduty So we’re delighted to announce that we’re introducing a simple and straightforward way for anyone to support The Blue Lamp Foundation via payroll giving. Payroll Giving allows a small regular amount, of the individual’s choosing, to be donated to the Foundation.  For every £1 donated, those on 20% tax will pay only 80p, and 40% tax payers will pay only 60p as the donations qualify for Gift Aid. You can opt to give as little or as much as you like and the money will go directly to helping our 999 heroes who are injured on duty. To read about some of those we have been able to help and see how your money could make a difference, please visit our website. If you would like to promote Payroll giving via your service intranet or notice board, please let us know and we will send you all the necessary links and graphics. The Blue Lamp Foundation doesn’t receive any government support and all of our funds come from the generosity of the emergency services and the general public who appreciate the work our 999 heroes do everyday. If you’re interested in signing up to payroll giving please click here