Charities for Michaelmas 2006

Alzheimer's Society:

  • The Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading care and research charity for people with dementia, their families and carers.
  • Money raised will help the Alzheimer’s Society carry on providing support to people with dementia and their families and fund research to find a much-needed cure. The website address is www.alzheimers.org.uk
  • Anyone can help raise money for the Society not only by taking part in marathons but also walks, cycling or even overseas challenges organised by the Society

  • The Society has over 25,000 members and over 250 branches and support groups

  • Dementia affects over 750 000 people in the UK.

  • Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia (making up 55 per cent of all cases of dementia.)
  • There are nearly 18 million people with dementia in the world.

COIN:

COIN works directly with individuals and households. Our focus is action-centred. We educate and inform people on the impacts and challenges of climate change, and demonstrate the practical steps that people can take to reduce these impacts.

We identify both the opportunities that enable people to reduce their emissions and the many obstacles that hold people back. We devise innovative and effective ways of communication that encourage people to share this experience.

We recognise that individuals cannot make the required changes on their own. We aim to create a powerful and vocal community of people working together to move technology, government and business forward to reduce emissions and make real and lasting changes to the way we live.

  • All our projects will demonstrate that our vision of stabilising greenhouse gas emissions is practically attainable. COIN believes that the solutions are already here. With small changes in the way we live and the application of simple technologies we can all reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases and build a clean, just and sustainable low carbon future.

MEND:

MEND UK is the fundraising and awareness-raising arm of MEND Palestine. MEND has no political affiliations, and does not discriminate: women and men from many nationalities, religions and political affiliations work at MEND. It engages primarily with grass-roots and mid-levels of society. MEND UK’s main focus is its work with children and youths. Projects include conflict resolution workshops in schools, summer camps, localised youth groups promoting non-violence, and participatory video training designed to empower women. One current project is the Active Non-violence Network: e.g. the Tul Karem group performs plays in local schools, gives regular gender workshops, and now has over 500 volunteers from the surrounding area. MEND also trains school counsellors in non-violence and conflict resolution (including ex-Hamas militants).

Headway:

Headway is the leading UK charity dedicated to the care and support of people affected by brain injury, with more than 100 groups and branches throughout the country. It is estimated that there are 420,000 people of working age living with the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury in England. However, they form a sector of society that is largely neglected in terms of its needs. There is often vast potential for recovery, given the right rehabilitation, and most brain injury survivors and their families will need other services besides rehabilitation throughout their lives. However, the NHS offers limited support, and often patients are dispatched after successful surgery into unspecialised wards where their chances of recovery are severely constricted. A brain injury can happen to anyone, but the right recovery and support for survivors and their families can make the difference between an existence and a full and fulfilling life.

Book Aid:

Book Aid International works in 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Palestine, providing over half a million books and journals each year to libraries, hospitals, refugee camps and schools.

Books are the basic tools of literacy and education yet millions of children and adults across the developing world do not have access to them.

Books can make a real difference to people's lives. Farmers, nurses, mechanics, development workers and teachers all need books and information to support their work. Children and students must be encouraged to use books to develop their education and lifelong learning.

The majority of our support goes to rural and urban libraries which are free and accessible to everyone. Book Aid International works with library partners to develop their pivotal role in the community.

For the longer term Book Aid International is supporting the growth of local publishing and bookselling so that affordable books can be produced which reflect the local languages and culture.