Kingstrust Network
Gateway charity shops

 Urgent Appeal for Funds 

30 March 2020:  Dear Friends,

Due to Coronavirus Gateway and Kingstrust Network urgently needs your help. We're a small charity and most of our funding comes from sales from our shops in Withernsea and Filey. We have been slowly moving over to other fundraising streams like grants but we've been caught out as many have by the Coronavirus pandemic.

inside the Withernsea community care hub     inside the Filey drop in centre
Inside the Withernsea community care hub                Inside the Filey drop in centre

Since our shops are in seaside towns we are normally very short of money at this time of year (March), because seaside towns largely shut down for the months of January through March. For this reason the Coronavirus pandemic has hit us extra hard coming just at our seasonal low point. Our income, instead of rising, has fallen to zero with both shops now closed. There are things that we bought to sell at Easter, that will now not be sold, but we still have to pay for them.

I want you to know that we don't qualify for the chancellor's small business relief grant of £10,000 that's being automatically given to all small business in England. It's because we're a registered charity! Can you believe that? Small 'for-profit' shops are getting £10,000 from the government and they pay no rates. Our not-for-profit shops get nothing at all and we have to pay rates and full rent on two premises. It's just not fair!

We have one advantage though: you! You can help us in our £10,000 fundraising drive. We are just 5-weeks away from financial collapse, but with your help we can carry on delivering the services that are desperately needed at this time. Please read on.

Support for those in isolation from Withernsea community care hub

Our Gateway Withernsea shop closed at the end of January in order to be re-launched on Saturday 7th March as the Gateway Community Hub. It was just in time to be a 'hub' for a community in lockdown. The manager 'Sarah Harries' and the staff of volunteers have excelled themselves during the Coronavirus epidemic turning the hub into a distribution centre for food and other essentials for the self-isolating and vulnerable in the community of Withernsea and the surrounding area.

Our Filey shop is now closed, but it's not just a shop. It's a drop-in centre for the community of Filey, a haven for the lonely and vulnerable in that community.

Should the government be funding this vital work? - absolutely it should; but is it? - no, definitely not! Can you help us - yes please. You can provide the funds that our small business neighbours are getting by responding to this appeal with your best donation, however small. I'm personally putting in £1,000 of my own money and so we're already 10% of the way there. That's a huge amount for me personally, so please help us and make up the remaining 90%.

Latest update 12/04/2020
It's Easter Sunday and I'm overwhelmed by your generosity! We started this fundraising campaign on 30 March, just two weeks ago and we have raised over £9,000 (including gift aid). We need just a little more to get to our total. From Sarah, Mel, myself and all of the team of volunteers can I say thank you, thank you very much.

Please note: you can still give to the appeal here.

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Kingstrust Network CIO charity registered in England number 1161181 © 2013-2020 --- Last updated 15 April 2020