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  1. Fashion Fundraiser raises £1,642 for charities Advocacy Focus and Lancashire Women

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    On Wednesday 16th October, Advocacy Focus held an amazing Fashion Fundraiser with Lancashire Women!

    The event took place at the beautiful Mitton Hall, and it was a night full of fashion, fun, and community spirit. Guests watched a fabulous fashion show from Willow Tree Boutique, shopped at local stalls, and donated to our “Gift of Glam” appeal. A stall full of preloved items with a call to recycle and reuse whilst raising vital funds.

    Together, we raised an incredible £1,642! This money will be shared equally between Lancashire Women and Advocacy Focus and will provide local services for local people.

    Special Thank You To Our Supporters

    • Our amazing sponsor, PM+M, for supporting this event from the start.
    • Lancashire Women, for being with us on this journey and helping to make a difference.
    • The 10 incredible local businesses that had stalls at our event – you helped make it happen!
    • Our fantastic team, for your hard work and creativity.
    • And of course, our wonderful attendees and fashionistas! Your support and energy made the night truly special and will help us continue the important work our charities do.

    Your Support, Our Impact:

    Thanks to fundraising, our work helps create real change across Lancashire:

    7,000+ people received important advocacy services this year, helping them speak up and be listened to in important decisions.

    236 people have been supported through our Burnley Community Focus Hub, making sure local people can access vital resources.

    151 people have been connected with essential services and support networks through our Community Focus Hub for help with health, housing, and social care.

    52 hours of community support is provided every month.

    Together, we are building stronger, more resilient communities and ensuring that everyone is listened to and heard. Thank you for standing with us!

    Support the Work We Do

    We are so grateful for the support we have had for this event, and we welcome anyone who would like to continue to help us. If you would like to support our work, the JustGiving pages for both our charities are included below:

    Advocacy Focus JustGiving page.

    Lancashire Women JustGiving page.

    Looking to #BoostYourBusiness?

    We would love to discuss how Advocacy Focus can become your chosen charity. This could be through a one-time fundraising campaign or as your ‘charity of the year.’ Read about how CUBE HR chose us as their ‘charity of the year’ for 2024.

    In return for your support, we can create a special corporate and social responsibility package that will benefit both your team and your business whilst helping local people.

    Email: marketing@advocacyfocus.org.uk

  2. Breaking Barriers 2024: Reflections On a Day

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    “So today is about finding solutions so that people can access the care and support they need.”

    – Justine Forster, CEO at Advocacy Focus

    Thursday 21st March 2024 saw the return of our long-awaited Breaking Barriers conference. With over 100 attendees, the day featured ground-breaking talks and workshops from leading sector experts and professionals from health and social care and beyond.

    Our Breaking Barriers conferences are dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of the importance of advocacy and the impact it has on our communities.

    Sharing knowledge and experiences through events such as this is key to breaking down the barriers that stop people from receiving the right care and treatment.

    Hosted by Jake Mills, CEO of Chasing the Stigma, the day featured the following speakers and topics:

    Our headline speakers:

    • Neil Allen from 39 Essex Chambers discussed ‘Making the best use of Deprivations of Liberty Safeguards’.
    • Laura Ingham from Armed Forces HQ raised awareness on ‘Advocating for the armed forces community’.
    • Darren from Mission Impossible, Trafford Self-Advocacy Group talked about ‘The Importance of Self-Advocacy.’
    • Justine Forster and Leanne Hignett from Advocacy Focus discussed ‘The Six Ps’ and the importance of self-advocacy and prevention.
    • Ellie Bradley from Advocacy Focus shared ‘Reflections a year on: Advocacy for Autistic People in Mental Health Inpatient Settings’

    Our workshops:

    • Philippa Curran from Odonnells – ‘Welfare Matters’
    • Sophie Maloney from Stephensons Solicitors (our headline sponsor) – ‘Capacity, social media and the internet’
    • Malcolm Johnson from Lime Solicitors – ‘The Rights of Looked after Unaccompanied Asylum Seeker Children’

    • Demi Houghton from Advocacy Focus – ‘Challenging Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards’
    • Kate Mercer from Kate Mercer Training – ‘You can’t do mountaineering in your lunch break; what it takes to deliver awesome advocacy’
    • Helen Barker and Faye Doherty from Irwin Mitchell – ‘Capacity to sexual relations’

    Barriers Broken

    The core mission of Breaking Barriers has always been to ignite lasting change well beyond the event’s conclusion.

    Reviewing the feedback we have received from attendees, we have done just that.

    Keeping up to date with legislation, championing fairness, and amplifying the voices of those who often go unheard are vital steps in realising our vision. And how barriers are easier to break when we work together.

    Our Breaking Barriers events serve as a timely reminder of this.

    “We need to give people straightforward access to advocacy and wider services. If we can’t help people, we will partner with someone who can.”

    – Justine Forster, CEO at Advocacy Focus

    *Images courtesy of Liz Henson Photography.

    Give a #cuppakindness and support our Community Cuppa campaign.

    We are currently running a fundraiser for our Community Focus Hub in Burnley to provide a warm space where people can visit our team and volunteers, grab a free cuppa, information, and advice, and most importantly stay awhile in a safe space free from judgement.

    We have a recommended donation of £5, but any amount would be appreciated. Please help us by sharing this with your networks if you can.

    Donate through Just Giving

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