(Image: Dorothy ‘Dolly’ Tomlinson. A fundraider was set up in memory of Dolly, which raised over £1,000 for ABF)
Local mental health and wellbeing charity Advance Brighter Futures (ABF) wants to offer its thanks to all the people who have created fundraisers to support the charity recently, as these funds are needed now, more than ever, due to the ongoing pandemic.
“A VITAL SUPPORT TO US”
Lorrisa Roberts, Chief Officer at ABF, said: “We’d like to express a heartfelt thanks to all the people who have picked ABF for their fundraisers, as these have been a vital support to us. Whether it’s a birthday fundraiser, or done in memory of a loved one, these have all really helped us to continue our work in the community.
“Sometimes we get forgotten about a bit, and people tend to choose bigger, national charities for such things, but when you pick a small charity such as ourselves the money goes directly to helping people in your local area. So, a big thank you goes to everyone involved…these fundraisers have been so important to us throughout the pandemic.”
OVER £1,000 WAS RAISED RECENTLY!
One of these fundraisers totaled an incredible £1,040 recently, which the charity is incredibly grateful for. £690 of this was raised through Facebook, plus a further £350 was donated offline. This fundraiser was set up in memory of Dorothy ‘Dolly’ Tomlinson who passed away last month, aged 85, by Dolly’s granddaughter Linsey Cavanagh.
Linsey said: “Dolly always looked out for everyone. She taught her family to stick together and not be scared to talk to each other if they felt they down. She was such a loving, caring person and we have all been so lucky to have her in our lives.”
Supporting mental health was very important to Dolly as her son Wayne sadly died from suicide 30 years ago, at just 25 years of age.
“MASSIVELY AFFECTED BY THE LOSS OF HER SON”
Linsey explains: “Dolly was extremely family oriented and was massively affected by the loss of her son 30 years ago. Whilst that was the case, she would always look to find the positives in everything.
“Dolly always said that she wished that there was a place, 30 years ago, that Wayne could have gone to chat with people and talk about his troubles. It was totally unexpected as he was such a fun, loving person with lots to live for.”
Linsey and the family also believe that Dolly would be happy that the funds raised are supporting a smaller, local charity as this is something she always tried to do throughout her life.
Linsey added: “We were looking for a local mental health charity that helps local people and a friend of my brothers recommended Advance Brighter Futures. Dolly always believed that local charities would get overlooked for bigger charities and always believed that whilst national charities are good, local charities can have an impact on people in person. Dolly would always ensure she supported local charities as much as she could.”
If you would like to create a Facebook fundraiser for Advance Brighter Futures, please check out the ABF Facebook page, which has information on how to set one up.
Or if you think you can help ABF with its fundraising efforts in a different way, please email Cath@abfwxm.co.uk
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