The Dan Eley Foundation has raised just under £18,000 in just a month through its pop-up shop in Godalming High Street, completely surpassing its initial goal of raising £12,000-£15,000!
The pop-up shop was organised and run by the charity between 28 June and 23 July in partnership with Waverley Borough Council and Godalming Town Council. The charity, which runs a number of outreach projects and funding initiatives, is held with huge affection in the community and garnered the support of 30 volunteers as well as generous donations from people across Surrey.
The charity has a history of using its funds to provide support to organisations and families in need in Waverley. Previously, the Dan Eley Foundation has provided funding to local schools and has earmarked some of the money raised to go towards extra tuition, emotional support and music lessons. In addition, the funding will go towards providing emergency funds for young people in need who may have recently been made homeless to provide money for hostels and essentials to help them get back on their feet, as well as providing funds for training courses for young people from underprivileged backgrounds looking to kick start their career.
Charity Secretary and mother of Dan Eley, Carolyn Eley said: “I am happy to report that the final total raised is £18,000. This money will be used to help young people in the borough whom, through no fault of their own, find themselves in need of support in terms of their emotional state and/or their educational and vocational needs. This amazing total far exceeds our most optimistic estimate, and we’re grateful for the generosity and support of the people of Godalming.”
She added: “The charity is also immensely grateful to Waverley Borough Council for allowing us to use the property and Godalming Town Council for its support in raising funds, all the volunteers who helped staff it, all the donors and especially Debbie Serpell and her mother, Margaret, for organising and managing the whole venture. For me, this really has been a testament to human kindness.”
Leader of Waverley Borough Council, Councillor Paul Follows, said: “I am delighted that the Dan Eley Foundation not only reached but surpassed their target, raising so much money for a very worthy cause. It’s a great example of how communities can come together and, as a council, we are happy that we were able to play a small part in this.”
The Dan Eley Foundation hopes to hold a similar event in the town sometime within the next year. To keep up to date with them and to find out more: The Dan Eley Foundation - Supporting Youth Initiatives
To read more about the how this pop-up shop started visit: Read our latest news | Council updates | Waverley Borough Council