As a company that aims to provide the best support to their customers, whether it's through our products or services, we wanted to go the extra mile and reach out to our local community. Our team members, Laura and Lynne, contacted The Rendezvous Charity after reading their inspiring stories from young people, whose lives have been changed by the foundation. Their vision for “A world where all young people are able to thrive” is especially important and we wanted to see if we can help.
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On the 4th of June we met up with the dedicated team at The Rendezvous Charity and spoke with Fiona Franklin, the charity's Community Fundraising Manager. We donated a range of products, including a selection of our insoles, slippers, flip flops and First Honey. If you would like to see the full collection of items, check out our packing reel here!
After the excitement of unpacking the donation boxes and taking photos, which at one point had our marketing assistant Maddy standing atop a counter, we managed to steal Fiona away to have a chat. As we started talking, it became apparent that it was vital to not only capture the essence of The Rendezvous but the Community Fundraising Manager herself. As it was apparent that there wasn’t anything Fiona wouldn’t do to help the people in her community.
When asked about why she has taken on the role at the charity, “I’ve always been drawn to youth charities” she admits, “something I am very passionate about”. This becomes especially clear as Fiona describes her own son’s journey with dyslexia and while he managed to get some support, many children in the UK fall through those gaps. The Rendezvous charity in its essence is here to support children and issues surrounding mental health. Which is reflected in their stance in having “a really simple referral process, it's not some long assessment or something, it is literally give us a phone call and we’ll try and see you as quickly as we can”.
Education is another area boasted in The Rendezvous charity and rightly so, as they provide free tutoring to 16 to 25 year olds with the aim of gaining essential qualifications for further education. For Fiona, the importance of tutoring and going at the student’s pace is the priority and we shouldn’t enforce a strict time limit on young adults who are already under so much stress, stating that it didn’t matter if it took “6 weeks or five years”. When we enquired about how sustainable this infrastructure is, Fiona sighs “we’re always looking for more maths and English tutors”. She further explains how a teaching qualification is not required, just someone who has “patience and can listen”. If you’d like to sign up to be a tutor, please check out The Rendezvous website. Even a few hours can be life-changing support to a young adult’s life.
After chatting about their mental health and education programs, we turned our attention to upcoming fundraisers. Immediately, Fiona shifts. An air of excitement filling the conversation as she gushes about upcoming events they have planned. Two being musical fundraisers, The Brue Boys concert on Saturday 14th June at Cheap Street Church (Sherborne) at 7.30pm. Then an evening of world class jazz with Mike Denham and Julian Phillips on the 2nd of July, at the same venue at 7pm. If you would like tickets or to donate, please email [email protected].
Other events to look out for:
- Coffee mornings, on the third Monday of every month, 10:30 to 12:30
- Later in the year a ‘Quingo’, which is a combination of a quiz and bingo in October! (Date tbd)
As we rounded off the interview, we could really feel how much the team at The Rendezvous centre care about what they do. Meeting and working with them has showcased that they will always put the young people who come to them for support first. Fiona illustrates this when we asked her to summarise what The Rendezvous charity does. Her reply, “(to) help young people to help themselves, that's what we've been doing for 28 years at The Rendezvous”. Providing education, support and opportunities to young adults is more than just about getting a qualification or shoulder to lean on. It's about giving them the knowledge and choices to make a difference in their lives. If you would like to know more about how you can help, please visit their website.
