Lord Mayor of Leeds launches at-home fundraiser in bid to raise £50,000 for rape and sexual violence charity

The Lord Mayor's Charity Appeal is to help women and girls in Leeds who have suffered from sexual violence (photo: Leeds Council)

The Lord Mayor of Leeds has launched a virtual fundraising pack to enable people to fundraise from their homes as part of a charity appeal to support women and girls in Leeds whose lives have been impacted by sexual violence.

The pack includes ten virtual fundraising ideas, ranging from putting on an online gig for friends and family, to a virtual pizza night and completing a fitness challenge every day for a month.

All proceeds from the fundraising activities that take place will be given to Lord Mayor’s chosen charity, Support After Rape and Sexual Violence Leeds (SARSVL).

SARSVL is the dedicated Rape Crisis Centre for women and girls in Leeds whose lives have been impacted by child sexual abuse, rape and all forms of sexual violence.

During Councillor Eileen Taylor’s first term as Lord Mayor, over a thousand women and girls accessed one of SARSVL’s specialist services for emotional and practical support, either through a confidential helpline, independent advocacy service or counselling service.

The service has continued to offer vital support to women and girls across the city during the pandemic by operating virtually.

After successfully raising over £40,000 for the charity last year, the Lord Mayor hopes to exceed a final total of £50,000 by the end of her second year in the role.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Eileen Taylor, said: “In what has been an incredibly difficult and challenging year for charities, I hope this virtual fundraising pack will encourage people across the city to take part in some of the fun fundraising activities in aid of my chosen charity.

“By raising funds for the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal, you will enable SARSVL to continue the vital work they do day in, day out, helping survivors of sexual violence and abuse at the time they’re ready to seek support.

“Whether you decide to host a virtual quiz, take on a fitness challenge or throw a virtual pizza night for friends and family, we can’t thank you enough for your support!”

The virtual fundraising pack can be downloaded here.

Once the fundraiser has finished, the money can be donated via the Lord Mayor’s Charity here.

Payments can be sent via the JustGiving page for those who are not able to take part in a fundraising activity but would still like to donate.

The Lord Mayor is encouraging people to share their fund raising activities on social media by tagging @LordMayorLeeds and @SARSVL on Twitter.