Dear Lord Mayor, Councillor Eileen Taylor and the people of Leeds

We would like to express our thanks and let you know how grateful we are for your support during our time as the chosen charity of the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Eileen Taylor. Together we have raised an incredible £67,580 and this money will go towards our work as the only specialised service in Leeds offering women centred Counselling, Advocacy and Helpline services for survivors of rape and sexual violence.

Firstly, specific thanks go to Councillor Eileen Taylor for selecting our small, local charity as her Chosen Charity. This act of championing Support After Rape & Sexual Violence Leeds has helped shine a light on our work and that of other women’s organisations across Leeds. As a respected and valued ally, we are confident that you will continue in your support of, and for, women centred work in Leeds way beyond your tenure as Lord Mayor.

Being the Lord Mayor’s Chosen Charity has been a wonderful opportunity for SARSVL to be part of a prestigious fundraising programme, providing a platform to share our work with the people of Leeds, organisations and businesses we may not have worked with under usual circumstances. It has given us such a boost in raising awareness of the issues many women and girls face every day.

We have been amazed and delighted over the past 24 months to witness so many people baking, cycling, singing, running, dining and dancing, shaving, murder mystery-ing, jail breaking, wearing silly hats and more, to raise much needed funds on our behalf. We have experienced huge generosity from individuals and organisations in Leeds as they have turned up, taken part, donated and promoted our services.

This platform provided by the Lord Mayor has also created new partnerships and relationships for us with businesses, schools and communities – these are so important when raising awareness about our services.

Special thanks also go to all the members of the Lord Mayor’s Charity Committee, Luminate Education Group who helped with our promotional materials, the ‘Just One Day’ initiative, and those organisations and individuals who have come forward with donations and support in kind which have really enhanced what we can offer our service users.

We send congratulations and our best wishes to the next Lord Mayor’s Chosen Charity in Leeds.

Yours sincerely,
The Staff, Volunteers and Trustees of Support After Rape & Sexual Violence Leeds