Latest news
Thank you Flower & Grace!
JANUARY 2024
We are so grateful to Hendri of Flower & Grace, who has supported our work for years now, and who raised an astonishing £6,000 in aid of us and our colleagues at Sevenoaks Larder and Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees, both of whom are organisations that do wonderful and important work. We are all very grateful for this kind and generous act.
Christmas appeal success: thank you!
DECEMBER 2023
From our very first day this charity has been built on the generosity of our community, and at Christmas you really do excel yourselves. So many individuals, community groups and other organisations have stepped up to help with our Christmas Appeal, and we can't thank you enough.
This year your support has enabled us to provide gifts for an amazing 480 children, and a large bag of food each for 206 families. This is a huge task for a small charity like us, and is only made possible by your support and your compassion for our neighbours who are struggling.
We have had fantastic support from local businesses and groups, but as always the vast majority of these gifts and bags of food were provided by individual people and families. We want you all to know that you have made a real difference to the experience of Christmas for these families this year.
All of the F4F team would like to wish each and every one of you the very Merry Christmas you so richly deserve, to thank you for your support in 2023, and to thank you in anticipation of your continuing help with our work throughout 2024. You are making our small corner of the world a better place, and we're proud to work with you to achieve this.
Christmas appeal 2023: still time to help!
Did you want to take part in our Christmas Appeal but missed our post about it? If so, PLEASE EMAIL US NOW, it’s not too late!
************As time is so short now please do email us if it would suit you better to transfer the £25 to us and we will buy the gift/food/voucher as you prefer with your donation! *********
We've had a wonderfully generous response from so many of you and we're deeply grateful. However we've also had huge demand for our Christmas gifts given the current climate, so we still have a few families needing gifts bought for their children etc.
Unfortunately time is getting rather short for us now, and you'd have to be willing to get the gift to us by late November. If you think you could do that, PLEASE email us at f4fchristmas@outlook.com and we'll give you details of what the child needs.
If you’ve already emailed us but not had more than a holding email in response, don’t panic! Our elves have been busily working our way through all the lovely emails and we're almost there with allocating children or families and contacting you all, and we’ll be in touch very soon!
Thank you to the Masonic Charitable Foundation!
AUGUST 2023
We are very grateful to the Masonic Charitable Foundation for a generous grant that will allow us to help many families as they prepare for the new school year.
The beginning of a new school year is always an expensive time for any family, so any support is always gratefully received. If you would like to make a donation, please do so through by following the advice here: https://www.friendsforfamilies.org/donate
Knockholt Fest
AUGUST 2023
We were delighted to be part of Knockholt Fest, a fantastic new food and music festival. The organisers donated a share of the proceeds to Friends for Families and it was wonderful to be part of a new community event bringing together so many families.
Summer activity packs
JULY 2023
We've been busy putting together summer activity packs for local children who won't have much to play with or do this summer. Hopefully these will brighten up the long holiday for them!
We're once again very grateful to Elizabeth Stopford, the Chair of the Friends of Granville and a long time supporter of our charity, and to the Granville parents Liz organised to provide items for the activity packs. We're very touched by your help, Friends of Granville School https://www.facebook.com/TheGranvilleSchool and by the ongoing support from the school. Thank you for bringing a little summer fun to these children!
Thank you Wally Hall!
JUNE 2023
We were so happy to be invited to talk to a group of thoughtful, articulate students at Walthamstow Hall School who will be designing fundraising ideas to support F4F as part of their enterprise projects.
Join our team!
MAY 2023
Since our inception five years ago Friends For Families has grown to the point where we need some new people to complement our existing team.
The most important factor is that you be willing to give your time and bring energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the role. We are looking for:
A trustee with a legal background
A trustee with a fundraising/marketing background
A trustee with experience of or interest in grant applications
A secretary
A volunteer to work on our day to day operations
Training will be provided so don’t hold back from getting in contact because you see yourself as not being the ideal candidate – we might see just what we need in you!
If you’d like to know more please drop us an email at contact@friendsforfamilies.org, giving us an idea of what role you’d be interested in and what you’d be able to offer in terms of time and experience, and let’s have a conversation!
Thank you Sevenoaks Prep!
APRIL 2023
Sevenoaks Prep held a masquerade ball in aid of three charities, of which F4F was one. The event raised an unbelievable £20,000. We are so grateful for the support the school has given us over the past few years.
Christmas appeal
NOVEMBER 2022
It's time to launch our Christmas appeal! Last year we provided Christmas gifts for 411 children and 180 food hampers for local families identified by children’s services, a truly wonderful act of community spirit by you all.
“We're so grateful to the many of you who have taken part in this appeal in recent years,” said Shona Campbell, Chair of Friends for Families. “Given how hard this winter is going to be, we need your help more than ever to bring a little happiness into the lives of struggling local families this Christmas.”
How to help
There are two ways to help. You an either buy a gift for a child for a value of £25, or you can make up a bag for life of non-perishable food for an individual family. We will provide a list of recommended items and things to avoid for food, and the age and sex of the child if you choose to buy a gift. We understand that this year is tough for many, so if you’d like to help but can’t afford to spend £25 please do get in touch and we’ll suggest another way you could help.
We’re going to be quite prescriptive about this project to make sure each child and family gets something suitable, so please forgive us if we are quite detailed in our requirements as we’ve a lot to organise!
We will reply to everyone so if you don't hear from us, please check your junk mail and and get in touch again if necessary.
PLEASE, if you'd like to get involved email us at F4Fchristmas@outlook.com.
And finally, thank you everyone for taking part: we can’t do this without your help, but with it we can make a difference for local families who badly need some Christmas cheer this year.
Warmth and light: winter solstice yoga
NOVEMBER 2022
If you enjoy yoga and wellness and supporting your community, then we have just the event for you. Warmth and light has been organised by a group of local yoga teachers working together to raise funds for Friends for Families and bring some joy on the darkest day of the year.
When: Wednesday 21 December, 7-9:30pm
Where: Bat & Ball Centre, Sevenoaks
Find out more and book your ticket on their eventbrite page.
Your chance to win tickets to Sevenoaks Panto
NOVEMBER 2022
Oh no you didn’t! Maybe not yet, but you could be in with a chance of winning four tickets to Sevenoaks Panto’s production of Alice in Wonderland this winter and a family meal for four at Number 8 restaurant.
Three families will win this prize. To take part, text PANTO to 70215 and you’ll receive more information on how you’ll be entered into the raffle by making a small donation in support of three local charities: Friends for Families, Sevenoaks Larder and the Hygiene Bank.
Fashion with Friends: book your tickets now!
SEPTEMBER 2022
After the success of last year’s sell-out event we are delighted to be hosting Fashion with Friends, and 2022’s event is set to be even bigger and better than before.
When and where
Friday 7 October, 730-930pm
Bat & Ball Community Centre
Who’s involved
The amazing award winning stylist Susie from Styled By Susie will be taking us through her top styling tips. The gorgeous Rosie from Bella Rosa Lingerie will once again be joining us and will give a not-to-be-missed talk on the importance of finding the perfect lingerie. Then she’ll help you find that 'wow' bra to take home with you!
We will be welcoming back the wonderful Amy Hall from Hall & Co & Karen Savage from @the_style_house_brasted to assist you with styling on the night. The ladies from Husk & Seed Skincare care will be on hand to provide interactive skin care demonstrations as well as a Gua Sha workshop. Emeline from Sakura Wellbeing will be there with her divine range of natural, sustainable, holistic products, and you can treat yourself to a mini pamper, courtesy of the talented Emma from Total Wellbeing & Beauty .
Your ticket will include delicious canapes by the wonderful women from The Happy Grazing Company & bubbles generously supplied by Manak Solicitors.
Get your ticket now!
Tickets went fast last year, so email us ASAP on events@friendsforfamilies.org for your ticket (limited number available, £15 per ticket). We had such lovely feedback about how much fun last year was and we’re looking forward to seeing you this year!
Calling all fashionistas!
AUGUST 2022
Last year we held our first ever sustainable shopping event which raised more than £5,000 for Friends for Families. Following its huge success, this year’s event will take place on Friday 7 October 2022 at 7pm.
We will be sharing information on how you can secure tickets shortly, but in the meantime we need donations of ‘as new', high-end high street or designer clothes, shoes, and accessories*. So if you've got a Zara coat you don't wear, a Whistles dress that's gathering dust, or a Mulberry handbag that doesn't go with anything, we'd be delighted to hear from you! No ‘fast’ fashion please and all items must be washed or dry cleaned and in a saleable condition.
If you’d like to offer some clothes or just want more information, please email events@friendsforfamilies.org.
*Please note that we reserve the right to dispose of any unsold items, or save them for a future event
Nominate us for a £1,000 donation
MAY 2022
The 2022 Movement for Good Awards are now open and you can nominate us for a £1,000 donation by filling in a short form. To make it as easy as possible, our registered charity number is already completed for you.
The Movement for Good Awards is an annual platform for giving, set up by all the businesses that make up the Benefact Group. This year more than £1 million will be awarded to charities. Anyone can make a nomination, and the more nominations a charity receives, the greater their chance of winning. Please fill in the form, and share it with as many as possible of your friends and family!
Fantastic fundraising
MARCH 2022
We were delighted to visit Sevenoaks Preparatory School this week to be awarded a cheque for a whopping £1,718 raised by pupils. Students raised funds through a Christmas Jumper day, their Christmas bazaar and a bake sale. We are so grateful to each and every young person who took part.
If you would like to raise money for F4F through a community event, please get in touch.
Singing for our supper
MARCH 2022
Update: this event has now taken place and raised an amazing £1,500 to be divided between F4F and two other charities.
The Sevenoaks Sings choir are holding a 'part concert - part sing along’ on Sat 19th March to raise money for F4F and another charity. The concert will begin with a series of uplifting songs from the community choir, and end in a giant sing along. With a raffle, licensed bar and snacks available it’s sure to be a brilliant community occasion. So come along and join the fun, every voice is welcome.
The concert is taking place on Sat, 19 March 2022, 19:00–21:30 at Trinity School, Seal Hollow Road, Sevenoaks TN13 3SL. Tickets start at just £5 and are available to buy here.
News archive
The news stories and events in this section are intended for reference only. For current events and information, please see the news items at the top of this page.
2021 news stories
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It’s time to get started on our Christmas appeal. So if you’d like to take part in it this year, please read on. We know there is a lot of information here, but it’s important to please bear with us and read in full before you offer to help.
What Is The Christmas Appeal?
Each year since we began work, we have worked with Children’s Services in Sevenoaks District and Dartford to provide Christmas gifts to families living in real financial hardship. Last year, we provided two Christmas gifts each for 274 children and 114 hampers for these families with your support, a truly wonderful act of community spirit by you all.
This year, we think there are likely to be even more children and families in need of our help this year. This autumn and winter will be very challenging for vulnerable families and we are all the more determined that, with your help, we’ll try to brighten people’s lives a little.
How You Can Help
There are two ways to take part this year. We are going to be quite prescriptive about this project to make sure each child and family gets something suitable, so please forgive us if we’re quite detailed in our requirements.
The first way is by providing a gift for a child. If you’d like to do this, please email us at F4Fchristmas@outlook.com and we’ll be in touch as soon as we have matched you with a child in need of a present to confirm their age and sex and an idea of what the child might like. We’ll ask you to wrap and label the present (we’ll tell you how) and drop it off to us no later than the end of November so that we can get everything delivered in time.
Alternatively, we can give you a list of recommended non-perishable food items (and things not to buy) to make up a ‘Bag for Life’ for an individual family. Again, if you’d like to take part in this way, please email us at F4Fchristmas@outlook.com.
Please only use this email address if you want to support this campaign; this helps us make sure we don’t lose track of any offers of help. We may not be able to reply immediately, but we will get back to everyone who gets in touch.
Thank you to everyone who takes part. We can’t do this without your help, but with it we can make a difference for local families who badly need some Christmas cheer this year.
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***Our first sustainable shopping event, Fashion with Friends, has now taken place. We’ll be updating these pages shortly with an update on how much we raised. In the meantime, thank you to everyone who donated an item, attended the event or otherwise supported us.***
Friday 8th October 7.30-9.30pm @ Bat & Ball Community Centre. Tickets £15, email f4fevent@mail.com to secure yours now.
We’ve been totally blown away by the donations for our sustainable shopping event. The ladies of Sevenoaks clearly have great taste and have been harbouring lots of new and barely worn clothes in their wardrobes! So whether you’re hoping to pick up a little black dress for the Christmas party season, a coat to see you through the autumn months or a gorgeous pair of heels, we’ve got something for you. Take a look at just a few of the amazing items available in the carousel below.
As well as being able to pick up a bargain or two, there will be expert styling advice from the lovely Amy Hall @hallandco & Karen Savage from the gorgeous @the_style_house_brasted. The inspiring local fashion stylist & Sevenoaks mum, @stylistfleur will be talking us through the key to sustainable shopping. @bellarosalingerie will be on hand to help you find the perfect lingerie for under any outfit and the award winning @meadowskincareuk team are ready to guide you through how to love your skin.
All this will be topped off with bubbles supplied by Manak Solicitors & delicious canapes kindly supplied by the wonderful ladies from @thehappygrazingcompany.
Email us on f4fevent@mail.com for your ticket (limited number available) or to make any final donations of items for the sale.
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One of the high spots of 2019 for us was when Sevenoaks Panto contacted us and let us know that they'd chosen us as their charity for the Christmas Panto season.
They were absolutely brilliant, and gave their time, talent and enthusiasm to raise funds for us way beyond our hopes. Today four of the trustees visited the Stag to collect a cheque from panto favourite Silly Billy and producer Jamie Alexander WIlson for all the money raised over the run of Aladdin. The total, we are completely thrilled to say, is a stunning £11,567.96! How amazing is that!
Thank you so much to Jamie, Silly Billy and all the cast and crew, and our heartfelt thanks also to all of the lovely audiences for your wonderful generosity!text goes here
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The Friends for Families trustees were delighted to be invited to meet with the outgoing and incoming Chairmen of Sevenoaks District Council and their spouses. We discussed how the charity came about and talked about the work that we do before enjoying a tour of the council chamber. We are really pleased to have been awarded a grant from SDC to enable our work helping families in need within the Sevenoaks District and would like to thank the council for their support.
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We would like to thank our very own “Friends & Families” for helping us to turn our dream of helping our local community into a reality. We have already touched so many lives in the Sevenoaks district and without you all, this would never have been possible.
We would like to give a particular mention to Ben, who has built this wonderful website, for his unwavering support in all things technical, and to Fiona Lowrie for giving us so much of her time and advice to help us to be comfortable with the minefield that is GDPR.
We would also like to give special thanks to the wonderful members of Shona’s Runners who have never failed to come to the rescue when we have had a specific and often urgent need to address and who have given us their constant support and encouragement to launch this charity, and of course to the Sevenoaks Women’s Forum with whom we started this journey back at Christmas 2017, when they provided gifts, clothes and hampers with such generosity.
We can’t forget our wonderful corporate sponsors who have made generous donations to help us to get out of the starting blocks. Thank you to Shawbrook Bank and Dalmore Capital Limited: we are very grateful for your support.
We would like to keep Friends for Families running for as long as there is a need for our work, and without your continued support, encouragement and donations this just won’t be possible. So THANK YOU from the very bottom of our F4F hearts on behalf of all the families we have supported and will support over the coming years.
Below is an extract of a letter which we were sent from Children’s Services which hopefully makes very clear just what a difference we can all make together:
‘I wanted to put into writing our gratitude for all that Friends for Families have done to assist Children’s Social Work Services in Dartford and Sevenoaks. Since late 2017 you have kindly assisted many children and their families who have needed practical support to assist them due to a wide range of needs and often at times of significant stress.
Various social workers and managers have commented on the generosity and speed with which you assist families, where otherwise there would often be unmet needs. Examples have included provisions of vital furniture and bedding, enabling children to participate in social activities outside of their home and providing items such as toys and bikes. I am aware that over Christmas 2017 many families were extremely grateful for the toys and gifts made available.
The purpose of this letter is to ensure that you are aware that your ongoing work and support is deeply appreciated and valued, both by the families and also by the social workers who approach you with requests.’
Watch this space for more news coming soon and in the meantime; if you do want to help further, now or in the future, our bank details can be found on the “Donate” page, or contact us at contact@friendsforfamilies.org.