THE DRAGONS DEN OF GIVING COMES TO LEEDS
THURSDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER 2001
Each year the Foundation holds a special event with the Funding Network which is best described as a Dragons Den of Giving! 5 groups come and present to an audience, each speaking for 6 minutes and telling you what they would do with a donation of £5,000.
After a short break for refreshments (kindly provided by our wonderful hosts, Land Securities) guests return to the room and we then enter a fun and interactive "live pledging" session where you can make a donation to any of the groups that have inspired you on the night. It's a bit like bidding in an auction where you put up your hand and bid the amount you want to pledge. There is absolutely no obligation to give, although we often find people get a bit carried away and join in the fun! If you prefer to give anonymously then there is plenty of opportunity to do so either in advance or on the night.
All of the projects need to be working in areas of social change and this year we have an amazing group of brilliant projects tackling a wide range of issues.
- Behind Closed Doors, supporting women (and men) who have or are experiencing domestic violence in Leeds.
- RETAS raising awareness of refugee and asylum issues - building understanding and dispelling myths.
- Lippy People piloting an exciting project providing enterprise training for women before release from prison.
- Physionet shipping redundant wheelchairs, mobility items and equipment to South Africa, to help children with cerebral palsy
- Nurture providing catering and horticultural services delivered by people who have been homeless, socially excluded or addicted to drugs or alcohol.
This event is completely free of charge but you do need to book in advance by emailing amanda@leedscommunityfoundation.org.uk or ringing on 0113 242 2426. If you would like to invite some friends and colleagues along, we have a simple flier that can be downloaded here. If you would like to find out more about the projects and what they are raising funds for on the night, we have prepared more detailed information here. If you cannot attend but would like to support one or more of the groups, you can find a pledge form here. If you need a map showing you where it is taking place, click here.
Dragon Boat Spectacular - Saturday 25th & 26th June 2011 - Clarence Dock
The Dragon Boat Race was, once more, a great success. Many thanks to our sponsors, Lend Lease, and to all the teams who took part over the weekend in the glorious surroundings of Clarence Dock. This year we linked with the Leeds Waterfront Festival and, in addition to all the activities on the water, there was plenty to see on dry land too - salsa dancing, an open mike competition, live music, food & refreshments and much more.
The winners on Saturday were Hesco followed closely by the Lowell Group and Yorkshire Forward. On Sunday the winners were WSP a fraction of a second ahead of Leeds Commercial with 3rd team being an interfaith group (with volunteers from the Foundation, too). Best fancy dress went to Pirates of the Merrion, a team from Leeds Children's Services.
