Mayor's charity fundraising hands out £40,000 to good causes

Councillor Collingswood has raised and distributed £40,000 across four charities during his term as Mayor of Wolverhampton, supported by the Mayoral Office, volunteers, sponsors and local residents.

The funds have been divided equally between Compton Care, Acorns Children's Hospice, SSAFA (the Armed Forces charity), and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity (Your RWTC). Each organisation received £10,000.

How the money was raised

Fundraising activities throughout the mayoral year included charity quizzes, a grand charity raffle, Christmas craft workshops, samosa sales and the sale of City Crest pin badges, alongside donations from supporters.

The Mayor's Fest rock music event was a major contributor, raising more than £5,000. Local businessmen Jason Guy and Scott Bernard sponsored the grand charity raffle and organised a charity golf day which raised several thousand pounds.

Reaction from charities

Katrina McNamara, branch chair of SSAFA West Midlands North, said the donation was unprecedented for the organisation. "This will make such a difference to the armed forces community that we cover," she said. "Throughout the year, it wasn't just about raising money even though that has been fabulous. It's been about raising awareness of SSAFA, because for us to be able to do our work, means that people need to know about us, and that over the past year has been an amazing opportunity to be out and about in the City of Wolverhampton."

Rachel Overfield, Chief Executive of Compton Care, said: "We are incredibly grateful for this generous £10,000 donation. This funding will make a significant difference to the work we do. I would like to thank Councillor Collingswood for his support."

Councillor Collingswood said: "I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to raise and distribute £40,000 to four fantastic charities that provide invaluable support to people across Wolverhampton. The generosity shown by residents, businesses, community groups and event organisers throughout my mayoral year has been truly inspiring."