The Young Mayor of Barking and Dagenham, Labella Anum, has smashed her fundraising target of £4,000 for her chosen charity Refuge, which supports people fleeing domestic abuse.
The youngster has worked hard with her peers in the Barking and Dagenham Youth Forum group to raise money for the charity through a series of events and challenges during her year in office.
Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, the group held a bake sale, a movie night and a quiz night in partnership with Her Worshipful, the Mayor of Barking and Dagenham, Councillor Edna Fergus. They also participated in a sponsored walk hanging empowering, supportive messages about domestic abuse on trees in borough parks and a bucket shake at Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club to raise funds.
And determined to raise as much as possible before the new Young Mayor is elected next month, Labella also teamed up with the Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, Councillor Darren Rodwell, in a fun-filled fundraising video.
In the video, Labella challenges Councillor Rodwell to a 70s themed dance medley, celebrating Refuge opening their first refuge for women and children in 1971.
Councillor Rodwell praised the Young Mayor and the Youth Forum’s efforts. He said: “The Young Mayor knows I’m game for a laugh, especially for such a good cause.
“And it’s so refreshing to work with our young people, who are so passionate about making a difference to the lives of others.
“As a council, we’re committed to reducing domestic violence in the borough, and I’d like to thank Labella and the group for everything they are doing to help support the cause.”
Refuge, the country’s largest single provider of specialist domestic abuse services and sole provider of the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, has experienced unprecedented demand during the pandemic. In May 2021, the charity reported a phenomenal 950 per cent rise in visits to their website, where women can request a safe time to be contacted. There was also a 66 per cent increase in calls to the helpline.
Labella commented: “I had a lot of fun filming the fundraising video with the Leader, and it’s been rewarding to help organise our other charity events.
“We want to raise as much money as possible for Refuge because we feel passionate about supporting survivors.
“Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far - you are helping to save and change the lives of thousands of women and children escaping domestic abuse.”
If you’d like to get behind Labella’s fundraising efforts and show your support for Refuge, you can visit her JustGiving page to make a donation or share her story to help raise awareness.