Author: level User

June 2018

On Tuesday 19^th June, Vauxhall Motors and local children’s charity Level Trust teamed up to provide 715 packs of vital learning resources to children and young people in Luton.

The Learn@Home packs are drawstring bags bursting with the things that children need when they start school or while they’re studying for their GCSEs, such as arts and craft supplies, story books, note pads, revision guides and a range of stationery.

With 16,000 children in Luton growing up in poverty, this material support is crucial in giving them a level chance at school – and beyond.

Volunteering for the day, 12 Vauxhall staff from across the Luton operation created the packs and delivered them to 24 Luton schools, often being welcomed by pupils.

“The Warehouse facilities at Vauxhall are normally used to accept car and van parts, but our team were happy to accept the array of stationery items needed for this project.  Two Vauxhall Vivaro’s left the Warehouse destined for numerous Luton schools. We were pleased to help so many children whose families are finding things difficult at this time,” said Cherie Denton, Vauxhall Community Coordinator.

Christian Iszchak from Level Trust said: “When a child’s family is struggling to make ends meet, they miss out on things. It’s absolutely fantastic that Vauxhall does so much to help us provide these children with the resources they need for school. Some of the children we met during our deliveries could remember receiving packs of their own two or three years ago, so we know they have a lasting impact!”

Next year, Level Trust and Vauxhall aim to provide packs to even more schools and to nurseries, to meet the huge need in our town. If you would like to help by fundraising or donating materials in bulk, please contact Christian on [email protected] 07480 753905. During July and August, you can vote in local Tesco stores for Level Trust to win up to £4,000 to spend on Learn@Home packs through the Bags of Help scheme.

February 2018

When money is tight at home, a child might not have the uniform and equipment they need for school. They are unlikely to be able to do fun things in the school holidays and they are more likely to suffer with mental health problems and low self-esteem.

The good news is that we are working to help families with the costs of school, so their children have a level chance.

David (not his real name) heard about Level Trust’s Uniform Exchange through his children’s school family worker. The Exchange is a place where families can swap uniform they have finished with for uniform they need. The family worker reassured him that he didn’t need to be shy or embarrassed.

“The night before the family worker told me about the Uniform Exchange I was going to keep the kids off school. Their trousers were too small. We’d been saying to the teachers every week “we’ll get them next week” but we couldn’t. We were lying.

“Then, in the matter of a day, getting free uniform from the Uniform Exchange took a weight off my shoulders. The kids look smart now. I love it! It meant we could get the rent sorted after being in arrears. It was the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Level Trust is asking people to share the love this Valentine’s Day, by giving to the Uniform Exchange (upstairs in The Mall) so they can support more families like David’s. You can donate uniform, make a financial contribution, or give your time by signing up to volunteer.

November 2017

A fantastic resource for Luton families was officially launched in The Mall this week (November 2017).

The Uniform Exchange is run by Luton charity Level Trust, which works to give every child a level chance at school.

At the opening ceremony, local boxer Jordan Reynolds did the honours by cutting the ribbon. He was joined by children and staff from The Meads and Beechwood Primary Schools, parents, Cllr Hussain Mahmood and Level Trust supporters the Connolly Foundation and Machins Solicitors.

Husna Rasul from Level Trust said: “Anyone can use the Exchange to swap school uniform for free. Not only is it a great way to save money, it’s also good for the environment – giving a new lease of life to good quality uniform stops it ending up in landfill.”

Although the Uniform Exchange has been open since August, this week the official opening was celebrated to coincide with Level Trust’s fifth birthday.

It’s been a busy few years for the charity, who have already provided free school uniform to 1,450 children through their Uniform Exchange project – and this is just the beginning.

July 2017

We have been chosen as the Luton charity partner by law firm, Machins Solicitors LLP.

Machins’ Managing Partner, Mark Pelopida says “Level Trust is an incredible local charity and we are proud to formalise our partnership. We have chosen to support the Level Trust in Luton who, like Machins, share a strong sense of community and commitment to the town”

Machins have supported Level Trust in many ways in the past through fundraising, volunteering and taking part in initiatives such as Level Trust’s Walk for Shoes which involved hiking up three of the highest peaks in the U.K. and the Uniform Cycle which took a team cycling from Luton to Paris. This year, through a launch event held at Machins’ Luton office, they have reinforced their collaboration and donated a substantive amount to the work of the charity.

Level Trust’s CEO, Jane Malcolm says, ‘We were delighted to have been chosen by Machins to receive such a generous donation. The team at Machins are passionate about what we do and are great fun to work with. They have already done lots of fundraising for us over the last few years through walking up mountains and cycling all the way from Luton to Paris. This donation was a huge surprise to us and will make a significant difference to the number of children we are able to help. We are looking forward to partnering with Machins over the coming years as they continue to support our work.