Smallprint helps raise £2,500 in Home-Start's 'Kisses for Kids' appeal!
Almost £2,500 was raised when Twiggy, Holly Willoughby and Patsy Kensit (amongst others) puckered up for Home-Start’s ‘Kisses for Kids’ appeal. Actor John Partridge’s raised a whopping £970 on its own.
Home-Start UK, the country’s leading family support charity teamed up with Smallprint® the original silver keepsake company to design a range of exclusive celebrity kiss pendants.
All pendants were auctioned on eBay and each winning bidder received their one-off celebrity pendant in good time to be given or received as a Valentines gift. Not only did the recipient get a kiss from their favourite celebrity as a piece of jewellery, but as proof of authenticity they also received the original kiss print, signed by the celebrity.
The ‘Kisses for Kids’ fundraising appeal raised much-needed funds for Home-Start UK, the national organisation that oversees the running of 327 local Home-Starts across the UK.
Home-Start’s unique approach is to recruit and train parent volunteers to support struggling families in their own homes. This can be for any reason including domestic abuse, multiple births, isolation, depression, bereavement and mental health. Last year Home-Start supported almost 77,000 children and their families.
Life is very difficult for many young families at the minute, and Home-Start is seeing an increase in families coming forward for support with more complex needs such as financial pressures, housing difficulties and relationship breakdown. But Home-Start can help, and in difficult times, can make fragile families strong again. In the last year, almost a thousand children have been removed from a child protection plan where Home-Start was supporting the family.
Television personalities Richard and Judy, Spooks actor Max Brown, radio presenter Gaby Roslin, actress Jo Joyner and Eastenders love rivals Christian, Amira, and Syed (John Partridge) (Preeya Kalidas) (Marc Elliott) and Charlie Brooks are among other celebrities who backed Home-Start’s appeal.
Max said: “I grew up with Home-Start, as my mum works for the charity. So I’ve seen first hand the difference their volunteers make to families who are finding life hard. The 'Kisses for Kids' pendants are such an original idea by Home-Start. I hope my ‘Kisses for Kids’ pendant will raise enough money to help change a child’s life.”
Sue Peake-Redhead, corporate fundraising manager for Home-Start UK said: “I am delighted with the amount raised. £2,500 will enable us to provide the essential support services for local Home-Starts to work with twenty families for a whole year. And with other celebrities already on board for our second ‘Kisses for Kids’ fundraising campaign, we are looking to raise even more.”
Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott and actress Zoe Lucker are amongst the celebrities signed up for the second campaign.
Maija Pykett, Founder and Creative Director of Smallprint, said:
“We were thrilled to be playing such a crucial part in Home-Start’s ‘Kisses for Kids’ campaign. The nature of Smallprint as a family orientated brand means that we have a history of supporting charities for children, particularly home-grown ones like Home-Start. All of our jewellers deal with many different families on a daily basis, so helping to provide support to those who are struggling is a cause that is very close to our hearts.”
Smallprint (Franchising) Ltd
Tel. 0121 704 9006
email: claire.latham@smallp.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
Set up in October 2004, Smallprint creates beautiful jewellery that captures a child's fingerprint forever in pure, polished silver.
Smallprint was the first company in the UK to specialise in the creation of silver fingerprint jewellery and keepsakes. The company has now extended its range to include: Mini Masters – innovative items of jewellery that showcase children’s original drawings in silver.
Love Letters – Silver keepsakes that showcase children’s first handwriting and signatures.
High Fives & Little Kickers – miniature replicas of hand and footprints in fine silver.
Smallprint Scribes – Silver name tags, ingots and birth tags in fine silver.
Smallprint jewellery is made from a product called Precious Metal Clay (PMC), which allows babies' fingerprints to be taken straight onto a piece of jewellery. This means that each piece of fingerprint jewellery has actually been touched by someone you love.
Smallprint has 70 franchisees in the UK and 65 franchisees in other countries around the world. All of our franchisees are highly skilled and provide a personalised and professional service. They are also renowned for their professionalism, sensitivity and discretion.
Home-Start
Home-Start is the UK’s leading family support charity. We recruit and train volunteers to support parents, in their own homes, with at least one child under the age of five. Our home visiting work is unique in the UK. The charity was set up in 1973 and now has 327 Home-Starts supporting nearly 36,000 families and almost 77,000 children each year. Almost 17,000 volunteers visit families in their own homes – parents supporting other parents in a variety of situations including isolation, bereavement, multiple births, illness or disability.
Additional Contacts
Jo McLeish, press and PR Officer, Home-Start UK, tel: 0116 2587933,
Love Cosmetics Ltd
Love Cosmetics, an online discount cosmetics retailer kindly donated all lipsticks as part of the kits that enabled the celebrities to donate their kisses for this appeal. www.lovecosmetics.com
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