This year's Lent Smartie Tube Appeal at St. Peter's is for two local charities. The children from St. Peter's will be collecting loose change in Smartie tubes over the Lent period. There will also be a giant Smartie tube in Church each Sunday morning during Lent for your donations. Thank you all for your generous contributions.

Team Daniel provides free sessions for children and young people (11-18 yrs) every Tuesday at St. Peter's Church in Gildersome.

Sessions take place on Tuesdays from 6:00-7:30 pm. These nights, which are run and led solely by volunteers, are very popular. We have had over 60 young people attend and regularly attract 35 children per week. Not only do they get to take part in a range of fun and educational activities in a safe space, but they also get to learn more about mental health. We invite regular speakers to the sessions to ensure we equip the children with the tools and techniques to keep safe and look after their mental wellbeing. For example, we have recently delivered an anti-bullying workshop, had Battle Scars deliver a talk on self-harm, Kooth on their mental wellbeing app and the local police who gave a talk on the dangers of county lines and sexual exploitation.

We also have a number of young volunteers who help support the setting up and delivery of activities. We are also supporting a number of young people working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award.

As a charity, Team Daniel have been recognised by winning several awards including Northern Enterprise Awards for Most Dedicated Youth Suicide Prevention Support Charity 2024 and Counselling NPO of the Year Award 2023 from Yorkshire Prestige Awards.

The year 2026 could prove to be a challenging year for Team Daniel as finances to fund the Youth Nights and also regular Homework Hubs are running low. 

To find out more about the story behind Team Daniel follow this link.

The Funzi and Bodo Trust was started by journalist Ashley Peatfield and his teacher wife, Sara, over a decade ago. Shocked by the poverty and suffering in these 2 Kenyan villages they began by building a small medical clinic. Working with villagers they restored an old building on Funzi Island. Two weeks later it opened with a nurse, assistant and medicines to treat sick patients. Since then the Funzi and Bodo Trust has become a registered UK charity run entirely by volunteers. Ashley and Sara still lead the charity but are backed by trustees and supporters with expertise in many areas including medicine, education and business. It now provides extensive medical and educational services, sanitation and clean water as well as projects to end poverty. The charity works both on the island of Funzi and on the mainland in the village of Bodo. The Funzi and Bodo Trust’s policy of being entirely volunteer led in the UK means money raised and donated reaches those in need.

To find out more about Funzi and Bodo follow this link.