BCL Solicitors is pleased to announce our new Charities of the Year for 2021 are Children Heard and Seen, supporting children, young people and their families who are impacted by parental imprisonment, and City Harvest London, redistributing surplus food to help charities serve thousands of healthy meals each week.

Each year at BCL, we ask our members of staff to nominate a charity that they would like us to support. The aim of our Charity of the Year is to support a cause that could be local to our firm or one with a personal connection to our members of staff, and as our Charity of the Year, BCL will give a financial donation and hold fundraising events to raise further funds and awareness throughout the year.

More about Children Heard and Seen:

"It is estimated that 312,000 children each year have a parent in prison, although there is no database of who these children are and whether they are receiving support. As the prison population continues to rise, so does the number of children impacted. Children Heard and Seen over the past six years have worked alongside over 200 families and nearly 500 children and young people. We strive to support their needs, listen to their concerns, and have their views heard and reflected in policy.

Children Heard and Seen is a charity which provides support and interventions for children with a parent in prison. The charity was set up in 2014, with a focus on reducing intergenerational offending, and mitigating the impacts of parental imprisonment for children and young people. Whilst we are primarily based in Oxfordshire, the introduction of online support during the pandemic means that we are now able to accept referrals to support families across the country.

Our director is a qualified social worker who has over thirty years of experience working with children and families. We have a well informed trustee board which includes a prison governor, a senior criminologist, a former MP, and a senior safeguarding manager for social care.

In 2019 we won the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK to recognise the exceptional service within their communities. In 2020, we were also awarded the Outstanding Regional/Local Organisation Award by the Criminal Justice Alliance for our work in supporting families throughout the pandemic."

To find out more about the fantastic work this charity does please visit their website here.

 

More about City Harvest London:

We rescue quality surplus food from retailers and manufacturers which would otherwise be sent to landfills. Our fleet of vans, and our incredible team, deliver free food to 350+ charities across greater London – giving food another life, and those in need another chance.

Over 8,000 tonnes of surplus food rescued

While thousands of Londoners go hungry each day, perfectly good food is being disposed of. City Harvest collects nutritious surplus food from all segments of the food industry including restaurants, grocers, manufacturers, wholesalers, hotels, caterers and farms.

To find out more about the fantastic work this charity does please visit their website here.

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