18 Jan Still time to donate to Basildon Mayor’s ‘Keep the lights on’ appeal
Over the festive period, the Mayor’s Charity Appeal Trust launched the ‘Keep the lights on’ appeal to raise funds in support of our borough’s casual workers, at a time where they have missed out on working due to coronavirus restrictions.
These workers would have been in the busiest time of their year now, doing extra shifts and gaining festive tips, but instead they aren’t working and are unable to access any government financial support.
With nine days left of the appeal, there’s still time to donate that tip that you would have given to a restaurant worker or a person working behind the bar over the festive period.
The Mayor of Basildon, Councillor David Burton-Sampson, said: “This cause is very important to me, and that’s why I decided to launch this appeal through the Mayor’s Charity Appeal Trust.”
“Already we’ve had over £20,000 in donations on the Crowdfunding page and in offline donations combined, which is great news. It shows how much our borough appreciates the work of our bar, pub and restaurant staff, and understands the difficult situation those workers find themselves in at the moment.
“If you see the appeal on the Basildon Council social media pages, please share the message so we can support as many casual staff across the borough as possible. Your donation will go directly to a causal worker in the Basildon community.”
When launching the appeal Basildon was under Tier 4 restrictions, and with the country now in a national lockdown, the future for casual workers within the hospitality remains uncertain, and the need for them to be supported increases.
Funds raised via the Basildon’s Mayor Charity Trust webpage will go towards helping local staff across Basildon during a time of financial hardship. The scheme will be administered by Basildon Borough Council through an application process.
You can add your donation to the appeal at www.basildon.gov.uk/keepthelightson
