Riverside receives generous community donations

Riverside Counselling are delighted to have received two generous donations from the community recently.

Firstly, Henley Sea Cadets gave a donation of £500 which was raised from their river boat service during Henley Festival.

They chose Riverside because of their partnership with Hobbs of Henley who have a long-standing relationship with the Sea Cadets. Suzy Hobbs Riverside Trustee said, “My husband Jonathan’s father has been President for many years, and Hobbs supports the Cadets in a number of ways, including donating the use of passenger boats for fundraising and loaning two small, skippered launches to use as passenger ferries during Henley Festival helping the Cadets fundraise further. This year, the Sea Cadets very kindly chose to say thank you by making a donation to Riverside. We’re incredibly grateful for their generosity and for this wonderful example of local organisations supporting each other and our wider community.”

Piers Edgell, Treasurer of Sea Cadets said, “Without the support of Hobbs, we wouldn’t have been able to run the company services this year. We’ve raised a good sum for the Cadet unit and thought it was only fair that we make a donation to the charity that Hobbs supports.”

Peter Nightingale, Acting Vice Chairman said, “Both charitable trusts have common goals that they are supporting, helping, encouraging the young people of Henley. In the case of the Sea Cadets, giving them opportunities to do things and develop confidence and skills that they otherwise might not pick up at home and in school. So it’s definitely compatible missions.”

Round Table Thames Valley Lodge Freemasons also gave Riverside a donation of £500. They regularly raise money for charity and are committed to supporting local charities.

Anthony Wright, past master of the Lodge, said: “I am very proud of the charitable work of our Lodge and our involvement with a wide range of community initiatives. This is a central value for all Masons and helps us give back to our local communities. I proposed that our Lodge support Riverside Counselling Service due to its extremely valuable work with young people.”

Riverside’s CEO Sophie Wellings said: “We are immensely grateful for this donation from Round Table Thames Valley Lodge. Riverside has a Hardship Fund that helps us ensure that no one is excluded from accessing our services on the basis of cost. We operate with a sliding scale of fees and people pay what they can afford. We can only continue to make this offer through contributions such as the one provided by Round Table Thames Valley Freemasons. This funding will go toward our Hardship Fund and will help to remove the barriers to mental health support for local people.”