Small Charities Week

During the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, small charities have been working hard to ensure a huge number of communities are supported. Small Charity Week is a chance to say thank you, and also raise awareness of the importance of supporting small charities through donations, fundraising and volunteering.

PTSD UK is the only charity in the UK dedicated to raising awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – no matter the trauma that caused it, and despite being a small charity with only 2 members of part time staff, our impact, and the need for PTSD UK is huge. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition which some people develop after experiencing a trauma such as a road traffic incident, bereavement, personal assault, natural disaster, miscarriage, traumatic childbirth, being bullied, sexual violence, childhood abuse, domestic abuse or fire. It’s estimated that in any given week in the UK, 4 in 100 people have PTSD – this equates to 2,612,000 people in the UK, yet it’s still an incredibly misunderstood, and still relatively unknown condition.

PTSD UK believe that supportive and reliable knowledge really is power when it comes to PTSD & C-PTSD. If you understand the types of trauma that can cause PTSD & C-PTSD, the physical, mental and emotional symptoms that are experienced, and, most importantly, the treatments that can help you, then you’ll be able to start down the path to recovery when you’re ready.

Jacqui Suttie, PTSD UK Founder and CEO said, “Despite our small size, we’ve got huge ambitions and visions for people affected by PTSD and C-PTSD. Our mission is to provide supportive, reliable, high-quality and easy-to-understand resources and tools to educate, help empower and inspire resilience in everyone affected by PTSD or C-PTSD, to help them work towards successful, sustained recovery. We’re able to achieve all we do solely down to the generosity of the donations and fundraising of our supporters, and are always grateful for the encouragement and help we get from all our supporters.”

Sarah Vibert, CEO of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations said: “The recent crises faced by this country have shown just how important small charities are, and the amazing services they provide in local areas. Staff and volunteers have stepped up and stepped in using their specialist local knowledge, to ensure that communities are safe, supported and reassured.

“Millions of people lives are positively impacted by small charities every year. If we can do one important thing during Small Charity Week this year, it would be to realise how vital small charities are and offer them the support they have so willingly shown us.”

The Minister for Civil Society, Stuart Andrew MP, said: “Small charities really are the lifeblood of communities across the country. They understand the needs of local people and are a trusted source of help to those who need it most.

“Small Charity Week is a chance to say thank you. It’s also an important time to remind people to support their local charity by offering donations, volunteering time, or assist with fundraising.”

This Small Charity Week PTSD UK have signed a joint letter to Rishi Sunak to speak out about the support and recognition small charities and communities need right now.

Dear Prime Minister,

We are representatives from small charities and the voluntary sector in the UK.

In the spring budget your government committed £100 million to voluntary organisations working at the front line of the cost of living crisis. While the money is yet to get out to organisations, we welcome this boost to the sector. But there is much more to do

During this Small Charity Week, we want to highlight the critical role which small charities are playing in communities and encourage you to further demonstrate your support for these vital organisations.

In recent years we have encountered crisis after crisis – from Covid-19, to supporting refugees fleeing conflict, to now helping with cost-of-living pressures. We have stepped up and stepped in, filling gaps in public services or using our specialist local knowledge, to ensure that communities are safe, supported and reassured. Small, local charities are deeply embedded in their communities and form lasting relationships which have far-reaching positive outcomes.

We are keen to work with government at all levels to meet our shared goals of driving down inequalities and strengthening local communities. But if small charities aren’t supported through these difficult times, we risk losing a crucial national asset. Every day, small charities are closing or reducing services. We are exhausted, burnt out and the mental health of our staff and volunteers is suffering.

Unlike businesses, charities cannot increase prices to cover financial challenges. The tide of demand threatens to overwhelm small charities which make up 96% of voluntary organisations in the UK.

We truly hope that one day many of us will not be needed. And that we will proudly close our doors for the right reasons, knowing we have achieved our visions.

In the meantime, we do not want platitudes, we want to be heard, especially as your government continues to make important spending decisions. We invite you, as Prime Minister, to visit small charities so you can fully understand the critical role these organisations play. We also call on you to agree to meet with the Small Charities Advisory Panel so we can discuss sustainable solutions to ensure we can continue offering lifesaving and life-enhancing support to the people your government serves.

Yours faithfully,

The undersigned

If you are looking to get involved to support or fundraise for PTSD UK – THANK YOU!!  We are a small charity so our main goals at the moment are to increase awareness that we exist (so people can get the support they need) and to maximise fundraising to allow us to achieve our mission of supporting everyone in the UK affected by PTSD or C-PTSD, no matter the trauma that caused it.

Find out more about how to fundraise, make a donation, raise awareness and other ways to help PTSD UK here.  

Thank you for your support.