Molly Bedingfield Speaks at ‘Giving For Good’ For The Big Society
Earlier this year Molly was priviledged to share the stage alongside other established thought leaders in philanthropy, including; Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society; Michael Green, Co-Author of Philanthrocapitalism and Nick Aldridge, CEO MissionFish, Ebay for Charity. The event was 'Giving For Good', powered by David Cameron's 'The Big Society'.
'Giving for Good' brought together people with innovative ideas and technological expertise in order to devise new ways of giving. Molly was invited to present her vision and journey in pioneering Global Angels as a new model of charity, specifically relating to The 100% Promise and how Global Angels is addressing the challenge in the charity world calling for new levels of transparency and integrity in the use of charity funds.The day was chaired by Martin Brookes, Chief Executive of New Philanthropy Capital.
This mix of people allowed the audience to hear not only about the practice of giving but also the socio-psychological process that takes place when we give.
"It was very exciting to share the platform alongside such a dynamic group of influencers, using their creativity and forward thinking to inspire a new generation of sustainable charity,"- Molly Bedingfield (Founder & CEO, Global Angels)
In May 2010, Ed Bussey completed his trek to the North Pole in aid of Global Angels. Co-founder of figleaves.com, Ed completed his four week self-supported trek to the North Pole while raising nearly £10,000 for Global Angels! Ed chose to support orphans in Sierra Leone and a project enabling terminally ill children and their families to enjoy a holiday with their loved ones.
Ed took on the tough challenge with the knowledge that less people have managed to complete the trek to the North Pole than have climbed Mt Everest! The recent birth of his new baby girl Thalia and thought of his wife Dilek spurred him on through avoiding attacks from Polar Bears and extinguishing a near fatal tent fire!
Ed said before the trek: "The biggest challenges are going to be the physical endurance, the cold, polar bears - and missing my wife Dilek, and our baby daughter Thalia, who was born in February."
We're really proud of Ed and his achievements for Global Angels. Check out his great video below and visit his Twitter page
Our founder Molly had an interview with Rob Griffin for an article in The Independent in December 2010. The article, 'How To Give A Helping Hand To Small Charities,' discusses some of the issues small charities may encounter compared with other, larger charities.
In the interview, Molly highlights the importance of our 100% Promise and our mission to provide today's intelligent givers with the knowledge their money and passion to help kids in need is really helping the cause.
"We have a large network of smaller charities and projects that are doing an excellent job but need help to move them on to the next stage of their development," explains Molly. "Everyone that donates knows that their money is making a real difference."
Hopefully Molly's interview will encourage more people to become Angels and help kids, safe in the knowledge that their donations are covered by our 100% Promise!
On the 8th December, Global Angels put on their 2010 Christmas Benefit Show, an 'Angels in Concert' event at The Bedford, in Balham.
The show, hosted by Tony Moore, was an evening filled with music and magic, attended by only 100 guests in this intimate London venue. Daniel Bedingfield headlined the event, supported by Ambassadors Diana Yukawa, who gave a beautiful violin performance, amazing singers Rachel Furner and Larissa Eddie, and our very impressive magician, Chris Dugdale.
The evening was a great success, and we managed to raise funds and awareness for our water projects in Mozambique. Infact, Amy from the Nema Project in Guludo was able to attend the event herself! Which was lovely.
It was a great way to end 2010 on a high note with some close friends and supporters of Global Angels, and we hope that next year we are able to host more events and have even more Angels in attendance!
The photos of the night are amazing! Thankyou so much to Brad for donating his time and taking them for us, they are a wonderful memory of our concert. View them in the gallery at the top of this page!
Step Up Gallery
For those of you who had Step Up photos taken against our Angel backdrop, please click here to view the gallery...Please email us on info@globalangels.org if you would like us to send you a copy of your photo.
Strakka Racing Driver Nick Leventis – Record Everest Skydive
The date for our amazing Ambassador Nick Leventis’ Everest Skydive is drawing closer and closer! His Strakka Racing team have already had an amazing season with their record achievements at Le Mans and amazing win in the Hungaroring 1000 Kilometres! They are great supportors of Global Angels – their HPD racecar has carried our logo all season, and it is embroidered on the driver’s race suits!
Nick will be attempting the highest Everest tandem skydive this coming October, in the name of Global Angels and refugee kids on the Thai-Burma border – he aims to raise £50,000! What a brilliant Ambassador he is.
Nick and his wife Sophie became Angel Ambassadors earlier in the year when they travelled to Mae Sot in northern Thailand and made a short film about the refugee children living on the Thai-Burma there, all in need of our help.
See their moving film…
“Our hearts went out to the refugee children we met there. Tens of thousands of children live in harsh conditions in shacks or squalid boarding houses, with too little food, and rudimentary schools. It is hard to believe that they are safer and better cared for in Thailand than in their own country, but they have fled a brutal government and an endless civil war. Some are with their parents, but many are orphanss. We met one girl whose mother had been killed by a landmind and her father shot by the Burmese army. Some children have run away after being constripted as soldiers, porters or human minesweepers. Burma has more child soldiers than any other country in the world.” - Nick Leventis
Step UP! Be an Angel… Support Nick in his world record skydiving attempt and help the refugee kids on the Thai-Burma border!
Step Up! Be an Angel in Action – Click through to Nick’s fundraising page and donate to help the Burmese children…
Bear Grylls and team have now set off on their Northwest Passage expedition this weekend! How exciting!
They have reached Resolute Bay, one of the furthest outposts in the Arctic, and the must-pass-thru location for anyone attempting to reach the North Pole from Canada!
Bear gave this update in his daily blog...
"Summary is, we're having a blast. Trip of a lifetime. Lots of joking and laughing, and then the occasional very serious moment which keeps us on alert all the time. Everyone is in great spirits. [...] Tomorrow we're departing early. Not at sunrise, because that's pretty much right after sunset. We've got our longest day yet in front of us, and all we know for certain is that there is a large ice field just outside of Resolute Bay that I can see from the window of our motel. But we're rested and ready for it."
Bear is raising money to provide safe water for kids and to heighten awareness of the effects of climate change on poor communities struggling for basic needs such as clean water to drink.
Check out some photos below from the first part of Bear & team's Northwest Passage expedition, one again, Good Luck!
Fire Burns Down Orphan Home, Global Angels Provides Funds for the Rebuild
In 2009, a fire broke out at the Chidlren’s Community Village in Kamakwie, Sierra Leone, burning down one of our orphan homes and causing damage to the other… everything was destroyed from pots and pans to food and clothes. Even the new beds and mattresses that had recently been purchased were burned to a cinder. Fortunately all of the children escaped and no one was hurt.
Villagers managed to throw sand and water and in the end stopped the fire from claiming the school as well. Global Angels funded the school and it is now the emergency home for the children. To top that, the rainy season has just started and the children are cold and hungry having to sleep on the concrete floors.
Last year, we have also been supporting 3 meals every day for 117 children, as part of our Feed A Child Programme. For 40 children this is their first place they could call their home since losing their family. The local community are doing what they can to help the children but being rural Africa the neighbours are very poor.
Our hearts went out to these children and raised £10,000 to help rebuild the children’s home, and replace their pots and pans, bedding, mattresses…
The rebuild was successful, and the solar panels we provided for electricity now make the buildings much safer than kerosene lamps. Thanks to all the Angels that gave.
We are very proud to announce that our very own Global Angels Ambassador, Bonita Norris, became the Youngest British Female to conquer Mt Everest on the 17th May 2010.
Bonita took the Global Angels flag with her placing it on the peak of Everest while championing the causes of child soldiers in Uganda, and disabled children in the UK.
Global Angels Ambassador and photojournalist, Hazel Thompson, has recently returned from Congo and Dafur on assignment with The New York Times. Her photos of women and girls in their teens, survivors of indiscriminate brutal rapes from soldiers, are featured front page, alongside Jeffrey Gettleman’s compassionate report on their plight.
Hazel is often on the front lines working through her photography to champion the causes of woman and children in some of the most dangerous places on earth. She captures the beauty and humanity of real people and brings their true stories to us, the public. We find our hearts are strengthened and energised to keep helping marginalised people fight their battle to be respected as human beings and to find freedom and safety for themselves and their children.
On the 10th September 2007, Global Angels Ambassadors Melanie Slade and Madeleine Bowden embarked on an amazing adventure to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for street children in Africa, autistic children and children with cancer in the UK.
The girls Stepped Up to this incredible challenge to help raise money for projects that make a real difference to the lives of children.
In 2007, on Monday May 14th, Bear Grylls teamed up with Giles Cardoza and, with the backing of the GKN Mission Everest team, flew over Everest by paramotor! This achievment led to Bear Grylls claiming the title of first man to fly over Mount Everest by powered paraglider.
Bear and fellow pilot Giles took off from Everest base camp, situated at 14,500 feet in Nepal. Both had specially developed paramotors. At 28,000 feet, a fault in Giles’ machine ended his mission just 1,000 feet below the summit, forcing him to glide back to safety. Luckily, Bear was able to continue to ascend until, at around 9.30 am, he reached the height of 29,500 feet to claim this extraordinary title!
Bear raised $1million for Global Angels projects in Uganda, Sierra Leone, Kenya and Mozambique; 100% of which went towards providing water, food, education, medicine and housing for kids and their communities.
Kevin Smith, Chief Executive of GKN which sponsored the mission said…
“This is a stunning achievement and we are all proud to have played a part in Bear’s adventure… Let us all draw inspiration from his courage and go on to complete our own Mission Everest Challenge”
