Children First Derby Dazzling Fashion Show Raises over £4,000

Local charity Children First Derby celebrated the hugely successful return of its popular Annual Fashion Show Event, sponsored by Pentagon Motor Group, held on 12th November 2021 at the Derby Conference Centre, which raised over £4,000 to help support local vulnerable children, young people, and families.

The fun-filled, packed event was hosted by BBC Radio Derby Presenter’s Andy Twigge, (Twiggy) and Dave Fletcher, who kept the audience entertained throughout with their witty commentary. With guests of honour including Children First Derby Patron, renowned Actress and BAFTA nominee, Gwen Taylor, and the Mayor of Derby, Councillor Robin Wood.

Children First Derby Chair, Fred Jacques, said:

“It’s fantastic to have our events up and running again and to welcome the return of our popular Fashion Show. Our fundraising capacity was greatly reduced due to the effects of the pandemic, which proved to be a very challenging time. We’re therefore delighted to announce that this year’s Fashion Show has raised over £4,000 for Children First Derby – helping us to support local vulnerable children, young people and families. And we would like to thank everyone here for your incredible support, which is as always very much appreciated.”

The Fashion Show models comprised of a string of prominent local business leaders who made their debut on the catwalk to help raise funds and awareness for the charity, alongside a host of the charity’s longstanding volunteers, trustees, members of the fundraising team, and Children First Derby friends and supporters.

The dazzling models entered the spirit of the evening, as they strutted and danced their way down the catwalk, much to everyone’s delight. They showcased a range of day wear, stunning bridal wear and beautiful evening wear featuring the latest lines of clothing available from several high street stores, who kindly supported the event.

As part of the event, various fundraising activities took place throughout the evening, which included a raffle and selling Christmas cards designed by local children for the charity as part of a recent Children First Derby fundraising initiative.

And in a concerted effort to generate more money for the charity, Andy Twigge and Dave Fletcher started an informal auction for one of the packs of Christmas cards, which saw local businessman and continued supporter of the charity, Karim Merchant, Director of Merchant’s Jewellers, place the highest, winning bid of £50. Karim then asked the BBC Radio presenters to sign the cards, before kindly donating them back to the charity asking that the signed cards be sent out to some of Children First Derby’s supported families.

The presenters also interviewed supporter of the charity and one of the Fashion Show’s models, Victoria Spencer-Kibble, founder of Vask Therapy, who dyed her hair a vibrant pink for the occasion as a way of raising additional funds, so far raising almost £200 for the charity.

The event concluded with an unforgettable finale featuring David Birrell and Derby Diva, Queenie, who glamorously took to the catwalk in a fabulous ensemble of outfits, followed by a superb live performance from X Factor Finalist, soul singer and song writer Errol Cole.

A special thank you bouquet of flowers was presented to the charity’s patron, Gwen Taylor, thanking her for her continued support of the charity. And a special thanks was given to Fundraising Volunteers, Sandra Harrison and Jenny Bird, who worked tirelessly, alongside our Children First Derby Fundraising staff and volunteers, to help organise the successful event.

A heartfelt thank you was given to the sponsors of the Fashion Show, Pentagon Motor Group for their generous and continued support. And the Roebuck at Draycott in the Clay was also thanked as they held a special raffle for the Fashion Show, raising an incredible £500.

We would like to say a HUGE Thank You to our fantastic models who worked hard to support the event and were absolutely superb: Friends of Children First Derby – Clarissa, Sophie, Aoife, Kiwi, Emily and Dom (Bride and Groom) and Kath. Supporters of Children First Derby – Tanita, proprietor of Merchant’s Jewellers and Melissa from Inchcape Toyota Derby. Long standing Children First Derby Volunteer – Wendy. Children First Derby Trustee – Rachel. Supporters of Children First Derby and members of Derby’s Finest – Claire Twells, Partner at Smith partnership, Victoria and Louise. Children First Derby Fundraising Coordinator – Gina. And former Mayoress of Derby, Juliette.

We would also like to say a special Thank You to the following high street stores who helped to support the charity’s fashion event: New Look, Primark, Whistles, Marks and Spencer, Dalrymples, Hobbs London, All Saints, Jillian Hart, Phase Eight, Tiffany Jordan, Quiz, Izzy, and Bedazzled.

 

 

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Experienced CEO to Lead Children First Derby

We’re delighted to welcome Irshad Baqui to the Children First Derby team.

An experienced CEO, Irshad, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive at Children First Derby, to support the charity’s drive to strengthen and further develop its support for vulnerable children, young people, and families.

With over 15 years of successful charity management experience, Irshad’s most recent role was Chief Executive of the Muath Trust – one of the largest community based third sector organisations in the UK, offering quality education, training, and essential services to meet the needs of different sections of the community.

Irshad said:

I am delighted to join Children First Derby and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with the charity so far.

The charity has attained some incredible achievements and was recently honoured with the coveted Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. With my previous experience in charity management and growth, I’m looking forward to building on the established success of Children First Derby and developing the charity further.

Established in 1974, Children First Derby provides three bespoke services; a Family Support Service, a Mentoring Service to support children and young people aged between 10 to 18 years, and a Supervised Contact Service for Looked After Children in Derby.

Operating from its premises in Leopold Street, Derby, the charity is run by a small, dedicated team of staff and over 60 family support, mentoring and fundraising volunteers, providing much-needed support to around 400 vulnerable children, young people, and families every year both in the Derby area and beyond.

Children First Derby Chair, Fred Jaques said:

We’re delighted to welcome Irshad to the team. With his extensive experience in charity management and expertise in business development success, we are confident that Irshad will continue to develop the success of Children First Derby, which will be vital for taking the charity to the next level.

Irshad, an Engineering graduate with a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), has worked in senior management positions in the charity sector for over 15 years.

His industry experience includes a number of senior business development roles in the financial services, before becoming Executive Director of a leading research and education charity based in Leicestershire. Irshad spent over eight years in his most recent position, as Chief Executive of the Muath Trust, developing and growing the Trust through strategic partnerships with key stakeholders and specialist institutions.

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Children First Derby Secures £321,529 Lottery Funding

Children First Derby has been awarded vital funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to ensure the continued provision of its highly valued Mentoring Service for the next five years.

The Mentoring Service is one of three bespoke services the charity provides and offers one-to-one mentoring support to children and young people aged between 10 to 18 years in the Derby area.

The service relies on the use of staff and trained volunteers, who provide essential mentoring support and guidance, helping to boost young people’s confidence, reduce isolation, and improve overall mental health and wellbeing. The mentors also help the young people develop strength and resilience needed for success in education and the workplace.

 

“We are delighted to hear that our funding bid from the National Lottery has proved successful,” said Children First Derby Chair, Fred Jacques. “We rely on public funding and fundraising initiatives to operate our Mentoring and Family Support Services. And our fundraising capacity has been greatly reduced over the last twelve months due to the effects of Covid 19. The decision to award Children First Derby £321,529 to support the running of this vital service, ensures that our Mentoring Service can continue to operate for the next five years, which is fantastic news.”

Operating from its premises in Leopold Street, Derby, Children First Derby is run by a small, dedicated team of staff and over 60 family support, mentoring and fundraising volunteers, providing much-needed support to around 400 vulnerable children and young people every year in the Derby area and beyond.

The charity’s bespoke Mentoring Service is operated by staff and specially trained volunteer mentors who meet with their mentees on a regular basis, acting as a positive role model.

The mentors help to build positive relationships and provide ongoing support. The children and young people are encouraged to participate in new, creative activities that they would otherwise be unable to experience, helping to reduce inequality. This enables them to them to develop new skills, confidently navigate challenges, and build self-esteem and confidence.

Charity founder, Milly Wigley, with the Children First Derby drama group, one of the many groups and activities organised by the Mentoring Service, to help reduce isolation and improve confidence and well-being

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Children First Derby Wins Queen’s Award

The team of volunteers at Children First Derby have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for their vital work supporting the Derby based charity, dedicated to working with vulnerable and disadvantaged children, young people and their families.

The prestigious award, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK and described as the MBE for charities, was officially presented to a small group of representatives of Children First Derby by H M Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Mrs Elizabeth Fothergill CBE.

 “I nominated the charity’s volunteers for this award due to the fantastic support they provide to children and their families in Derby,” said Children First Derby Patron, Sir Stephen Moss. “I am delighted the volunteers have been recognised for all their hard work and the amazing contributions they have made towards the wellbeing of their local community. It is a great achievement and richly deserved.”

Established in 1974, Children First Derby provides three bespoke services; a Family Support Service, a Mentoring Service for young people and a Supervised Contact Service for Looked After Children in Derby.

Operating from its premises in Leopold Street, Derby, the charity is run by a small dedicated team of staff and over 60 family support, mentoring and fundraising volunteers, providing much-needed support to around 400 vulnerable children and young people every year both in the Derby area and beyond.

On receiving the award, Children First Derby Chair, Fred Jacques, said “We are honoured to have been awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. This award reflects the dedication and hard work of all our volunteers and staff at Children First Derby and the fantastic work they do supporting vulnerable children and their families.”

Due to ongoing covid 19 restrictions, the official ceremony was a small, socially distanced affair, adhering to the latest government guidelines throughout.

 Fred Jacques concludes, “We would like to thank H M Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Mrs Elizabeth Fothergill, for presenting our charity with this prestigious award. This is a fantastic boost to everyone’s morale during this time of difficulty and uncertainty.

 “We are looking forward to having another, much larger ceremony and inviting many more of the charity’s volunteers to celebrate this achievement as soon as the government guidelines allow.”

Children First Derby is one of 230 charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. The number of nominations remains high year on year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.

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Children First Derby Founder Celebrates MBE

A celebratory reception was held in the Jacob Rivers VC Room at the Council House, Derby on Thursday evening March 8th 2019 in honour of Etheleen Mildred Wigley (Milly) being awarded the MBE for founding Children First Derby and for her services to vulnerable children.

The reception was hosted by the Mayor of Derby, Councillor John Whitby and who has made Children First Derby one of his charities for his year in office. Other attendees were Madame Mayor Juliette Whitby; Children First Derby staff, other volunteers, supporters and long standing members of the Board of Trustees.

The evening was sponsored by supporters and friends of the charity and Royal Crown Derby presented a special commemorative plate to  Milly at the celebration.

The Charity has gone from strength to strength over the last forty four years and in that time has helped thousands of vulnerable children, young people and families in Derby.

Organiser of the event Fundraising & PR Coordinator Gina Repton explained,

“Without the support of so many wonderful local individuals and organisations, Children First Derby probably would not exist after all these years and it is very gratifying to see that the work of not only the founder of the Charity, but all those
who have given so generously has been rewarded.”
 

For further information contact Gina Repton at Children First Derby

13 Leopold Street, Derby DE1 2HE

Tel: (01332) 341516, or email: [email protected]

 

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