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Paul Morrish has been appointed new Chief Executive Officer of LandAid. Paul joins LandAid from VoiceAbility, one of the UK's largest advocacy charities working with vulnerable adults and young people, where he is currently Deputy Chief Executive.
Yesterday saw the start of Living Wage Week, the annual UK-wide campaign organised by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF). The occasion was marked with a widely-publicised rise in the UK and London Living Wage rates for 2014-15 to £7.85 and £9.15 per hour respectively. This, the LFW hopes, will in principle improve the take home pay of 35,000 low-paid workers who are employed by over 1,000 Living Wage supporting organisations.
Figures released by the Campaign to End Child Poverty yesterday paint a bleak picture, particularly for London's children. Our capital, home to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, officially contains the highest child poverty rates in the UK. Ten London constituencies hold this unfortunate accolade. Bethnal Green and Bow, which has 49% children in poverty, is the highest in the country. The leafy environs of well-heeled Wimbledon, Twickenham and Richmond Park each have 15%. That's one child in seven.
Last Thursday, Russell Brand brought the public's attention to the Focus E15 occupation in Newham. A group of women and their babies were living illegally in flats earmarked for demolition after spending cuts meant their hostel was forced to close leaving the women to be rehoused outside of London, away from families and friends.
I was delighted to visit Stepney Bank Stables and to join in with the celebrations at the grand opening of the new Learning Centre, a LandAid-funded refurbishment.
I arrived at Newcastle YMCA after an invigorating cycle from Newcastle's Central Station - east along the Tyne and then uphill through Byker to Walker - to find a site in the final stages of construction.
After a summer of crunching numbers, reviewing targets and drawing up graphs, LandAid can now proudly announce the launch of its 2013/14 Financial Review. A detailed summary of the charity's performance over the 12 months from April 2013 to March 2014 can be found in the document below, but for starters, here's a selection of our highlights:
Last night saw the official launch of LandAid's pro bono campaign at our annual summer party. On the night, we asked the property and construction sectors to donate over £200,000 worth of vital time and expertise to support our projects. We want each of our corporate supporters to commit at least 10 days of free professional advice in 2014-15, acting as a catalyst social objectives and the resources of businesses to drive change. The overall aim is to get 40 companies to donate 10 days each.
Child poverty is one of the greatest challenges facing the UK today. It affects every area of a child's development - social, educational and personal - and places families and communities under incredible strain. It's also bad for the economy. It is estimated that every year £29 billion is lost in costs to the Exchequer and reduced GDP. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) the consequences of child poverty include reduced productivity, lower educational attainment and poor health.
