TWOTOO NEWS
February 2012
MONEY DISTRIBUTED TO 3 PROJECTS
Having met the scarf requirements of 3 of our targeted projects we have now donated money to them.
£120 has been donated to BCHA's St Paul's Night Shelter in Bournemouth which will be used to pay for 200 hot meals for homeless people who have recently come off the streets.
£120 has been donated to Routes to Roots in Poole to provide full English breakfasts at The Fisherman's Café, via a weekly voucher system, to those individuals R2R have identified as rough sleeping in that week.
£120 has been donated to Michael House, providers of emergency and longer-term accommodation to homeless people in Bournemouth, to help provide meals to their residents.
February 2012
TWOTOOS TO YMCA
100 TwoToo fleece scarves have been delivered to the Bournemouth YMCA for their residents.January 2012
TWOTOOS DISTRIBUTED IN PETERBOROUGH
Just before Christmas some of the scarves that KingsGate Church had for distribution were given to Peterborough Streets project.
Here Juliet Welsh (left) from KingsGate Church presents some of the scarves to Georgina, Manager of Peterborough Streets.
KingsGate Church have also included an article on their website about TwoToo. http://www.kingsgateuk.com/Articles/294999/KingsGate_Community_Church/Peterborough/Community_Impact/Want_to_get/Twotoo_Scarves_Success.aspx
TWOTOOS DELIVERED TO ROUTES TO ROOTS IN POOLE
Here Steve Bamford presents some of the 30 TwoToo scarves to Gaby Sanger-Stevens of Routes to Roots.
Every evening 15 people, on average, go to the Drop-Ins run by Routes to Roots and the Soup-Runs organised by the churches in Poole for food and drink.
The numbers can be as high as 30 and there are some individuals in need who go throughout the week for their food and sometimes clothing and toiletries.
Since 2003, with the support of the Poole Drug Action Team, R2R has employed an Outreach Worker to provide continuity work with rough sleepers between drop-in sessions. However, despite the charity’s best efforts, there are people sleeping rough in Poole even in the exceptionally cold and harsh winters of the last two years.
Routes to Roots: http://www.routestoroots.org
December 21th 2011
TWOTOOS DELIVERED TO MICHAEL HOUSE, BOURNEMOUTH
Here Jim White, Manager, receives some of the 40 TwoToo scarves delivered to Michael House, Bournemouth yesterday, 20th December. These will be given out to the residents on Christmas Day.
Based in Bournemouth, Dorset, Michael House's Mission is:
• To provide emergency and longer-term accommodation to Homeless people, and provide related day services.
• To provide encouragement, advice and support to our clients in an environment which enables them to gain a greater sense of self worth, and to move towards a more independent life.
• To work in a co-operative and a collaborative way with the relevant Statutory Agencies, and with other voluntary organisations.
Michael House: http://michaelsltd.co.uk
December 13th 2011
TwoToos are now on sale in the shop of KingsGate Church in Peterborough and Cambridge! Caption: Here volunteer Pat Myson models one of the TwoToos.
December 9th 2011
500 UP!
I'm pleased to say that yesterday we went through the 500 sales barrier and the sales are still coming in - now 518 and counting! So there are going to be a lot of homeless people a little warmer this winter.
December 6th 2011
BCHA's St Paul's night shelter, 'Sleep Safe Campaign', in Bournemouth and presented them with the first 50 TwoToo scarves of this winter.
Caption: Steve Bamford, far right, presents TwoToo scarves to some of the residents and staff of BCHA's St Paul's night shelter, 'Sleep Safe Campaign'.
As reported in the Bournemouth Echo: http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9437658.Scarf_gifts_for_the_homeless/
November 2011
November 2011
TwoToo was featured in the Church Times on 4th November's article 'Shopping for a better world - Julia McGuinness goes in search of ethical gifts for all this Christmas'.
November 2011
I'd also like to thank Darren Northeast www.darrennortheast.co.uk for his generous help with PR.
...and especially Paul O'Hanlon at www.dedoko.com for generously building the new TwoToo website and shop.
Summer 2011
This summer TwoToo featured at the 3 weeks of the Keswick Convention in the Lake District where TwoToos were on sale in the Fair Trade Shop in the Earthworks venue.
December 2010
12/7/09
See TwoToo in the Earthworks Venue at the Keswick Convention 11 - 31 July 2009. http://www.keswickministries.org/earthworks_mission_exhibition
11/7/09
TwoToo Special offer for the Summer! TwoToo T Shirts are now only £5 each and we've also got a new red scarf available NOW!
23/1/09
Tonight another 18 scarves were given out at the Birmingham Soup Run.
22/1/09
SIFA Fireside works alongside those who are socially excluded or disadvantaged, addressing alcohol issues and homelessness and empowering and supporting people to meet their short and long term goals. http://www.sifafireside.co.uk
14/1/09
It's been a busy fews weeks! We have now sold approx 250 scarves so far this winter. As well as 30 being distributed before Christmas, more will be distributed via the Soup Run over the next fews week. 83 were given away through a Christmas Party for the elderly organised by a great bunch of pupils at Five Ways School, Bartley Green, Birmingham. More to go out soon!
1/12/08
The temperature is dropping and the number of people at the Soup Run, Birmingham, is increasing.
On Friday, 28/11/08, we had a very busy Soup Run night with a lot more people than we've been getting in recent months. On a very cold, foggy evening we gave out 30 scarves, plus the one I was wearing, as the demand was higher than expected.
Sales are increasing now as people are thinking about Christmas and presents that have more meaning than yet another box of chocolates. We had a great deal of response from people receiving scarves last Christmas and how much they were able to identify with homeless and elderly people. Don't forget about TwoToo T Shirts! They have been reduced by 20% and also make great Christmas presents! For every T Shirt sold we'll give another one away to a homeless person. T Shirts are versatile clothing items, great for summer but also help as another layer in the winter.
11/7/08
TwoToo T Shirts are now available! You may be thinking about your summer holidays, but we're planning for the winter and have recently taken a new order of TwoToo scarves ready for the forthcoming winter. However, we haven't totally given up on summer yet, which is why we're offering you T Shirts now! This helps to keep TwoToo in your memory and reminds the homeless people that we'll also distribute them too, that they haven't been forgotten.
This weekend is the start of 3 weeks of the Keswick Convention in the Lake District where TwoToo will be on sale in the Fair Trade Shop in the Earthworks venue!
20/1/08
Thank you everybody for your support in purchasing TwoToo scarves! Especially St John's Church, Harborne for purchasing about 350 of the 548 that have now sold!
As you will see below from earlier news, 475 scarves will have been distributed by tomorrow.
TwoToo scarves are still available for sale, and please look out for new items coming very soon which will also be sold on the same basis as the scarves have been - giving the opportunity to show support to homeless, needy and elderly people.
Many thanks to Holyhead School, Handsworth where 11 of the staff supported TwoToo by buying scarves and signing a joint Christmas Card instead of sending individual cards to each other.
18/1/08
30 TwoToo scarves were distributed at the Restore party for asylum seekers and refugees last Saturday 12th January. Another 100 TwoToo scarves went out on Thursday 17th January, to Fireside - an open-door day centre providing a welcoming and supportive environment for the homeless and those in need of support. The remaining 70+ of the current batch of 500 TwoToo scarves to distribute, will go next week, to the Homeless Services Centre which is a part of Midland Heart, one of the country's largest housing and community regeneration associations.
2/1/08
It's a New Year and Christmas will soon be a distant memory, but don't forget that a TwoToo isn't just for Christmas. Winter continues and will still be cold for a few months yet. You will still be able to buy TwoToo scarves here for the next few months.
We gave out another 19 scarves at the Soup Run last Friday and more scarves will be distributed via local charities over the next few weeks. Thank you for supporting TwoToo!
21/12/07
Well, you've done it! We have now reached the target of 500 TwoToo scarves sold. This means that we are able to give out 500 more scarves to homeless, needy or elderly people. So far we've given out approx 250 scarves, so plenty more to go out. More will be given out at the Birmingham Soup Run between Christmas and New Year. Thanks to a friend who works in Brighton sometimes, and also helps at the Soup Runs there, he will be giving out 50 scarves in Brighton this week. So TwoToo is spreading! Online sales have been increasing over the last couple of weeks. The news is spreading with orders coming from York in the North down to Southampton in the South!
Remember that a TwoToo is not just for Christmas, it's for the whole winter. We will be continuing to sell TwoToo scarves for the next few months, while it is still cold, to help provide some warmth for the homeless, needy and elderly.
Look out for developments in the New Year and the possibility of some other items being available here. I would welcome any comments or thoughts you may have about TwoToo. Please email them to news@twotoo.co.uk.
TwoToo is featured in this week's issue of Church Times and the interview they did with me was broadcast on BBC WM last Sunday.
There is a link on the Greenbelt website's 'Christmas Gifts Ideas' page at: http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/index.php?p=943
11/12/07
Heart FM used the interview they did with me about TwoToo in a couple of News bulletins on Sunday. I missed them but they sent me some audio files of the bulletins!
BBC WM will be doing an interview with me on Friday to be aired on Sunday morning. Also in response to the Press Release, The Birmingham Evening Mail are intending to do a feature towards the end of this week and The Church Times are intending to do a feature in next week's edition.
Another delivery of 500 TwoToo scarves is arriving on Thursday including navy blue and, by popular demand, black. The new delivery will provide 100 scarves to go out next week to homeless contacts of the Birmingham charity, Cornerstone.
7/12/07
It's been a busy week with much interest in TwoToo. I've been told that Heart FM are intending to use the interview they did with me on 26th November, or at least some of it, in a broadcast sometime on Sunday 9th December! We've also sent out a Press Release to the local Birmingham Press today, so wait to see if anyone else picks up on TwoToo. I'll let you know if anything happens.
I've also been told that TwoToo has somehow made an appearance on the local NHS intranet!
2/12/07
It seems like much, much longer, but it's only actually a week since TwoToo was officially launched!
On Friday 23rd November the first 37 scarves were given out to homeless people at the Soup Run in the centre of Birmingham, many who were going to be sleeping out in sub zero temperatures that night.
On Sunday 25th November at St John's in Harborne, we had a very positive response and sold 166 scarves. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who thought the idea was 'really, really good'.
On Monday 26th November I was interviewed by Heart FM, the local radio station, about TwoToo and they were very keen to broadcast the interview and promote the idea. As yet I haven't heard if it's been broadcast, but there's still time! They have also featured TwoToo on their News page of their website with a link to the TwoToo website.
On Friday 30th November we gave out another 29 scarves at the Soup Run. Many of the people there had received scarves the previous Friday and thanked us for them.
Saturday 1st December was the day for a party for the elderly where 55 scarves where given out. The next day, Sunday, one lady was heard to say: "I haven't taken it off yet, it's really comfortable and warm!"
On Sunday 2nd December a further 91 scarves where sold at St John's, Harborne.
More news to come...
Steve Bamford
