FOCUS: "We believe in what we do – that's why we are here"

Sunday 29 December 2024

The head of a charity that supports parents, carers, children and young people in Jersey has praised its supporters for a "positive" year as it gets ready to raise "hundreds of thousands" more pounds in 2025.

As 2024 draws to a close, Brighter Futures CEO Fiona Brennan looks back on the progress made by the charity, as well as the challenges ahead...

"We believe in what we do – that's why we are here," she told Express.

"It's just families"

Brighter Futures, which provides key worker support alongside several free programmes and services to assist parents and carers, has supported over 4,000 families to-date.

Pictured: Brighter Futures has supported over 4,000 families so far.

"When families come to us, they've heard of Brighter Futures and they're reaching out because they feel at that time, that moment in their life and in their family's life, they need some extra support," Mrs Brennan said.

"It can be for a whole range of different challenges that the family are going through."

She added: "When I've been asked many years ago about what type of families come to Brighter Futures, I've very clearly said 'it's just families'. It could be my family, it could be your family. It's families who need that extra support.

"And actually, if you don't get that support in a timely way, at the time that you need it, then maybe things will get worse for you. So that's the key thing, that you don't go on a waiting list.

"You can come straight in, you get allocated somebody that's going to be alongside you as your co-ordinator and then you choose, as the client, what you want to access and what you want to gain from Brighter Futures."

Pictured: Fiona Brennan is the CEO of local family charity Brighter Futures.

On average, the charity and its 24-strong team supports around 150 families per week.

Ensuring the necessary funds are secured to continue providing services on that scale is no small feat.

"We don't know if we are going to get any help from the States next year – what we do know is we have to raise over a million pounds," Mrs Brennan said.

"In Jersey, with over 450 active charities, that's a very, very difficult task to keep going."

"We're very lucky to have some wonderful supporters"

She explained that, though she expected some clarity on government support by the end of this year, the charity will still need to raise "hundreds of thousands of pounds" in 2025.

This involves seeking corporate sponsorships as well as support from grants, trusts, private donors and running fundraising events.

"It's really whichever way we can and we're very, very lucky to have some wonderful supporters, some wonderful private donors and people that come onboard and really think outside the box [about] what they can do to raise funds for Brighter Futures, so that, in itself, is a great gift for us," she added.

Pictured: Fundraising events like white collar darts help the charity to meet its running costs, which will be a million pounds in 2025.

Mrs Brennan described 2024, which saw a number of fundraising events including six-a-side football and white collar darts, as a "positive year" and thanked all of the charity's ambassadors, volunteers, supporters and donors.

She also noted that Brighter Futures had been successful in expanding its reach to help more families.

"We have got into communicare [in St Brelade]," the CEO said.

"We have been trying to get a spot in communicare for many, many years, because we've always felt that we wanted to support the west and we didn't really get the opportunity to do that.

"So we started running a group out there in September, which is absolutely brilliant.

"We're delighted about that, and we have a branch in the east of the island, and we run a programme from the St Helier Town Hall.

"These have really evolved this year, so that is great that we are able to take our service to those areas in the island, because many families can't get to us here [in St Saviour].

"That's a real positive for Brighter Futures and we are looking to continue to develop those areas in 2025."

Pictured: The six-a-side football will be among the fundraisers taking place in 2025.

Next year will also see a number of fundraisers, including proceeds generated from raffles at Island Fever's Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Gold Cup events held at the Grand.

Six-a-side football will make a return and there will also be a ladies lunch, among other events.

"Every penny counts and every penny goes to Brighter Futures to support our families, it doesn't go out of the island at all, it stays in the island so it really does support the community in Jersey," said Mrs Brennan.