Choose your charity, make a difference

 

We want your help to decide a new local charity to support for 2024!

 

Nominate a local charity by commenting on our post, then the 4 charities with the most votes will be shortlisted for the final vote!

 

The charity with the most votes will become our Chosen Charity for 2024 (It must be a different charity from last year’s).

 

Voting closes on Monday 12th February!

Stairwell Project

Stairwell Project is an initiative to enliven the space at Queensmere Observatory developed in collaboration with Art Classes Group. The mural takes shoppers through a journey of the history of Slough; from the transformation of Slough’s parks and canals to its iconic buildings and habitat.

 

Art Classes Group invited local art students from Trinity College London and Slough & Eton CofE Business and Enterprise College to get involved with the creation of the murals, which were unveiled on Sunday 1st July.

 

Volunteers from other local colleges in the Slough area have given their hand to help finish the murals, with an exhibition of the stairwell, aptly called “Summer Visual Art Exhibition” on 2nd July after the official launch the day before. Queensmere Observatory gifted the students who helped a certificate of completion for their efforts.

The Giving Box

In April we worked with Global Educational Books (GET Books) to launch our Giving Box. Shoppers were encouraged to help by donating books or reading materials of any kind, especially children’s books.

 

The Giving Box is a larger-than-life donation box that will be repurposed accordingly depending on the charity we work with. Its design includes a see-through window on one side of the box so that shoppers can see what has already been donated, and a hole on the top for people to drop their donations in. Our Giving Box is located in front of the GET store as you turn right out of TK Max. We will be supporting various charities throughout the year, such as Slough Refugee Support!

 

We would like to thank you in advance for your support!

Mental Health Crisis Helplines

If you’re in crisis and need to talk right now, there are many helplines staffed by trained people ready to listen. They won’t judge you, and could help you make sense of what you’re feeling.

·         Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.org or visit some branches in person. You can also call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).

·         SANEline. If you’re experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).

·         National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK. Offers a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK on 0800 689 5652 (6pm–3:30am every day).

·         Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). You can call the CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) if you are struggling and need to talk. Or if you prefer not to speak on the phone, you could try the CALM webchat service.

·         Shout. If you would prefer not to talk but want some mental health support, you could text SHOUT to 85258. Shout offers a confidential 24/7 text service providing support if you are in crisis and need immediate help.

·         The Mix. If you’re under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (3pm–midnight every day), request support by email using this form on The Mix website or use their crisis text messenger service.

·         Papyrus HOPELINEUK. If you’re under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm), email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697.

·         Nightline. If you’re a student, you can look on the Nightline website to see if your university or college offers a night-time listening service. Nightline phone operators are all students too.

·         Switchboard. If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email chris@switchboard.lgbt or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+.

·         C.A.L.L. If you live in Wales, you can call the Community Advice and Listening Line (C.A.L.L.) on 0800 132 737 (open 24/7) or you can text ‘help’ followed by a question to 81066.

·         Helplines Partnership. For more options, visit the Helplines Partnership website for a directory of UK helplines. Mind’s Infoline can also help you find services that can support you. If you’re outside the UK, the Befrienders Worldwide website has a tool to search by country for emotional support helplines around the world.

If it’s an emergency or you need urgent help:

·         If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E now

·         If you need help urgently for your mental health, but it’s not an emergency, get help from NHS 111 online or call 111

Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You will not be wasting anyone’s time!

If you would like to link in with the shopping centre

on any of your campaigns and initiatives,

please get in touch – info@queensmereshopping.co.uk