NEWS: 5 things that happened on GoFundMe this week
- Over £400,000 raised for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in London
Support has poured in from individuals and communities across the capital after a fire broke out at the Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road near Notting Hill, west London in the early hours of this morning.
Over £100,000 has been raised on GoFundMe and all campaigns can be viewed here. Over £49,000 has been made in donations to a GoFundMe page started by the An Noor Masjid and Cultural and Community Centre in nearby Acton.
Another GoFundMe page started by Shameela Islam-Zulfiqar has raised over £37,000. On her page she writes: “This is an emergency fund to help raise money to alleviate the needs of the families affected.
Councillor Eartha Pond for Queen’s Park ward has also raised over £11,000 on her GoFundMe page. In a post on her page, Cllr Pond said: “There has been a major fire within the local community impacting a range of faiths, families of all ages and an areas that summarises the beauty/diversity of London.
“There will be a need for funds once facts are established and the community deal with what has occurred on such a tragic day. In a climate when postcodes are sometimes used to separate inner city communities, it’s essential we come together all across the UK to show cohesion and solidarity”.
2. Kate Winslet throws weight behind GoFundMe campaign for young mum’s cancer treatment
Gemma Nuttall, 28, she is battling brain and lung tumours that have spread from her original ovarian cancer that she previously fought.
Her mum, Helen Sproates, is hoping to raise £300,000 on GoFundMe to send Gemma to Germany for a second round of immunotherapy treatment. The treatment is not available in the UK but has proven to shrink and eradicate tumours in patients with other types of cancer.
Actress, Kate Winslet has been supporting the family financially but this week launched an appeal on Ms Nuttall’s GoFundMe page to raise further funds. Fellow actor Edward Norton has also tweeted the campaign page praising Winslet’s “empathy and generosity”.
In the message posted on the GoFundMe page, Winslet said: “Gemma needs further urgent specialist cancer treatment in Germany. Without it, she will die. I have been in communication with Gemma and her lovely mum Helen, for a while now.
“And we are all so thrilled that we were able to send Gemma off to the Hallwang (clinic) for her first round of treatment. I will continue to assist with her costs, but we do still badly need your donations”.
3. Over £22,000 raised for victims of fire in South African town
Natalie Grundlingh, a South African living in London has raised over £22,000 for people living in hwe home town affected by a devastating fire.
On June 7, Knysna in the Western Cape of South Africa was hit by fires that burnt the town to the ground, leaving dozens of families homeless.
Writing on her GoFundMe page, Natalie says: “Knysna is not only a paradise for its locals, it’s appreciated by many South Africans during holidays and thousands of international tourists visiting the garden route.
“I’m a fifth generation “Knysnarian” and it is therefore my duty to stand up for this town I’ve called home for 34 years, to help rebuild a town that has lost schools most of our parents and even some of our grandparents went to, lost churches that unite communities, lost businesses that have survived economic hardships, lost homes that have housed generations, hosted children’s birthdays, accommodated visiting families and sleepovers”
4. Over £50,000 raised for baby Oliver with rare heart condition
Oliver Cameron was born with cardiac fibroma — a huge tumour in his tiny heart that sends his pulse rocketing during terrifying episodes that could kill him.
The condition has been reported only 200 times across the world, and Oliver’s parents believe just two babies in Britain have had it, but neither survived. Oliver’s only hope is surgery to remove the tumour — and quickly.
His parents Lydia, 28, and dad Tim, 30, from Wantage are now trying to raise £200,000 to cover costs of a life-saving operation at Boston Children’s Hospital in the US — which has a 100 per cent success record.
Writing on their GoFundMe page, Tim says: “As the NHS are unable to offer this to Oliver we are desperate to raise sufficent funds to take him to Boston for this life saving treatment so that our beautiful little man has the chance of a long and happy life”.
5. Sisters launch fun to buy onsies and toys for children less fortunate than themselves
Two young sisters are crowdfunding for The Pyjama Fund — an initiative they have set up so they can buy cosy gifts for children less fortunate than themselves.
Lexie 12, and Ines Winfield, 11, from Beaconsfield, launched ‘The Pyjama Fund’ in August last year. The girls use the money they have fundraised to buy onesies, pyjamas, cuddly toys, and blankets for vulnerable children.
They then pass on donations to charity partners including The Children’s Society and Action for Children. They have also worked with Merryfields, a children’s home providing short break services; Beaconsfield’s Children Centre (run by Action For Children) and a project in London called Family Voice, helping refugee families.
They have also had donations from Next and Marks & Spencer, after the high street retailers heard about their fundraising.
