Charity fundraisers have been hard at it during lockdown for all manner of good causes.

Here we take a look at some of their efforts.

If you’ve been up to something and want to share it with our readers go to bit.ly/2VB1uEK to tell us what you’ve been up to.

Food for families in need

Dragon Taxis Newport has partnered with The Bigger Picture and Newport County AFC to assist with a community initiative, distributing food to families in need in the county.

The food parcel scheme is led by The Bigger Picture, was set up by sisters Carys and Rachel Jones in 2018. The organisation is based at the Community Hub in Francis Drive, Pill and prior to the pandemic, hosted weekly activities including baby cafés, arts and crafts sessions, and performing arts classes.

Dragon Taxis Newport, a regional hub of the UK’s leading private hire operator Veezu, play a pivotal role in the scheme, delivering food donations to The Bigger Picture twice a week and distributing the assembled food parcels within the community.

The company has committed to providing the transport for the initiative, including throughout the summer holidays to help ensure that children and their families in Newport receive free meals.

Jack Price, general manager for Dragon Taxis Newport & Torfaen, said: “We are really proud to be supporting The Bigger Picture and Newport County AFC with this initiative which makes a significant difference to several families in our local communities, particularly during these challenging times.

“Our driver-partners are really aware of the difficulties facing the communities they work in and supporting these communities is definitely a priority for everyone at Dragon Taxis Newport. By listening to the needs of our passengers and the community, we also launched a Click and Collect service this year to deliver shopping and medicines to families who are social distancing – we are keen to help however we can.”

Each week more than 80 families receive food parcels containing dry foods, meat and fresh produce, which have been kindly donated by organisations such as Aldi Newport, Jesus Cares Foodbank and Newport Round Table, from The Bigger Picture who are assisted by Dragon Taxis Newport as well as Newport County AFC.

Inspired by the football club’s County in the Community initiative, which aims to engage with the community in areas including social inclusion, health, education, sports participation and the environment, Newport County’s Assistant Manager Wayne Hatswell is an active volunteer with The Bigger Picture. Since the lockdown was implemented in March, Mr Hatswell has helped the organisation deliver more than 2000 meals to families across Newport.

Wayne Hatswell said: “Since joining Newport County AFC, the communities across Newport have been very welcoming. Thanks to the football club’s County in the Community scheme, I have been able to work with The Bigger Picture during lockdown and give something back to the community during what are particularly difficult times for many in the area.”

Carys Jones, co-founder of The Bigger Picture, said: “We are extremely grateful for the commitment of both Dragon Taxis Newport and Newport County AFC to supporting their communities. While we have been unable to hold our usual community events at the Hub during the pandemic, the food parcel initiative has been vital for many of our families and the help we have received to support these communities is greatly appreciated.”

The Range

THE Newport branch of national chain The Range has raised hundreds for the NHS.

The Range’s 175 branches across the UK – including Newport – have raised a collective £51,479.56 which will be given to the NHS.

The Newport store itself raised £292.54.

Chris Dawson, owner and founder of The Range, said: “I think our customers will be proud to learn that we have raised a collective £51,479.56 to help our valued and loved National Health Service. I am extremely proud of the effort our store staff have put in to achieve this, as well as keeping our social distancing measures in place.”

The chain has raised the amount throughout the Covid-19 pandemic while ensuring that their staff and customers are kept safe by putting social distancing measures in place throughout their stores, hand sanitising stations and contactless payments have also been put in place.

24km for Yemen

The South Wales Rotary Alumni Association undertook a 24km trek on July 25 with the aim of raising money and spreading awareness of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

The association is a group of young people from South Wales who are supported by Newport Uskmouth Rotary Club, working together to help the 24 million people in Yemen in urgent need during what has been described by the UN as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

In order to put this number into perspective, 24 million people equates to approximately 80 per cent of Yemen’s population, with more than half of this figure being children. With Covid-19 spreading rapidly, the situation is only getting worse, further increasing this state of emergency.

The team worked in conjunction with NYCA, the Newport Yemeni Community Association, to not only gain a deeper understanding of the situation, but also to work together in order to unite both forces in building and raising awareness of this humanitarian crisis.

Members of NYCA also took part in the walk, with both groups setting off from different locations in accordance with the social distancing requirements, spanning across Cardiff, Newport, Ogmore-by-Sea, Brecon Beacons and even Loughborough.

As a result of these social restrictions, certain group members had to complete the challenge alone, while others were able to walk with friends and relatives, documenting their individual journeys throughout and sharing their experiences via social media platforms. Despite the typical Welsh weather, they powered through and managed to complete the journey in one piece.

The Alumni Association created an online presence on Facebook and Instagram with their ‘24km for Yemen’ trademark, where they were able to share information, videos and statistics on the current crisis in Yemen, all the while linking to the JustGiving page that has been set up to receive donations.

Despite initially setting a £1,000 target on the JustGiving page, they have managed to surpass this figure by a staggering amount, in fact almost doubling it to £1,970 and counting (excl. £309.25 Gift Aid). If you would like to donate go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rotary-alumni-south-wales