The BillyChip®️ Foundation

Paul Harper Search is delighted to announce The BillyChip®️ Foundation as one of our charitable partners. 

We are thrilled to partner with BillyChip® CIC social enterprise, a charity that provides a safe and secure currency for homeless people. We are proud to support this innovative solution that helps overcome the concerns many people have about giving cash to rough sleepers.

The BillyChip was created by Billy Abernethy-Hope, a 20-year-old ambulance driver from Bristol. Billy wanted to find a way to help the homeless community and provide direct donations to them. Unfortunately, Billy passed away in 2018, but his idea was brought to life by his sister Meg and father Jon.

 

How it works

You buy a BillyChip for £2 and gift it to a homeless person as an alternative to cash. Creating a safe, secure way to provide help and support if you don’t carry cash, it also alleviates the fear your donation could be misused. The recipient can redeem the BillyChip token in any participating outlet for the minimum of a hot or cold takeaway drink of choice, many outlets offer more. 

The BillyChip ensures that any exchange is only for food and drink, providing a way for people to still enjoy human interaction and conversation with the homeless community, without worrying about contributing to any harmful habits. 

 

DONATE NOW

BillyChip relies on donations from organisations, the public, and businesses to expand its scheme. Jon Hope, Co-founder, says they have a lot of work to do in recruiting new coffee shops and cafes to the scheme. Their aim is to have 1000 outlets across the UK, which they project will make them self-sufficient as an organization. They have funded local projects such as Street Vet, Suicide Prevention, and Lizzies Soup Run in Bath, and have plans to provide temporary living accommodation for the homeless in a container village in 2023.

Meg says Billy would be proud of what they have achieved but also think they are a little crazy for bringing his idea to life in his absence. They have learned so much about the homeless community and the generosity of others in the last three years. They are grateful for the incredible support given to them and proud to have been named Charity Partner for several large-scale businesses.

We are excited to partner with BillyChip and support their mission to create a safe, secure circular economy that brings compassion, choice, and revenue to the homeless sector. Join us in supporting this innovative solution and make a difference in the lives of homeless people.

Find out more about BillyChip here: www.billychip.com  

DONATE HERE

 

   

 

Empire Fighting Chance

 

We are delighted to partner with Empire Fighting Chance as one our chosen charities to support.

Empire Fighting Chance exists to fight the impact of poverty and inequality on the lives of young people. They have created a groundbreaking fusion of boxing and psychology to enable young people to overcome the adversity that they face and realise their unique potential. Their programmes seamlessly weave in psychologically informed support while young people box, using the sport as a platform for mentoring, therapy and careers coaching.

WHAT THEY DO

They fight the impact of poverty and inequality on the lives of young people. Their model features a powerful fusion of boxing and psychology, delivered by someone that young people can trust in a place where they feel safe, cared for and understood. Young people gain support in ways that are natural and enjoyable, encouraging them to turn up, relax, engage in the work and go on to make positive changes to their lives.

They achieve their mission in three ways:

• They deliver: They design and deliver programmes for young people that fuse boxing and psychology
• They train: They equip organisations and individuals with expertise to deliver their programmes in the communities in which they work
• They fight: They take what they learn from their work to decision makers and influencers and mobilise them to join their movement to build a better future for young people.

They have developed four programmes for young people:

• Box Champions: boxing fused with psychologically informed mentoring
• Box Therapy: boxing fused with a therapeutic intervention
• Box Careers: boxing fused with psychology and practical careers support
• Box Juniors: regular boxing sessions open to all young people, giving the alumni of our programmes the opportunity to continue their growth.

THE IMPACT

They reach over 5,000 young people each year across the United Kingdom. Their work gives young people skills, knowledge and inspiration to make positive changes to how they think and behave and to take steps to improve their lives. Young people improve their mental health, exit gangs, return to school, get work and go on to realise their unique potential.

How are Paul Harper Search supporting Empire Fighting Chance?

Paul Harper Search are supporting Empire Fighting Chance with the Box Careers programme, inviting young people to our offices in Blagdon and providing a Career Support session, including support and tips on writing CVs, Cover Letters, applying for jobs on job boards and interview technique support. 

 

For more information on Empire Fighting Chance, and all the wonderful work they are doing, please take a look at their website:

EMPIRE FIGHTING CHANCE