Second ‘marathon of fundraising events’ to be held for charities close to hearts of three Northampton women

The second “marathon of fundraising events” is set to begin soon, for three charities close to the hearts of three Northampton women.

The annual ‘Jamathon’ will start on September 20 and has been organised by the JAM fundraising group.

The three founders, Julia Harris, Ann Brebner and Mandy Lagden, are friends and the first letter of their names make up the name of their group.

Having started raising money for local causes ahead of the pandemic, the trio have exceeded more than £15,000 in that time.

During last year’s Jamathon, £725 was raised for each of the previous three charities – and this year they would like to raise £1,000 for each. Any money will be split equally between the three charities.

When asked to describe the Jamathon for anyone who has never heard of it before, Julia said: “It’s a marathon of fundraising events, taking place from September 20 to December 20.

“There’s three of us, three months, and three chosen charities.”

A number of events have already been arranged, but the trio hopes more people will come forward and help over the three months – all in aid of the Northampton-based charities they have got to know and mean a lot to them.

The first is Right Resolution CIC’s Jeevan Project, centred around period poverty. The organisation supports young people, aged 16 to 24, who have lived in care.

They assist with their education, learning, skills and employment, and their latest project was launched around a year ago.

Julia shared that the charity assists those who leave care and do not have the money to look after themselves – which prevents females from buying sanitary products.

The organisation creates packs for them, including period products and extras that might put a smile on their faces.

It costs £6 to put each pack together and they give out around 1,000 a year.

“It gives the young people something they need, but lovely extras that we take for granted too,” said Julia.

Northampton Community Sheds is the second charity JAM is fundraising for. It is a small group offering a safe and friendly meeting place for everyone to work together on projects.

The aim is to reduce loneliness, provide companionship and allow people to share their skills, which is achieved particularly through their carpentry workshops.

The group is run through Spencer Contact, who are working towards acquiring a bigger property to expand Northampton Community Sheds.

Growing Together Northampton is the final charity, which JAM first began working with a few months ago.

Their community centre supports the Blackthorn, Goldings and Thorplands communities and they host an annual Christmas party.

The organisation likes to give a present to each of the children who attend and as Growing Together already expressed their worry that they would not be able to afford it, JAM wanted to lend a helping hand.

The events that have so far been organised include two dinner evenings in collaboration with Square Feet Coworking, two events run by local florist With Love & Roses, and a fashion show with The Place To Bee cafe.

Orchard Home Cleaning is also offering a six-hour clean at a reduced rate, and JAM is in talks with Lucia Girardi about a potential accessory-making workshop.

“We hope more will be added along the way,” said Julia.

JAM is also looking for any willing businesses to sponsor their fundraising efforts, which Julia says would make a “huge difference”.

Collaborating with JAM will help get any business’ name out into the Northampton community and Julia is happy to chat to anyone interested in getting involved.

For more information or to express your interest in the upcoming Jamathon, visit JAM’s Facebook page here or contact Julia Harris on 07887 535112.