About
How we started…
In March 2020, I’m guessing I felt the same as most of you. The rapid approach of Covid-19, schools closing, work ceasing and the arrival of ‘lockdown’ (a word previously reserved for Channel 5 prison dramas) was starting to take a toll on my mental health. I felt anxious, fearful and out of control. We had just moved into a crumbling doer-upper and I wondered if we’d have to live in a building site forever.
In an effort to stay positive; I would post every day on my Pearls of Kiddom social media pages, one positive thing which I had found amongst all the uncertainty and worry.
I used the hashtag #thegoodthingisthough and invited followers to post their ‘good things’ too.
My lovely friend Chloe spotted this and rang me; “You should set this up as a group on Facebook!”
She said. “You might get a little community of positivity going.”
She was so right! Everyone posting their own personal beams of light amongst all the darkness seemed to collectively lift us up, to make us smile, to give us hope. Within a couple of weeks we were at 13,000 members and the community spirit was just fantastic.
I decided there had to be a way to harness all that lovely positive energy… I just couldn’t figure out quite how. A few days later I watched an interview on the news where Esther Rantzen was talking about the desperate situation Childline had found themselves in. So many children were out of school; somewhere which had been their only safe space away from abusive or unsafe homes.
Childline’s phonelines were swamped, yet their capacity for events which fundraised for them had all but disappeared. I’m still not sure how we managed it; but within a week, we had a range of merchandise on sale with 100% of the profits going to Childline.
Our fantastic little online community mobilised behind us and by the end of the month we had already raised over five thousand pounds.
To bolster our fundraising pot we threw in some other challenges along the way, including a live sponsored workout and a five legged race along Whitley Bay promenade… which we won! The whole project was so much fun, if a little exhausting, and really helped us maintain a sense of purpose and positivity.
What we do…
Through this website and our Facebook community, we have continued raising money and awareness for a range of charities both local and national.
We help to get the word out there about important organisations that need a cash injection or a spotlight shining on their cause. There are so many charities who desperately need help now as we all make our way back to ‘normal’ life. Since we wish we could help every single one; we decided to support a different organisation every quarter, making them our ‘Spotlight’ charity.
You can support our spotlight charity by buying one of our ‘Good Gifts’ or ‘Good Cards’ or by simply spreading the word about our website.
Anything else?
Our site is a hub of helpful articles on all things happy and hopeful! Check out our ‘Good to know’ section for hacks, hints and tips to help you through this crazy old life!
– Love, Sarah
