Francis McCrickard coordinates the Tools for Self Reliance Ilkley group. He set up the group in 2005 and they have met regularly ever since, continuing to refurbish hundreds of tools and sewing machines to be sent to our partner projects in Africa.

Francis has now reached the top 5 unsung heroes in the awards and we want to help him win. All you need to do is visit the webpage here and vote – it takes just 30 seconds. Voting closes on 24th May so please encourage your friends and family to join us in recognising Francis.

You can find out more about our hard working groups here and locate your nearest branch. We would like to thank all of our groups who continue to support Tools for Self Reliance and our work – we couldn’t do it without you!

Congratulations to our LTVs Anna, Elin, Marcel and Zoradia who completed the New Forest Rotary Club Horse, Cycle or Walk on Saturday. Dressed in some very eye catching outfits the team completed the 6.8 mile walk in 2 ½ hours.

They were thrilled to be awarded a certificate and medal from the Rotary Club for completing the challenge; in particular Elin as the medal was in her native Swedish colours!

The team said that they had very sore feet and muscles after the event but had enjoyed the opportunity to take in the sights of the New Forest and raise funds for a cause now very close to their hearts, Tools for Self Reliance.

There is still time to sponsor them via their Virgin Money Giving page.

We would also like to extend our thanks to the New Forest Rotary Club for organising such a fantastic event. We’re already looking forward to 2014!

On Saturday 11th May our four Long Term Volunteers (LTVs), Anna, Elin, Marcel and Zoraida will be taking part in the New Forest Rotary Club Horse, Cycle or Walk.

Tools for Self Reliance are one of the nominated charities for the event and our LTV team will be taking on the task of walking 8 miles through the New Forest, whilst dressed in some eye-catching and bright outfits. All four LTVs are volunteers working full-time at Tools for Self Reliance for a year through the European programme, Youth in Action. They come from all over the continent: Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Spain, and play an important role in the work at Netley Marsh.

The team is seeking sponsorship for their walk, having seen the importance of the work the charity carries out. If you would like to sponsor them please click here to visit their Virgin Money Giving Page. For every £1 you give to Tools for Self Reliance we will put tools and training worth £3 in the hands of someone who needs them to make a living.

If you want to take part in the event and raise funds for us it’s not too late! Visit the New Forest Rotary website to find out more.

Don’t forget to join us on Thursday 9th May for afternoon tea at Netley Marsh!

Taking place from 2pm – 4pm, you can come along and grab a free cuppa and a piece of cake. There will be a tour of our workshop and a short talk about the work we do. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to chat to you about the charity and how you can get involved.

If you’d like to donate some tools on the day please see what we can and cannot accept here.

For further information please call Loraine on 023 8086 9697 or email loraine@tfsr.org.

(Left) The fully loaded container with our long term volunteers. From l-r Marcel, Zoraida, Elin, Anna and Operations Manager Jon. (Right) Elin loading the container.

The latest container full of tools, training kits and sewing machines left Netley Marsh this week and is heading to our training projects in Malawi. We are sending approximately 4,484 tools and 112 kits to 7 organisations. These will better equip 4 training centres and directly benefit around 230 individuals. All of these donated and refurbished goods will make a huge difference to the lives of those who receive them.

As always, we would like to thank all of you who have supported Tools for Self Reliance and worked hard to get this shipment prepared and completed.

A special thanks must be extended to our Bristol group who, alongside a number of other South West groups, refurbished many of the tools heading to the FESODEV project and who raised an incredible £8,830 to cover our Africa related costs.

The hard work now starts on our next shipment to Tanzania. Keep visiting our website to be kept up to date!

If you would like to donate towards our vital work please visit our donation page here.

We’re always amazed to hear about all of the different support we receive across the UK. To see what we mean, read this article about the fantastic work Gillian Wesley is doing for us in Knowle.

Thank you Gillian and all at Catwalk Cafe!