Dress For Success London

Dress for Success London helps women on low incomes get back to work.  We dress our clients in a smart professional outfit to wear to their job interview and we give them one-to-one interview training so that they are ready to go out and get the job.  Looking fantastic and with their confidence restored, Dress for Success clients have a far better chance of success.  We dress more than 1,000 women a year in high quality clothes donated by retailers and other professional women.  A visit to Dress for Success London can change the course of a woman’s life.

Challenger: Annie Brooks & Hela Wozniak-Kay

Network: Sister Snog

Wellbeing of Women

Wellbeing of Women was established in 1964 and has been raising funds ever since then to invest in medical research and the development of specialist doctors and nurses working in the field of reproductive and gynaecological health.
They are a partner charity of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities, and raise money to fund medical research and research training grants, providing health information to women.

Challenger: Vanessa Vallely

Network: We Are The City

Triumph Over Phobia UK (TOP UK) in association with The Victoria Foundation

The Victoria Foundation exists to provide life enhancing medical assistance.

The charity’s objectives are very broad, but firmly medical, with the overall aim of improving lives where there is an opportunity to do so - either through medical provision or by ensuring that those young people destined to become the future generations of doctors are not thwarted by financial restrictions.

It is therefore appropriate that The Victoria Foundation has partnered with TOP UK, a small mental health charity offering therapy to people who suffer from OCD, phobias and other related anxiety.   Although mental health is not often considered a ‘medical’ priority, it is an essential that anxiety related conditions are treated to avoid the need for further medical intervention.  TOP UK provides weekly self-help groups as a sanctuary where each and every sufferer can find support and understanding together with an individual plan for recovery.  Their Patron, Carole Stone, is taking part in the Funny Women Comedy Challenge and is trying to raise a magnificent £5000 for them.

"This is such a huge amount for our charity and will enable us to open two brand new groups. It will pay for recruitment and training of a least four new volunteers as well as the running costs of the groups for a year.  It is one of the biggest donations we have ever received!” Trilby Breckman, Development Manager, Triumph Over Phobia

Challenger: Carole Stone

Network: Women in Journalism

Children in Crisis

Where resources are few, where education is needed to heal the nation, and where it is too remote for others, Children in Crisis' aim is to support children to read, write, think, pursue their life goals and contribute positively to their communities.

Children in Crisis protects and educates children facing the toughest hardships, in countries affected by conflict or political instability. Education is used to improve children’s life chances and future earnings, unite communities and build peace. Through adult education and income generation they support families and communities to sustain their children’s education, and access resources from government.

Challenger: Rowan Pelling

Network: Ladies at 11even

Angelus Foundation

The aims of the Angelus Foundation are to help society understand the physical and psychological dangers of unclassified substances known as ‘legal highs’, to reduce the harm they cause young people and their families, and to save lives.

The contents of these legal highs constantly vary and are often a cocktail of Class B drugs and other chemicals never meant for human consumption. Young people are taking these unclassified substances regularly, believing that they are safe because they are legal.

The funds from the challenge will go towards campaign materials to raise the awareness of both parents and young people about the dangers of legal highs.

Challenger: Dr. Julie Greemsmith

Network: Women in Technology

Family Planning Association (FPA)

FPA supports people across the UK with practical, non judgment information, education and advice on all aspects of sexual health;  through a free national helpline, working with young people in community settings, advising parent on how to support their children through puberty, training professionals who work with young people to know how to sensitively and appropriately support them. The FPA also champions the right of marginalized groups to have access to sexual health services including people with learning disabilities, and homeless young people. They know that talking about sex and relationships makes all the difference but it isn’t something we do very well in the UK as it makes us embarrassed and uncomfortable – FPA talks sense about sex enabling people to make the best choices for their health and wellbeing.

Challenger: Deb Leary

Network: The British Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAWE)

Women’s Aid

Woman’s Aid is the national domestic violence charity which coordinates and supports a network of over 370 local domestic violence organisations, providing refuge accommodation, helpline, outreach services and advice centres to 250,000 women and children each year.

Funds raised will support our work to ending violence against women through: Protection -  influencing policy change and key decision makers, Prevention - raising awareness and education and Provision - of the services needed to help abused women and children.

Women’s Aid provides a package of 24-hour lifeline services for women experiencing domestic violence including the National Domestic Violence Helpline, run by Women's Aid and Refuge, and a wide range of online based services.

Challenger: Charlie Webster

Network: Women In Film and Television (WFTV)

WomanKind Worldwide

Womankind Worldwide is an international women’s human rights charity working to help women transform their lives in Africa, Asia and Latin America.  They partner with women’s rights organisations who are challenging discrimination and violence.  Womankind delivers the essential support – funding, expertise, contacts and publicity – these women’s organisations need to amplify their voice, increase their impact and bring about greater change.  This year they worked with 42 women’s organisations in 14 countries, and since they were founded in 1989 (on International Women’s Day!) they’ve helped over 10 million women and their families.

"Thank you so much for our involvement in the Charity Challenge. It was a really great experience for us from start to finish and it’s been really fantastic to be introduced to Amisha who has been a fantastic (and of course, very funny) spokesperson for the charity over the last few weeks."   Ellen Stuart, Marketing Officer. 

Challenger: Amisha Ghadiali

Network: Oguntê

The Restoration of Appearence and Function Trust (RAFT)

Around the world, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are affected by skin disfiguring illnesses. RAFT is here to help them.

RAFT - the Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust *- is a 24 year old medical research charity dedicated to improving the treatment and quality of life for those affected by major skin traumas such as burns, wounds, limb amputations and skin cancer.

RAFT is an independent charity, which is not NHS or Government funded, and so rely on the kindness and generosity of the public in order to help their vital research work to continue.

They focus on getting their research from the scientist’s lab to the patient’s bedside in the quickest time possible to make the greatest impact in the quality of their lives. In addition, they work in collaboration with other groups and train future scientists and medical professionals at their facilities based in Northwood, Middlesex.

*Registered Charity No. 299811

Challenger: Sharon Simpson

Network: Sister Snog

The Banyan Tree

The Banyan Tree is an Indian Charitable Secular Social Work Trust. It has grown out of many years of experience dealing with the social problems and needs of extremely poor and disadvantaged families. A high proportion are Dalit (the oppressed), formerly considered as outcastes; many are illiterate, all have few rights and little access to government services.

The Banyan Tree’s concerns are largely with women and their children; training and employment, education, tuition fees, books and uniforms, housing, nutrition and health.

They personally know the people they work with and those they support.

Challenger:  Special guest TBA

Network: PAWA