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<b>I am asking everyone to take action on this email
IMMEDIATELY</b>. It only involves you having to send two emails.
You can copy
the text from the attached letter. Send one to the Councillor who
represents
your borough on the London Boroughs Grants Committee (found on the
attached
document LCGrantsmembers) and one to all your local elected reps
which can be
found by clicking the link <a href="http://www.writetothem.com/">http://www.writetothem.com/</a>
<br>
<br>
<b>Please do it before the weekend.</b> Otherwise we could
loose this organisation. If everyone I send this email to acts on
it, and gets
two people to act on it also, we seriously can stop this happening.
<br>
<br>
<b>THANK YOU!</b>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Women and Girls Network (WGN) is facing a huge threat to its
services. <br>
<br>
WGN is a pan-London organisation that provides specialist
therapeutic and holistic support and information services which
facilitate
healing and recovery for women and girls who have experienced any
form of
gendered violence or abuse whether sexual, physical or emotional. We
are still
one of the only services in London that has the skills, experience
and
expertise to provide wide ranging support to women and children
affected by all
forms of gendered violence (including trafficking, prostitution,
sexual abuse,
rape, historic childhood abuse, honour based violence, female
genital
mutilation and war crimes). <br>
<br>
Our main funder (London Councils) is meeting on Tuesday 19<sup>th</sup>
October to determine whether or not they will honour their funding
agreement
with us. It is possible that they could decide to cut our funding
from March
2011. <br>
<br>
The withdrawal of the remaining grant will mean that <b>Women
and Girls Network </b>between 2011-2012 we will only be able to
deliver a
skeleton service with an expected <b>2000+ women no longer being
supported</b>
and the choice of services diminished.
<br>
<br>
Any cut, reduction or loss of funding would also have a <b>huge
impact on the organisations infrastructure</b> and would result in
the <b>loss
of more than half the staff team</b> and <b>leave the
organisation vulnerable
to closure</b>. In the economic downturn we anticipate a
contraction of general
funds. Local councils cannot be relied upon to fund key womens
services.
Funding violence against women services is discretionary and as such
local
councils are not required to fund these essential, life-saving
services. <br>
<br>
<b>By taking this action you can influence their decision.
ACT NOW. Time is running out. </b>
<br>
<br>
<b>What you can do:</b>
<br>
<b> </b>
<br>
1. Please send the
attached letter to your borough representative on London Councils
Grant
Committee.<b> </b>Details of the London Councils representative
from your
borough can be found in the attached sheet. Please try and do this
by <b>18<sup>th</sup>
October 2010</b> if possible but if you cant then do it by the end
of the
consultation period which is the 10<sup>th</sup> November 2010.
<br>
<br>
2. Please also copy the
text of the letter and send it to your local MP, local councillors
and Greater
London Authority representative. This can be done really quickly by
going to
the following link <a href="http://www.writetothem.com/">http://www.writetothem.com/</a>
<br>
<br>
It finds all the relevant people and you just have to copy
the text into the box, and press send. <br>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>
<br>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">*<span style="font: 7pt "Times
New Roman";">
</span></span>Encourage your networks/families/friends to do the
same
<br>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">*<span style="font: 7pt "Times
New Roman";">
</span></span>Respond to the London Councils consultation by the <b>10<sup>th</sup>
November 2010</b>. Click on: <a
href="http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/grants/aboutourfunding/futureofgrants.htm">http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/grants/aboutourfunding/futureofgrants.htm</a>
<br>
<br>
Please note: WGN will formulate a template for you to use to
respond to this consultation and will send this to you in the coming
week.
<br>
<br>
<b>You really can make a difference by doing this. </b>We
need the London Councils Grants Committee to change their view of
whether or
not they are going to prioritise keeping services for women who have
experienced gendered violence.
<br>
<br>
<b>Thank you for all your support.</b>
<br>
<br>
Women and Girls Network
<br>
PO Box 13095
<br>
London
<br>
W14 0FE
<br>
<br>
Tel: 020 7610 4678
<br>
Fax: 020 7602 8610
<br>
<br>
Helpline: 020 7610 4345<b> </b>
<br>
Opening Hours - Mon, Fri and Sat 10.00am -1.00pm Tue and Wed
6.30pm - 9.30pm
<br>
<br>
Website: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.wgn.org.uk">www.wgn.org.uk</a>
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