The founder of S2S, Clare Bell, is known to many in the community and a huge part of it. Clare is always on the go helping the community and those in it, she was on the school PTA for over 15 years putting on major events and raising huge funds for the kids. On top of that played a huge role in the church fundraising and running events. She has done a large amount of fundraising for cancer charities after a close friend struggled with the disease including shaving her long locks off to support her fellow female fighting breast cancer. She works full time in a children’s nursery – her whole persona is care and kindness towards others. 12 years ago (2010) Clare started S2S in her front room with two friends Clare Skeggs and Ananda Von Tander, the other two trustees of Smiles, preparing a couple of hampers for people she saw needed a smile and a helping hand. Now every Christmas a big team donates, collects donations, spreads the word, coordinates with school and social services and takes nominations for over 400 hampers to families and individuals that need a smile and provides Christmas for those who would not have one otherwise. This is a huge operation as all donations need to be moved into one large space where many volunteers sort them out and pack the hampers, then they all need to be delivered! The recipients could be fallen on hard times, they could be grieving, they could be unwell or staying in a women’s refuge …all manner of needs are covered…plus now doing hampers to welcome Ukraine’s family when they arrive here.

This then went on to providing Easter smiles – starting with an annual Easter egg hunt in Hersham for all children welcome from surrounding areas too. There is also a raffle to raise funds for S2S and egg deliveries are made to struggling families so every child S2S can possibly reach can enjoy Easter. A great many of eggs are also distributed among the women’s refuges accross the diocese for all the children away from home to bring a chocolaty smile!

Other Free community events and Fund raising include…

Christmas Market, S2S arranges a Christmas Market to raise funds for the Christmas Hamper distribution, as this enables S2S to substitute whatever was not received in donations.

Raffles, by the selling of raffle tickets to again aid in supplying necessary items to support our cause.

Clare takes on many community projects under the S2S umbrella including sourcing essential furnishings for people being rehoused after a refuge stay etc to a wedding for a terminally ill lady who sadly passed away a couple of weeks later but had her special super wedding day organised and supplied by S2S.

Since the Covid pandemic Clare spotted a gap in food support and felt that S2S could bridge it. Whilst waiting for food bank vouchers now can support families and individuals with a few weeks of food parcels including cleaning and toiletry supplies before the food bank takes over. So donation appeals, collections, distributions and deliveries are manged by the team.

Finally after much application paperwork S2S finally became a fully registered charity this year (2022) which is great news and status to raise more funds to help more people. Sadly we are seeing the numbers in need dramatically rising with the current world struggles… requests for help are coming in so thick and fast, we are so busy and need to grow to be able to accommodate every plea we receive. We get requests through word of mouth and via social media S2S pages such as Facebook, we work closely with many local schools SENCO officers who send lists of families that need assistance, also social services provide lists of families that could do with some support as well as trying to help the women’s refuge needs, the police domestic violence officers, GP surgeries, Churches who also nominate a request for help.

Individual requests via social media or personal referral.

The network has grown from volunteers to donators and supporters and is just amazing – within hours of a request we can have what is needed! This leads on to the very close link to the women’s refuges in the diocese to help find what they need for the families coming and going. S2S has worked closely with the refuges and expanded the S2S network with a vast pool of supporters that always step up to the challenge. S2S communicates directly with the refuge managers where they ask for specific needs of the families in at the time from ladies clothing, to cots, to toys that the children had to leave behind and are missing, we’ve even sourced buggies, car seats, iPad and mobile phones and also we help with outreach work for e.g. furniture when the family is rehoused.

S2S donators and supporters are widely ranging from…

- Local schools who run mufti days for donations
- Community network, Friends and family.
- Social media followers.
- Local shops and retailers, restaurants, pubs and supermarkets.
- Local services and tradesman – e.g. decorator, floor fitter, hairdresser.
- Local Churches.
- Local Scouts and Guiding groups

What you can do?

All donations from money to items needed are gratefully received so please keep an eye on our Facebook page for requests and events as well as on our website.

Please spread the word and get more people supporting or volunteering with S2S… the better known we are the bigger we grow and the more people we can help… Thank you.