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- Edd Withers, creator and admin of the Canterbury Residents Group
Facebook has come a long way since the days of FarmVille and annoyingly poking your friends, now we have our entire community at our fingertips and it’s opened up a whole new world of support networks and conversation.
One such force for good is the fact that thousands of residents can come together in support of a cause or particular issue in the local area, such as the amazing local charity; Catching Lives. Almost 50,000 people are members of the Canterbury Residents Group, and since 2015 they have held Christmas Fundraisers on behalf of Catching Lives bringing over £25,000 for Catching Lives and over £30,000 in total for local causes.
Last year, the group managed to pull in over £3,000 for the local charity, a little bit less than previous years but with the last two years we’ve had it is no surprise that the purse strings are a little tight this time around.
Edd Withers, creator and admin of the group, as well as the founder of Pride Canterbury and now Chief Exec of Kent Pride, spoke to us about how the group has helped charities over the years and what’s coming in the future: “Every year at Christmas, members of the group talk about the homeless population, and ask how they can help. Members organise soup runs via the group, they ask where they can donate blankets and so much more – it’s clear to see that the community cares deeply for those that live on the street.
“It seemed like a no-brainer that our annual fundraiser should be for Canterbury’s much loved charity, Catching Lives.
“It’s always been important to me that the main group provides a digital space for the Canterbury community to discuss whatever they want to discuss. It’s a group for the city, not always about the city. However, in 2018 it became apparent that people wanted a space to escape the difficult topics of the day, and so we created our sister group, Canterbury Community Group, where topics are kept more light-hearted and fun.
“The groups make me proud to be a Canterburian, the community is so diverse and often incredibly warm and funny.”
What would you like to say to those residents who have helped raised funds for charity through the group?
“Thank you for all your support, and for being an incredible community that’s ready to step in and help the people in society that need it the most, but most of all, thank you to those at the charities we support that carry out the vital work they do.”