2022: A Year in Review
2022 was a busy but hugely productive year for the Karim Foundation. Let’s rewind the clock and take a look at some of our highlights from the last twelve months.
Starting in January, we released our first-ever film featuring our Trustees, volunteers and local partners. In Our Mission, Our Vision, they all talked about the efforts to improve lives in Cambridge, and their ongoing commitment to continue this vital work.
In March, local resident Faisal Mohammed Khaffar completed the Cambridge Half Marathon and raised an outstanding £962.60 for us to carry on supporting the most vulnerable in our city.
Thank you again for your fantastic efforts, Faisal!
With household bills rising, struggling families and individuals in Cambridge have felt the impact of the cost of living crisis. In April, we responded by relaunching our Cambridge Ramadan Appeal, raising funds for locals in desperate need of emergency food and fuel support. Thanks to your kindness and generosity, we collectively raised over £1,000.
In May, we spoke at the Cambridge City’s Council ‘Food Justice in Cambridge: Beyond the Pandemic’ conference, talking about our efforts to help the most vulnerable in Cambridge during the pandemic and beyond.
Held at the Clay Farm Centre in Trumpington, Cambridge, the conference presented an opportunity for local groups, organisations and businesses to share their response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how to continue working together to support food justice into the future.
June saw the return of the Arbury Carnival! We were delighted to hold a stall at this year’s festival, and we really enjoyed chatting with so many of you about what we do.
Thanks to all who visited us on the day!
Later in the month, we co-hosted the inaugural Cambridge Bangladeshi Health Fair, held at the Meadows Community Centre in Arbury. The health event, co-organised with the Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum, offered families and individuals the opportunity to speak to local health and care organisations, and gain access to information and resources on healthy living. Visitors were able to seek medical advice from doctors and nurses, with many receiving free general health checks and diabetic eye screenings. Some attendees also enjoyed exercise tasters – plus a healthy and delicious lunch!
Enter July, where we enjoyed an amazing day at this year’s Big Weekend and Cambridge Mela!
We’re really grateful to all who visited our stall at Parker’s Piece, and especially to those of you who donated so generously.
In August, we teamed up with Cambridge Sustainable Food, Cambridge City Council and Cambridge Food Poverty Alliance members to create the Cambridge Cost of Food and Living Crisis Fund.
Together, we asked for donations from anyone who could help to ensure those in Cambridge most affected by the cost of living crisis don’t go hungry during the winter months. More than £14,500 was raised for this campaign.
We were honoured to be ‘highly commended’ at this year’s BBC Make a Difference Awards, hosted by BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
The awards ceremony held at the historic Peterborough Cathedral in September, celebrated the achievements and contributions of local people. BBC Radio Cambridgeshire received over 300 entries for this year’s awards, with the Karim Foundation one of four finalists shortlisted for the Community Group Award.
The winner was Cambs Youth Panel, recognised for their work on helping to improve the lives of young people, and their relationship between them and the police. Many congratulations to all the winners, especially to the Cambs Youth Panel who won in our category!
Finally this December, the Mill Road Winter Fair returned after two years.
We loved meeting many new and familiar faces on what was a chilly day in Cambridge. Thousands of people, wrapped up in their many layers from across Cambridge and beyond, made the journey to immerse themselves in a joyous day of winter festivities at one of the city’s most diverse and vibrant streets. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit and for kindly supporting us!
Although we have faced many challenges this year, 2022 saw us emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic and finally gave us the opportunity to meet and connect with people in person, something we were previously unable to do since the launch of our charity in September 2020. At the beginning of this year, we said we would remain focused on continuing this vital work. Our commitment is still the same. Thanks to your wonderful donations and invaluable contributions, many local people have received food and fuel support, particularly during these colder months. Your generosity has been hugely appreciated and we hope you will continue to support our efforts as we venture into 2023.
From all of us at the Karim Foundation, we hope 2023 will be a better and brighter year for all. Happy New Year!
