I am abseiling down Fred Perry House in Stockport on 26 March 2022 to raise money for the Mayor of Stockport's Charity 2021/22.

Stockport has an estimated 1,670 charity and volunteer led groups who every day of the year do amazing things. They feed the hungry, combat homelessness, raise money to fight cancer, care for our environment, tackle our mental health crisis, promote animal welfare, and so much more.

Throughout the pandemic these groups and organisations have moved mountains to restructure their services in order to deliver essential support to those struggling. This dedication is a mark of the third sector and Stockport itself. However it has come at a cost.

Organisations have ripped through their financial reserves in order to continue serving their community. Add to this an ever increasing competition for funding and we’re left with a sector needing life support. The third sector will play a crucial role in rebuilding communities as we move past the pandemic, but it needs investment.

Donations to the Mayor's Charity will go to Sector3 to be reinvested into developing a local volunteer centre for Stockport. Volunteers donate £105 million of time to our town’s third sector - a crucial resource for charitable organisations, many of which are run solely by volunteers.

You can help us to support the sector, and in turn Stockport’s diverse communities, by donating to The Mayor’s Charity, who have chosen Sector3 as their charity partner this year.