I am fundraising to support My Dear New Friend, a new movement, created by Alice Irwin, that encourages children and adults to use the power of letter writing to build new friendships and help members of the community support each other at this difficult time and beyond.

To date, thousands of children, families, schools and care homes across the UK have taken part in the movement, bringing happiness and comfort to those who are lonely or vulnerable during these challenging times. Whats more, research by the National Literacy Trust shows that writing letters makes children feel happy, helps them express their feelings and supports their literacy skills.

The movement is growing all the time and we now wish to increase its impact and sustain the initiative so that it can become part of our national response to community connection now and in the future.