Hi, my name is Jamus and I am raising funds for Tod Kindness Crew CIC a not for profit community group offering help with practical tasks to local people in need of a helping hand.

I live in Todmorden (Tod) in the Calder valley in West Yorkshire with my partner and my two kids. I'm a handyman by trade, I also work with a local communinty group that grows and plants trees in the Calder Valley, I am a Forest School practitioner, I teach music and vocational skills to home educated kids and young people who are unable to access mainstream education. I am also a musician and love spending time in nature.

A little while back I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my left hip which over time became more and more uncomfortable and this led to me recently having a total hip replacement.

Though now a very common procedure with a high success rate, a hip replacement is still a very intense, unsettling and uncomfortable experience Involving major trauma to the body.

Despite this and despite feeling like I'd been run into by a car then trampled by a horse in the days after the operation!! the experience has left me with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Firstly, gratitude for the skill and care of the doctors, surgeons and nurses who looked after me before, during and after my operation and secondly gratitude to my family and friends for their love, kindness and support while I was in hospital and when I returned home.

This made me think about all the people in our communities who return home after similar experiences (and often far worse) and all those in our community who are experiencing loneliness or isolation or who are struggling generally for whatever reason and who have a limited or non existant support network to call on.

And so in the days following my operation the idea of Tod Kindness Crew began to emerge along with the aims and objectives of the group which are outlined below.

The aim of TKC is to provide support to members of our community by:

This could include:

We are open to helping any member of the community who requests our help but we are particularly aiming to support people who:

We are also particularly aiming to help members of our community who are:

The aims and objectives of TKC include:

Operating structure and scope of work:

Working alongside me as directors of Tod Kindness Crew CIC are Jane and Heather, two well loved and respected elders of the local community who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience and who have been working for positive change with various organisations and community groups in the Calder Valley for many years.

Thanks to donations through our GoFundMe page as well as funding we have received from Todmorden Town Council and the Community Foundatation for Calderdale we are able enable us to offer an entirely free service.

Any funds received by TKC go directly towards running costs such as:

Through my own experience in both my personal and proffesional life and through talking to other people and organizations in and around Todmorden I know that there is a real need for a service like TKC. In focusing on practical help we are offering a unique service which could have a real and meaningful impact in our community alongside the other fantastic groups and organisations that are already offering other kinds of support and help to those in need. Myself and the other two directors of Tod Kindness Crew are totally committed to bringing this idea to life and making it work for those who need it the most.

If you feel you are able to help make Tod Kindness Crew a reality please donate whatever you can, if not please pass on to someone else who may be able to.

With love and gratitude, Jamus x