A new charity offering financial support to children in North Kirklees

We are delighted to announce the launch of Let June Make A Difference, a charity that has been set up to support children in North Kirklees. The charity will provide financial grants for children aged 7 to 17 to assist them in overcoming challenges they face in life, whether through illness, financial hardship or as a result of living in complex circumstances.

Let June Make A Difference works in partnership with third parties such as schools, faith leaders and local agencies to identify children that would benefit from assistance. Grants are focussed on providing help that will have an immediate but lasting impact upon local children that expands their horizons in life.

The charity’s namesake is June Dewhirst. June grew up in Ravensthorpe and lived throughout Kirklees before settling in Upper Hopton where she remained until her untimely death aged 62 last year. She had a great affinity for children and was a leader at the Edward Bear Club run by Mirfield Salvation Army for many years as well as a devoted mother and grandmother. The charity has been set up by her family in her memory with the motto ‘Offering a helping hand to local children’.

Graham Dewhirst, June’s husband and Trustee of the charity commented: “Some of June’s happiest times were when she was surrounded by children and she had an innate ability to bring out the best in them. As a family, we are rooted to the North Kirklees area and felt setting up a charity to help local children would be a fitting way to honour her memory. We look forward to working with local partners to better understand the difficulties children and their families face and hope that we can make a difference to the lives of children locally. We invite people to contact us if they think we can help.”

Fay McIntosh of C & K Careers said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for children and young people living in North Kirklees who need financial support to help them access opportunities that may have seemed impossible to achieve. We believe ‘Let June Make a Difference’ can make a difference!”