Reflecting on a Year of Impact

As we bid farewell to another remarkable year, we take a look back at the best bits of 2023.

2023 has been a really exciting year for FARA, and we are incredibly proud of everything our teams in the UK and Romania have achieved.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

Empowering Futures: Launching the Bursary Scheme for Higher Education 

In June, our colleagues in Romania launched the Fundatia FARA Educational Bursary Scheme, which aims to encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds to continue their education. Thirty educational scholarships have been awarded for the academic year 2023-24, worth 6000 lei (more than £1000) each. FARA is funding 25 of the bursaries – named after our founder, Jane Nicholson, MBE – and our partner, The Lenovo Foundation, is funding the remaining five. Meet the first cohort of students here: https://www.faracharity.org/news/fundatia-fara-bursary-scheme-introducing-our-first-group-of-students/

The Coronation of King Charles III

We joined the celebrations in May when our royal patron, the former Prince of Wales, was crowned King. His Majesty has been royal patron to FARA for 24 years and has visited our programmes in Romania many times. He is an important figure to Romanians, so the children and young people that we support were thrilled to take part in activities celebrating this historic occasion. You can read more here: https://www.faracharity.org/news/celebrating-the-coronation-of-king-charles-iii/

Sustainable Stories: ‘We Are FARA Family’ filming begins

In the Spring, our good friend and sustainable fashion aficionado Scott Wimsett and his production team, Bespoke Banter, began work on a series of short films designed to showcase the diverse nature of the people who support our charity shops . Through interviews with a selection of customers, donors and staff, the films explore sustainability, second-hand style and the importance of the wider community in supporting charity retail. The films were to become the centrepiece of a major campaign in the Autum, as detailed below.

You can watch them on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@faracharity

 

Fashioning Change: #LoveNotLandfill Campaign with Demi Colleen

FARA charity shops joined the #LoveNotLandfill movement at their latest pop up event in Islington, north London. Influencer Demi Colleen curated a selection of pre-loved items from FARA, leading to an interview on ITV news. You can read more about the event here: https://www.faracharity.org/news/fara-charity-shops-at-love-not-landfill/

New Teddington Kids Store
August brought excitement with the reopening of our kids store in Teddington. We moved into a much larger space, just across the street from our former premises, meaning we can now stock more preloved kids wear, baby kit and toys. The new store has proved to be hugely popular with the local community. https://www.faracharity.org/shop/teddington-kids/
#WeAreFARAfamily Autumn Campaign Launch and Event

In October, we launched our autumn campaign, #WeAreFARAfamily. This campaign celebrates a sense of belonging within the FARA community and showcases the unique sense of style of our five-strong cast. We celebrated the launch of the campaign with a late night shopping event in Angel, where our invited guests and the community of Islington enjoyed a special preview screening of the films.

See more: https://www.faracharity.org/we-are-fara-family/

See our Instagram for more content from the campaign and the event: https://www.instagram.com/faracharityshops/

 

The Devil is in the Retail: A Fashionable Solution

December saw the release of our report, ‘The Devil is in the Retail,’ which offers a fresh perspective on charity retail as a solution to the fashion conflict faced by younger generations. The report examines how Gen Z and Gen Alpha are grappling with the challenge of aligning their fashion choices with their aspirations for a more sustainable future – and how charity shops can provide a much-needed buzz and sense of community through found fashion rather than fast fashion. Read more here: https://www.faracharity.org/news/new-fara-report-the-devil-is-in-the-retail/

And that was 2023! All that leaves us to say is a very big ‘thank you’ to all our donors, fundraisers, customers and staff.
Your unwavering support ensures FARA can continue to thrive, enabling us to continue our vital work in Romania supporting thousands of the most disadvantaged children and their families for years to come.

See more about our work here: https://www.faracharity.org/why-we-are-here/