As you’ll be acutely aware – not least because we bang on about it at every opportunity – popular STAND fanzine is ‘not for profit’. What that means is we meet our costs – printing, postage, envelopes – then whatever’s left we save up ready to give away to local good causes. And Christmas seems as good a time as any to give it all away.
Since I took over the fanzine as editor in 2011, we’ve been able to give away over £5,200 to date, to a variety of local causes and charities; from kit for local football teams and player sponsorship to donations to the NSPCC and Luey Jacob Sharp Foundation and more.
Quite pleasingly, thanks to your generosity and support this year – by paying extra for your copies of the ‘zine and buying our badges – we’re in a position to be able to give away our biggest sum to date, £1,500. And in an effort to support as many local endeavours as possible this will be split between five local charities who all do vital, and often undervalued, work for the people of our borough. Here’s a little more about the five recipients.
M25
Recent statistics from housing charity Shelter showed that of all Yorkshire’s towns and cities Doncaster currently has the highest levels of homelessness, with one in every 642 people currently facing homelessness. That’s why we’ve chosen to donate to M25, who offer advice and specialist help in community care, housing and welfare benefits for people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.
DRASACS
Doncaster Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Service help local people who have suffered from rape or sexual abuse, by offering confidential counselling and support. They aim to relieve the distress of people who have faced abuse, and advance knowledge and awareness of such crimes.
Donmentia
Established by Eileen Harrington, following her experience caring for her husband during his suffering with Alzheimer’s. Donmentia supports care, projects and initiatives for dementia sufferers in Doncaster.
South Yorkshire Women’s Aid Doncaster
Established to replace the closed Doncaster Women’s Aid, SYWAD face a regular battle to stay afloat and continue to offer therapeutic advice and support to women and girls who are going through or have been through domestic violence and abuse.
Open Minds
Open Minds provided one-to-one and group counselling to some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Doncaster; people who would otherwise be excluded from receiving such services. They also seek to provide mentoring, and training opportunities for those groups.
Thank you once again, for supporting popular STAND, and in doing so, enabling us to support these charities and organisations at this time. From myself and popular STAND‘s regular contributors, a Merry Christmas to you all.
popular STAND fanzine 
Well done Glen. Top, top stuff. When the silver spoons in Westminster remain wedded to a demonstrably failed dogma it’s people like you, and all the countless others, who remind those cankers that society does have a purpose beyond personal aggrandisement. Well done everyone who has written, bought and sold this fanzine. Humanity still exists. BobG