Richard Barker has supported numerous charities since his late teens.

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He has raised roughly £350,000 and is a passionate volunteer.

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Please use this link to access images of Richard.

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Since 2014 Richard has run 30 Donations raising in excess of £300,000 for Haven House Children's Hospice however he has raised money for numerous other good causes.

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Richard won Vodafone World of Difference in 2010 & 2012. Winning the competition twice resulted in him raising over £10,000.

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In 2004 Richard created The Make A Child Smile Appeal which raised £15,000 for the Children With AIDS Charity. Supporters included Bill Gates, Donald Trump, J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Fundraising activities included a book auction at biblion Auctions in Mayfair on Friday 7th October 2005 which raised £4,175. Auction highlights included a signed first edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which raised £2,100. A signed boxed set of Harry Potter novels raised another £1,700. The Make A Child Smile Appeal distributed thousands of gifts to children worldwide. Richard was nominated as Britain's Most Inspiring Fundraiser and Richard was also an Outstanding Young Person finalist in the Thames Gateway Business Awards.

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In Richard’s own words: "We’re unable to cure HIV/AIDS; however we still want to stop the virus from spreading. We’d also like to reduce the amount of stigma that still surrounds this virus. Virtually all of those living with HIV/AIDS conceal their identities, because they don’t want to be verbally or physically abused. These children are incredibly courageous! I decided to support this charity, because I was inspired by their stories."

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Richard was delighted to support Chefs for Heroes in 2009. He sourced donations from the Coutts Charitable Trust and large companies. Richard also asked string quartet Bond to perform. The Australian/British string quartet specialises in classical crossover & synth-pop music and has sold over 4 million records. An exclusive interview with Bond is available here.

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The Chefs for Heroes gala dinner was spearheaded by The Lanesborough's former chef de cuisine, Paul Gayler MBE, and dished up by an army of chefs from the UK's top restaurants including Andrew Bennett (Sheraton Park Lane), Gary Klaner (Landmark Hotel), Martyn Nail (Claridge's), Paul Bates (Intercontinental, Hyde Park Corner), Simon Young (The Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Knightsbridge) and Matthew Marshall (Chamberlain's Events). Having cooked for Royalty and pop icons such as Madonna, Mariah Carey and the late Michael Jackson, Paul's team served up the most sumptuous menu using only the finest and freshest ingredients to London's glitterati in a bid to raise funds for Help for Heroes, a charity Paul felt compelled to help after his son Lee was shot in the leg whilst serving with the Territorial Army in Afghanistan. Richard was delighted to make a small contribution to such a worthwhile cause. It really was an unforgettable evening.

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As a result of his new found love for the City of London Richard applied for Freedom of the City and was accepted at the age of 25. Richard was born in Central London so this was a great honour.

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London hosted a historic rock concert in 2011 at the Guildhall. Richard teamed up with the Chair of City Rocks Committee in order to raise money. He donated his time and expertise by contacting famous photographers, the Coutts Charitable Trust and luxury brands. Coutts donated £1,000 to Coram and Redr directly. Gered Mankowitz donated a limited edition print of Jimi Hendrix. The Dorchester donated a gift certificate and Duran Duran donated two tickets for a special concert. Richard was also instrumental in securing a performance from Bond. City Rocks was the first major rock concert ever to be held in the City of London and was a landmark occasion in London's social calendar. This iconic event was staged on 22 February 2011, in support of the Lord Mayor of the City of London's Charity Appeal, and was attended by the recently elected Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Michael Bear and the Lady Mayoress. For the first time in its 600 year history, the Guildhall, one of the most iconic buildings in the City and home to many traditional ceremonies was transformed into a rock venue for 700 people for this event. City Rocks was produced by rock concert impresario Harvey Goldsmith CBE and world famous lyricist Don Black OBE, who were co-Deputy Chairmen of the event. The event was chaired by City lawyer, Neil Murray who was responsible for a committee of 150. Performers included rock legend Bryan Adams, top selling artist, Katie Melua, popular classical and rock quartet Bond. This one-off occasion raised funds for Coram, the UK's first-ever children's charity, established in 1739, and RedR the disaster relief charity, the two charities chosen by the Lord Mayor as beneficiaries during his year of office in 2011.

 

An application to Vodafone World of Difference 2010 resulted in Richard being shortlisted, and then being selected out of over 11,000 applicants. Richard chose to support young people infected & affected by HIV.

Richard served as Trustee of Children With Aids Charity from November 2007 up until 2011. During two months in 2011 Richard worked as a fundraiser for Children With AIDS Charity. Richard had joined the board of Trustees in his early twenties. In order to become a paid employee for two months Richard resigned his post in the hope that as a fundraiser he could make a big difference to the charity during a recession.

 

Whilst at CWAC Richard worked with the CEO to improve the IT infrastructure and he focused on fundraising in order to improve the charity's finances. Richard decided to create the Give Love Appeal, because he wanted to give the Children With AIDS Charity an appeal which would raise funds and awareness.

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"During the recession we've seen an increase in demand for our service and a significant drop in funding. Demand for our hardship grants has increased dramatically, and the already precarious health of HIV-infected/affected children and families living in poverty is at even greater risk as food and heating bills rise and incomes either drop or are lost altogether. Despite medical advances in the treatment of HIV and AIDS, there is no pill for the effects of poverty on the human body as it struggles with HIV. In order to respond effectively to the crisis CWAC needs to raise money - lots of it - to help children and their families stay well. If you are well and have enough to eat healthily, to pay your bills and keep a roof over your head, and could afford to help us help children and families who don't, please consider making a donation to our Give Love Appeal. However small or large your gift, we guarantee that you will make a difference."

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Donors included the Herb Ritts Foundation, who donated two limited edition prints of Naomi Campbell and Johnny Depp. Naomi Campbell very kindly signed her print, which sold for £2,000 and the Johnny Depp print raised £2,800 at auction. Other donors included 10 Downing Street, The Dorchester, Annie Lennox, Richard Young and Shaun Murawski. A photo shoot with Shaun raised £1,800 at auction.

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The Give Love Appeal raised over £7,000 for Children With AIDS Charity.

By creating two successful appeals for Children With AIDS Charity Richard has raised in excess of £22,000. Not included in that fundraising total are the hundreds of raffle prizes sourced throughout years and the thousands of small gifts sent to children infected and affected by HIV globally. There are a few events which meant a great deal to Richard. One of those events was a Christmas party that he hosted at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Thanks to the support of many UK companies each child in the paediatric HIV clinic at the time of the party received a gift. Richard also presented the clinic with a widescreen TV. He felt that every child deserved to feel special. On a separate occasion he arranged a trip to a special screening of The Polar Express 3D at the BFI London IMAX Cinema. It was a magical day out for children infected and affected by HIV. All of the tickets were donated by the BFI London IMAX Cinema.

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In 2012 Richard won Vodafone World of Difference for a second time. His chosen charity was Haven House Children's Hospice. The UK programme gave 500 people the chance to work for their dream charity, and get paid. Over the years they have helped hundreds of people donate their skills and experience to the charities of their choice. Richard really enjoyed working with Haven House Children’s Hospice; he raised over £4,500.

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Haven House Children's Hospice supports families and cares for children and young people with life-limiting conditions across North and East London and West Essex.

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"Working with the children and their families was a privilege. I was inspired by their stories. I enjoyed making a difference during their 10th Birthday celebration. I managed to raise money, and awareness."

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Virgin Balloons, Virgin Atlantic, the de Savary family, and the British Prime Minister David Cameron contributed auction items. Two plane tickets to New York from Sir Richard Branson were combined with luxury accommodation and raised £2,500. Two seats in Chairman's Box at West Ham raised £1,500.

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In 2014 Richard started collecting 30 Donations for Haven House.

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At the age of 30 after 12 years of fundraising it seemed the perfect time to complete a new challenge. Funds raised will be used to pay for care at the hospice. The current fundraising total is £329,000.

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"A day's care at Haven House Children's Hospice costs £5,374.  It would be fantastic if I can raise enough money to provide a month of care, support and fun for local life-limited children."

 

Richard wants to raise £500,000 for Haven House

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