Iftar to support homeless in Burnley and Pendle

Nelson accountant Amer Ansar (32) set up his homeless support charity Rise Support in memory of his mother Raqiya Ansar who did a lot for the homeless.

The iftar, the breaking of the fast following Ramadan, will take place on Saturday, May 18th, from 9pm at the Unity Wellbeing Centre, Vernon Street, Nelson.

Amer, who works for KPMG, said he wants to change the futures for homeless people aross Burnley and Pendle.

He said: "The charity is being run on a 100% donation policy so for every £1 donated there will be no administration costs deducted, all proceeds will go towards a cause.

"Currently all ongoing admin costs are being funded by myself and my brother Dr Sohail Ansar. Once our application is approved, to help grow the charity any gift aid donations will help cover the admin costs."

Last week the team at Rise Support visited Royal Blackburn Hospital, where volunteers gifted flowers and chocolates to patients in an entire ward.

Amer added: "This idea stems from the six months I spent with my mother in Blackburn hospital. Every day while my mother Raqiya (which means Rise) was in hospital my family would bring her food, chocolates and flowers but instead of keeping these for herself she would ask us to gift these to other patients on the ward who hadn't had a visitor just to cheer that individual up.

"This gesture worked a treat and we were greeted by patients with a hug while also exchanging contact details."

The charity's website is currently under construction (due to time constraints) while its application with the charity commission is in the process of being accepted.