twestival local - Tweet.Meet.Give. - March 24, 2011

We're very pleased to announce that the Financial Times will be sponsoring London Twestival 2011. The FT's support will not only help us put on a great event but will mean that even more money goes to this year's beneficiary, the homeless charity Centrepoint. 

"The Financial Times is delighted to be sponsoring this year's Twestival in London in aid of Centrepoint," said Tom Glover, Deputy Director of Communications. "At the FT, we're very proud of the success of our annual charitable appeals but it's also very important for us to be able to support local events and causes like Twestival London which will benefit some of those who are most in need of help and support in and around the capital."

We at Twestival London would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for their support and we encourage everyone attending Twestival to follow @FT.

At Twestival London 2010, Chilango donated a year's free burrito meals as a raffle prize. Richard FitzGerald won the prize and is looking for someone to join him for his 48th burrito date at Twestival London 2011!

One year ago I attended London Twestival with my work colleagues. I was new to London, and I would have preferred to have been at the home at the Dublin Twestival. As it turned out, it served my best interests to be at the London event last March. Almost hidden among all the people and tweeting, there were some girls selling raffle tickets in aid of Concern, I purchased a couple and thought nothing more.

The next morning I checked my Twitter account to learn that I had won a year’s supply of burritos courtesy of Chilango. It being a Twitter festival, people found out that I had won the prize pretty quickly and some began requesting burritos. Realising that eating all of the 365 meals myself would be both challenging and lonely, I decided, generously, to share the prize. The story of 52 burrito dates was born!

Since then I have blogged and tweeted about 46 burrito babes while munching on burritos at the same time. From eating the burritos on the Trafalgar Lions and up on the London Eye, to taking the burritos to an ice skating rink and a belly dancing show, to dating a TV presenter and appearing in the London Metro, every burrito date has a unique and special charm. With only a handful of burrito dates remaining, I would like to remember the role that London Twestival played in the story by making it the setting for the 48th burrito date!

So, if you would like to be my burrito date for the evening, leave a comment below before Sunday the 20th of March explaining why you would be the perfect London Twestival Burrito Date!

Twestival 2011 is all about the local community, which is why we’re so pleased that Centrepoint is the chosen charity of Twestival London. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this fantastic organisation, Centrepoint is the leading national charity working to improve the lives of homeless young people, and they do this with the ultimate vision of ending youth homelessness. The work Centrepoint does across the city is absolutely invaluable, and ranges from taking young people off the streets and giving them a safe place to stay, to offering them advice about their finances, health and education; all with the overall aim of keeping them from returning to the life they had before.

• £3 can provide a clean toothbrush and towel for each new room occupant
• £5 can help provide decent, warm meals, often the first the young person will have had for ages
• £7 can help provide fresh pillows and a duvet for each new arrival
• £10 can provide a safe, secure bed to keep someone off the streets for good

The Twestival London team is proud to announce Centrepoint as its 2011 charity. All proceeds raised will be in aid of the charity’s work giving homeless young people a future.

With Twestival 2011 set to take place on Thursday 24^th March, cities from across the globe will be hosting events to raise vast sums of money for different charities. This year we will see each Twestival ‘go local’ with the charities they support. With its incredible work across the capital, Centrepoint, the leading charity for homeless young people, was a perfect fit for London’s event.

“We’re delighted to be the chosen charity for this year’s London Twestival,” said Martyn Paré-Hall, relationship manager at Centrepoint. “The work we do in the local community relies on generous donations and the support of initiatives such as Twestival, and we simply wouldn’t be able to do our jobs without it.

“We work tirelessly to give many vulnerable young people a chance to better their lives and look forward to a future that is full of opportunity.  Every penny we get from London Twestival will be spent on the vital services we provide to around 800 homeless young people each day including providing a safe home, help into training and education and support to tackle health issues to turn their backs on homelessness for good .”

The head of the 2011 Twestival London team, Jack Gavigan, believes that Centrepoint was the perfect choice for this year’s event: “We’re thrilled that Centrepoint has agreed to be a part of 2011’s event and we’re hoping that with such a well-known charity on board, we’ll be smashing last years total and giving the organisation something that will really help them change the lives of the young people they work with.”

For more information on Centrepoint, please visit their website at www.centrepoint.org.uk or follow them on Twitter: @centrepointuk

 We decided that 140 characters simply isn't enough space for you to tell us why Twestival should support your favourite London charity, so please fill out the form below, telling us all about your favourite London charity and why it should benefit from this year's event. 

This year, the charity will be selected by the LDNTwestival team from those nominated and nominations will be judged on their merits - the number of nominations received will not influence the decision. 

This year's event is Twestival Local so, to be eligible for selection, charities must be based in London and their work must have a direct impact in the local community. Potential recipients should have a social media and online presence, and they should be able to pinpoint a specific use for the Twestival Local funds, with a tangible, measurable impact.

Unfortunately, we cannot support a charity that one of the lead organisers of Twestival London works for or is otherwise heavily involved in, as this would represent a conflict of interest. Neither can we support charities which are overtly religious or political in nature.

The deadline for submissions (12 noon on Sunday, 6th February) has now passed.