The former Kingston Mayor has donated nearly £20,000 to two charities of her choice in Kingston.
Councillor Margaret Thompson has donated the £19,583 raised during her tenure for the Mayor’s Charitable Trust to Oxygen and Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL).
She served as the 185th mayor from May 2019 until April 2021 and the money will be split equally between the two charities.
Councillor Thompson said: “Kingston Centre for Independent Living and Oxygen are two local charities that make a huge difference to the lives of local people.
“It has been a privilege to support them both through the Mayor’s Charitable Trust during my two years as Mayor.”
KCIL supports the full equality and inclusion of disabled people in and around the Kingston borough and Oxygen is a Kingston-based youth work charity.
Jason Lamont, KCIL Chief Executive, said: “It was an honour for Kingston Centre for Independent Living to be chosen as the Mayor’s charity of the year for 2019-20, alongside Oxygen, and all of us at KCIL extend our utmost appreciation and thanks for the amount raised.
“Thanks to the pandemic cancelling almost all of the planned events we were extended as the Mayor’s chosen charity for a further year, and we were amazed at the inventiveness and tenacity shown by the Mayor and her team in raising funds for the two charities.”
John Trend, Oxygen Chief Executive, also expressed his thanks.
He said: “We are hugely thankful for the money we have received through being Mayor’s charity which will enable us to continue supporting vulnerable young people in Kingston through our youth work projects.
“It has been a pleasure working with Councillor Thompson and the Royal Borough of Kingston Mayor’s Office for the past two mayoral years and we are grateful for the publicity we have gained from this alongside the fundraising.”
KCIL will use some of its donated money towards their 2022 programme of community activities and events.
Councillor Thompson was succeeded by Councillor Sushila Abraham, who became Kingston’s 186th mayor from May this year.
Credit: Kingston Council
