Tea with the Changemakers

Jaime Thurston - Founder and CEO of 52 Lives

May 24, 2022 Social Change UK Season 1 Episode 5
Tea with the Changemakers
Jaime Thurston - Founder and CEO of 52 Lives
Show Notes

52 Lives is a charity with the mission to help an individual or family for every week of the year. Since its inception in 2013, 52 Lives has helped over 12,000 people, hugely surpassing their target!

Jaime Thurston, the founder and CEO of 52 Lives, is on the podcast this week chatting with Kelly. 52 Lives was originally a Facebook page before it was a charity, set up by Jaime to help those in need after seeing a call for help on the social network - a lady was in desperate need of a rug, after she was forced out of her home as a result of an awful domestic situation; her new rented accommodation had no carpet, so her children were in danger of cutting their feet on the bare wooden floor.

52 Lives snowballed into something more than a Facebook page after Jaime’s husband nominated her for a spot on ITV’s long-running show ‘Surprise Surprise!’ in 2016. After Jaime’s appearance, she was inundated with requests from people wanting to donate and help out, which resulted in her turning her Facebook page into a registered charity so that she could accept the many donations!

Jaime has forged some amazing connections and partnerships, which mean that 100% of what is donated and raised by supporters goes directly to the people who need it.

“Our aim is to change somebody’s’ life every week, every year, and inspire people to be kind” - Jaime’s mission statement.

02:27 - Surprise Surprise!

05:44 - Find out what made Jaime want to start 52 Lives.

08:47 - Hear some of Jaime’s favourite stories about people she has helped. 

11:52 - We’re living through a cost-of-living crisis - ‘are there any requests that are recurring?’ - Kelly

15:12 - Kindness; it’s a science and it’s good for your heart.

19:02 - The School of Kindness.

23:45 - 52 Lives Partnerships

28:42 - What’s next for 52 Lives?

Check out 52 Lives website, and how you can get involved!
https://www.52-lives.org/

Visit the Social Change UK website to find out more about Tea with the Changemakers.
https://social-change.co.uk/tea-with-the-changemakers 

Cup only half full? Follow Tea with the Changemakers on TikTok, for behind-the-scenes content and clips from our episodes!