The Haven receives cash boost from government tax

The Haven has been awarded 
£2.65 million overall from the fund, with £150,000 for The Haven in Titchfield and £2.5 million being used to set up a new Haven in Solihull.

Fareham MP Suella Fernandes celebrated the news as she visited the centre to present £700 she raised for it in sponsorship by completing last October’s Great South Run.

She said: ‘I’m a great supporter of The Haven and all the great work they do.

‘It was a privilege to be able to present them with the money I raised from completing The Great South Run in October, and I’d like to thank again everyone who sponsored me for doing that.

‘I’m also very pleased that the Chancellor has allocated some of the proceeds from VAT on sanitary products to The Haven.

‘It’s good news that the so-called ‘tampon tax’ is now being abolished, but in the meantime the money couldn’t be going to a better cause.’

The government announced last year that it would be setting up a new fund equal to the amount of tax collected in VAT on sanitary products, the proceeds of which would be allocated to support women’s charities.

This temporary measure was put in place until the government was able to secure agreement with the EU to reduce VAT on these products to zero.

The Haven, which works in various areas around the country, opened its new Titchfield centre in October, after a successful fundraising campaign.

It works alongside the NHS to provide personalised programmes of care that 
can work in tandem with medical treatment.

The therapies on offer help people deal with the many unpleasant side-effects that a breast cancer diagnosis can bring.

To find out more about the services, visit thehaven.org.uk/wessex or call 01329 559290.