A FORMER head of fundraising at a West Yorkshire charity - who has now left after six years of service - has taken a look back at the "brilliant journey" she has been on, with her latest venture already well underway.

Ridwana Wallace-Laher, who lives in Odsal Top, travelled across the world and supported a "massive number" of people in need during her time at Penny Appeal.

She has now made the "tough decision" to leave, joining the ranks at London-based Zaimah, a charity which aims to "bring hope and joy back to a world immersed in hardships".

Ridwana, a former teacher at Co-op Academy Grange, said she "learnt a lot" in her time at Penny Appeal, but "jumped at the opportunity" to start a new journey with Zaimah, and is "really excited" for the future.

"Working at Penny Appeal was challenging, but also rewarding. Moving from teaching to the charity sector wasn't easy, but I've picked up a lot of skills", she said.

"In six years, I saw Penny Appeal go from strength to strength. I lived and breathed Penny Appeal and it took over my life, which is a positive thing, because it's good when you love what you do.

"We supported orphans, built wells, schools and mosques, and we were on the frontline of emergencies, whether internationally or in the UK. It's brilliant to know that people have benefited from our hard work.

"I've been to Senegal, Gambia and Lebanon with Penny Appeal, and in the UK, I supported with the Grenfell Tower fire and the Cumbria floods. There was lots to be involved with, it was very fast-paced.

"The relationships with all the amazing people I met is something I will miss. Everybody at Penny Appeal has been brilliant, saying they will always be there to support me, and that's been a really nice leaving present."

Although it is the end of era for Ridwana, she remains upbeat, with her journey as Zaimah's director of fundraising now in full swing.

"I want Zaimah to grow and become a household name. It's a new challenge, and it's given me a great opportunity to build a team", she said.

"One of my aims is to take everything I learnt at Penny Appeal and implement it here, too. I'm also eager to look at transparency - a lot of charities get criticised for not being transparent, so I want to push on that.

"I want to introduce 'follow your pound', where donors will be able to literally follow where their pound goes, from the moment they make a donation, to when it gets spent."

Ridwana also hopes that her achievements can be an example to others, and that she can be a role model for other women looking to get involved in the charity sector.

"In a lot of charities, you don't always see females at the top end of the spectrum, so for me to be in a senior role, as a woman, is a really good thing", she said.

She is also keen to help Zaimah adapt to the changes that have been brought about as a result of the pandemic.

"With lockdown, people's ways of giving have changed dramatically, and people don't have as much income as they would ordinarily have", she said.

"Charities haven’t been able to do traditional fundraising events in person, so we have to think what we can do in the current climate to allow people to still give with confidence.

"I'm really looking to developing the online side of things - I think people's attitudes to charities is changing because of the pandemic.

"Also, I lost my dad in October - something I wanted to do in his memory was food distribution, and we did our first one with Zaimah recently. Things are going well."