Smaller Grants ...Community-based Projects

The Foundation's Annual Report tends to highlight the larger projects the organisation has been involved with over the course of the year. This section is intended to redress the balance by listing some of the many smaller, community-based projects we are involved with on a day-to-day basis. Please scroll down to review stories.

BOYS’ BRIGADE, Paisley & District Battalion

The trustees support structured youth activities throughout the UK on a regular basis and the Boys’ Brigade is a regular beneficiary. This year’s grant of £3,000 to Paisley & District is to help the Battalion to develop its plans for relocating to larger premises, to meet the ever increasing demands.

http://paisley.boys-brigade.org.uk

FENHAM ASSOCIATION OF RESIDENTS

This organisation was established twenty years ago to address high levels of crime and disorder. A purpose built community centre was created as a result of many years of campaigning and it has become a valuable resource for the community.

The trustees are contributing a grant of £1,000 towards the purchase of computers for a youth drop in session for young mums and teenage girls, to help them develop literacy skills.

SHEFFIELD CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS

Working with other environmental organisations in the area, Sheffield Conservation Volunteers offers voluntary practical conservation work every Sunday throughout the year in both inner cities and in the countryside. The grant of £5,000 is towards the cost of buying a replacement crew-bus with tool carrying capacity.

http://uk.geocities.com/sheffieldconservationvolunteers

ELLENOR HOSPICE AT HOME

Ellenor Hospice provides specialist palliative care to adults and children with cancer and life threatening diseases in their own homes. A grant of £10,000 is provided to help support the salaries of the specialist nurses in the Children’s Hospice at Home team.

www.ellenorfoundation.org

ST MARY’S FAMILY CENTRE in South East London

The services include early years education and day care, after school club, breakfast club, child contact centre and individual or group work with vulnerable families. The grant of £4,500 to is towards the salary costs of a part-time Family Centre worker, who will plan and organise the day to day running of the nursery and other related services.

ST GILES CHURCH, Standlake

This medieval church had raised £100,000 in the previous decade for repairs to the roof and stonework and eradication of beetle infestation in timbers. The latest quinquennial inspections had provided a positive report apart from problems with the Clerestory Windows and a few other minor areas requiring attention.

The trustees have provided £5,000 towards the £50,000 required for addressing this requirement.

ALZHEIMERS SUPPORT

Alzheimers Support is commited to helping people with dementia to lead a meaningful life. It provides information and support, counselling, relief care in people’s homes and weekend clubs.

A £5,000 grant is helping its Polebarn House Club, an activity based social club for its clients, to deliver its services. These include outings and occasional overnight stays to give carers a respite break.

www.alzheimerswiltshire.org.uk

KERRY PLAYGROUP

This well established playgroup provides five sessions each week for children under 5. Qualified staff are supported by parent volunteers and there are opportunities for NVQ training.

A £1,000 grant is provided to help create an outside play area, which will include space for playing ball games and a wildlife & gardening experience. Children will be introduced to bird feeding, bug collection, worm hunting, leaf collection etc and to digging, sowing and tending the plot.

ADDICTION RECOVERY AGENCY

This addiction treatment centre has recently merged with a local charity to widen the scope and range of the services it can offer. This has resulted in a new service being developed in an existing vacant building in Weston-super-Mare and the relocation of a much used service for people with alcohol problems to more suitable, convenient and cost-effective premises in the heart of Bristol. The trustees have responded with a grant of £10,000 to their need for capital investment in these two projects.

www.addictionrecovery.org.uk

RURAL EDUCATION & ARTS PROJECT

Based in the Peak District, REAP contributes to rural regeneration through projects related to education, the environment and the arts and aims to celebrate the history, the customs and the landscape of the region.

The trustees are supporting a new initiative, the Rural Crafts Revival project, which aims to engage young people aged 13 to 19 in local crafts and to address local skills shortages. Their donation of £4,000 is specifically being allocated to the delivery of demonstrations and participatory workshops in schools.

www.reapweb.org.uk

CP SPORT

This national sports organisation dedicated to helping people with cerebral palsy to express themselves through sport is supported with a grant of £5,000. This is an unrestricted grant towards core costs.

www.cpsport.org

PECKETWELL COLLEGE

The College offers learning opportunities to disadvantaged and hard to reach learners who need to develop their basic skills to prepare them for work or further study. It aims to provide an enjoyable learning experience to people who struggle to read, write or work with numbers. Many of the students lack confidence, personal effectiveness and have poor communication skills and there are encouraged to learn at their own pace, in small groups and in a relaxed environment.

The College has recognised the need to changes in demand and is extending its delivery to include courses in basis bookkeeping, office practice and practical skills such as photography, arts and crafts and horticulture. This work is supported with a grant of £5,000.

www.pecketwell-college.co.uk

YELLOW EARTH THEATRE

Yellow Earth Theatre produces work that explores universal themes from an East Asian perspective, celebrating cultural diversity through an integration of theatre skills from the East and the West. The range of work covers the reinterpretation of classics and new writing. Central to its work are educational workshops, residencies and community projects. It performs in world-renowned venues throughout the UK and overseas.

A £5,000 grants is provided towards a new version of King Lear being jointly staged by Yellow Earth, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre.

www.yellowearth.org

HERTS YOUNG HOMELESS GROUP

This is an independent charity which enables young people to secure and maintain appropriate accommodation through prevention, crisis intervention and resettlement. A grant of £10,000 has been provided for the recruitment and training of volunteers to support the delivery of education and training services, particularly in basic life skills, IT skills and the promotion of confidence and self-esteem.

www.hyhg.org

PRISONERS’ FAMILIES & FRIENDS SERVICE

The trustees have contributed £5,000 to enable this charity to continue to provide advice, friendship and advocacy to the families of prisoners. Services include a telephone helpline, visiting families in their homes, pre-release and re-settlement guidance, workshops and activities.

www.prisonersfamiliesandfriends.org.uk

VISION HOMES ASSOCIATION

Vision Homes provides residential services in eight venues in the Midlands for adults with multiple social needs and profound disabilities, including impaired vision. A grant of £5,000 is provided to enhance the quality of care above the basic level covered by statutory fees.

www.visionhomes.org.uk

PRIMARY IMMUNODEFICIENCY ASSOCIATION

A defective gene results in little or no defence against infections. The PIA provides support, information and advice and campaigns to raise awareness of this disability and ensure sufferers have access to the best possible treatment. Half of their income is dedicated to research. The trustees are contributing towards their volunteer recruitment and training and the benefits advice service.

www.pia.org.uk

BRACKENBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

The trustees have supported the school with a grant of £10,000 to help with the renovation of a disused and derelict Victorian school building, with the aim to creating a new space for the arts and sport. It will cater for music, drama, dance, visual arts and textiles, physical education, breakfast and after school clubs and group activities. This will be accessed by both the school and the local community.

www.brackenbury.lbhf.sch.uk

IAN MIKARDO HIGH SCHOOL

This is a day special school for secondary age boys with severe and complex social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. All pupils have statements of special educational needs and many have been excluded from their previous schools. They have fallen behind in basic skills because of poor attendance and concentration. The school works to address the negative experiences many pupils have had in their past and provides life chances to vulnerable children by restoring self-esteem and helping them to see themselves as learners with potential. A grant of £5,000 is provided to paint, furnish and equip a Children’s Psychotherapy Room.

SWANSEA COMMUNITY FARM

The trustees have responded with a grant of £10,000 to a request for help with the Senior Manager’s costs. This will help to ensure the Farm is able to continue to provide volunteering opportunities in this disadvantaged area and to deliver its work with children & young people.

www.swanseacommunityfarm.org.uk

HAMMERSMITH & FULHAM ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH

Services are provided for the benefit of people from all backgrounds who are suffering from mental health problems. These include advocacy, advice and information, a non-referral day centre, counselling, employment and housing services and outreach.

A £5,000 grant is provided towards the running costs of the counselling service. Volunteer counsellors are recruited and trained to offer one-to-one weekly sessions, aimed particularly at the unemployed or people on low incomes.

www.hfmind.org.uk

ANGOLAN ADVICE & INFORMATION CENTRE

This is a voluntary community organisation offering advice, information and assistance to Angolan nationals and other ethnic minorities. Services include interpreting and translation, negotiating on behalf of clients, outreach work and social activities.

The trustees’ grant of £2,000 is to develop their youth project and to raise awareness amongst young people, many of them unaccompanied minors, of health issues such as HIV-AIDS, drugs and substance misuse.

www.angolan-aic.org.uk

BRENT SCHOOLS’ FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

This well established organisation runs leagues for over 40 primary schools and 14 high schools, an inter-schools boys’ & girls’ six-a-side tournament, a five-a-side tournament for year 6 and another for year 7 youngsters and an inter schools’ cup competition. A grant of £1,000 is provided to give girls with greater prospects the opportunity to extend their training, learn new skills in becoming qualified in coaching or becoming an official and achieving first aid status.

www.brent.gov.uk./sports.nsf

KEW BRIDGE STEAM MUSEUM

The trustees are providing £10,000 to the Kew Bridge Steam Museum towards repairing the roof of the original Boiler House, grade II listed and the last remaining major building element on the site that has not yet had any restoration or renovation work carried out. If further deterioration occurs it will jeopardise the Museum’s ability to operate the boilers and fulfil one of the major aims of the Museum – to steam the engines as a public amenity. The proposed restoration works will enable the Museum to expand its educational programmes to include the operation and demonstration of the maintenance workshop equipment installed in the Coal Store area. By upgrading the insulation the efficiency of the boiler operation will also be improved.

www.kbsm.org