Theophilus Allen, a sixth form student at The Downs School, Berkshire talks about the joint project to support the charity Swings and Smiles in Thatcham. It started, as many meaningful things do, quite simply. Back in 2024, a group of us came together through school to support a local charity called Swings and Smiles. At […]
Finding Joy in Helping Others – Theo Talks with Bella Read More »
What if something as simple as baking a cake could help build confidence, independence and life skills? In 2025 we became involved in a match funding project with a group of 15 and 16 year old students at The Downs School in West Berkshire. The idea behind the initiative was for the team of 21
“I Did That Myself” – a story about cooking Read More »
We’ve had the privilege of working alongside the incredible students from The Downs School who have shown how they can meaningfully help the homeless in Newbury. The students choose to support Newbury Soup Kitchen after learning about the growing tragedy of homelessness across West Berkshire. What followed was a thoughtful, energetic and successful effort led
Pot Noodles and feeding the Homeless Read More »
The crisis of Homelessness in our country is getting worse. Often, it is the rough sleepers who are the most visible and clearly in need of the basics of food and protection against the weather. We have partnered with Newbury Soup Kitchen, a small charity making a big difference in West Berkshire to fund practical
Rough Sleeping: How can we help Read More »
We made our first grant to Blooming Blossoms in November 2016 and the most recent in November 2025 to support their Nutribridge project. Hannah Singer has sent us this update on their very successful initiative. “At Blooming Blossoms Trust, we work every day with children and young people facing challenges linked to poverty, learning disabilities,
Crossing the Nutrition Divide Read More »
We have been supporters of the Lansdown Friendship Club and were delighted to be able to provide a grant for their 2025 Christmas party. Dementia is a brutal disease which affects most people in the UK, either directly and indirectly. What LFC do for both people directly affected and those who care for them is
Community at Christmas Read More »
Through our Homeless Hub programme, we made a grant to support Caring in Bristol with their Caring at Christmas 2025 appeal. This is the second grant we have made to the charity, and we continue to be impressed by the efforts and successes the charity achieves. As we all know Christmas is a particularly special
Caring at Christmas Read More »
Tackling loneliness is one of our key objectives. Loneliness can be found across society and within all age groups. We want to support those charities who reach out and often act as a catalyst to bring people together. We got to know Together Co, a charity based in Brighton, in early 2025 and were impressed
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Stockdales is one of our valued Partner Charities and in August 2025 we were pleased to give them a grant of £5,250 to cover the cost of a replacement shower bench for their Ashton Lane home in Sale. The team shared with us how essential this piece of specialist equipment is for their residents ………
Dignity, Comfort and Care Read More »
Stockdales is a valued Partner Charity we have worked with over the past five years to deliver four important projects. We asked their chief executive, Emma Morris to give us an insight into the challenges she faces in leading this wonderful charity and making a real difference to the lives of the people with learning
What is it really like running Stockdales? Read More »
We have supported Blooming Blossoms since 2016 and made our sixth grant in September 2024 to cover the cost of new equipment for their Mad Discovery Lab programme.The charity is based in a poor area of Hackney and focuses on improving the lives of young people in this part of London. Hannah Singer from the
Mad Discovery Lab in Hackney Read More »
Through our Homeless Hub programme, we made a grant to support Caring in Bristol with their Cookery Class project. Amanda Grimstead from the Charity has shared with us how the project has had an impact on people struggling with putting food on the table. “Caring in Bristol has delivered a series of cookery classes over
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We have supported Professor Myra Conway in her research into dementia since 2019. Her mother was diagnosed with a form of vascular dementia at which point Myra’s work became personal and the human dimension was real. Myra offered to tell us the story of her Mam – a “Scientist’s Personal Reflection”. “As a researcher dedicated
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We have supported Alder Hey since the Foundation was launched. In 2022 we made a grant to support the Sunflower House project. Alder Hey’s Charli Canfer sent us this update. “Our specialist inpatient unit Sunflower House provides a safe and nurturing ‘home from home’ for children and young people with some of the most complex
Alder Hey’s Sunflower House Read More »
Great work has been taking place at Institute in the Park in Liverpool into childhood illnesses. Professor Christian Hedrich sent us this update on an important area of research . We have supported Christian and his collegues work in Liverpool over many years. Chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) is a rare but very painful bone disease.
Treatments for rare inflammatory bone disease Read More »
As Henry Ford once famously said “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself”. A recent project with three different groups moving forwards together definitely led to success and lots of fun. This story is about a group of students at The Downs School in West Berkshire, working as a team
Together we are better! Read More »
Lansdown Friendship Club (LFC) is a small group in Bath run by volunteers to support people living with dementia and their families. We gave them a grant in 2023 to buy play equipment. This time we helped fund their Christmas 2024 party. Mary-Jane who runs LFC, told us how it all unfolded. “Before the event,
Bringing Joy to people living with dementia in Bath Read More »
Institute in the Park is a Partner Charity. We have supported their research into childhood illnesses since 2016 and have now made six grants totalling nearly £90,000. Our latest grant was made in July 2024 to purchase a plate washer. The research into health and diseases often goes under the radar with progress appearing to
More great work at Institute in the Park Read More »
Alder Hey was our first Partner Charity and we have been supporting them since 2015. Our last grant for £9,974 funded two state of the art, high-specification defibrillators. Our total grants to the hospital are nearly £63,000. This is a long term relationship. Adam Challoner from Alder Hey told us what the new defibrillators mean
When seconds really do matter Read More »
Lifeshare is a member of our Homeless Hub and has been tackling homelessness in the Manchester area since 1985. We have supported the Lifeshare Christmas project for the past 3 years. This is a longstanding and special programme which goes from strenth to strength. Christmas 2024 offering made three meals a day available to the
Another great Christmas at Lifeshare Read More »
The research into dementia led by Professor Myra Conway is part of our Parner Charities programme. We made our fifth grant in July 2024 bringing the total since 2019 to over £45,000 primarily to fund much needed specialist equipment. We asked Dr Roshita Edward, a key member of Myra’s team, to update us on progress.
Progress on dementia research at Derby Read More »
For the third year running we were very pleased to be able to support Love Marlborough Kids Meals at Christmas. This is a local charity helping a growing number of families that are struggling to make ends meet. Ensuring that they can enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner with some extra treats is indicative of what
Love Marlborough Kids Meals: Christmas Update 2024 Read More »
Fun and play are the themes of our third project with Stockdales. We really wanted to do something different this time, having focussed previously on their residential homes, so we were excited when Emma Morris, their CEO, talked about another part of what they offer, Community projects. These schemes focus on learning life skills through
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We met with an exciting charity called Swings and Smiles based in Thatcham Berkshire at the end of 2023. Every time we have visited them, the centre has been buzzing with kids with a range of special needs, who come to play. We helped to extend their outreach programme with a grant this year. We
Let’s Play – Out and About Read More »
Homelessness in the UK is on the rise. There are dedicated charities both local and with a national footprint working tirelessly to help people who are on the street, sofa surfing or facing the prospect of losing their home. The most effective way for the Foundation to make a contribution towards dealing with homelessness is
Mentoring Plus is a charity that supports young people in the Bath area who are facing various challenges through mentoring and activity schemes. Helping young people feel safe, feel heard and feel hopeful for their future. After meeting Ruth Keily, CEO and Kat Lazenby, Grants Fundraiser at Mentoring Plus and learning about their work, we explored
Helping Young People in Bath Read More »
In August 2023 we made another grant to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to purchase Servo-U Ventilators. Alder Hey is a Partner Charity. Alan Newton-French from the children’s charity sent us this update. The new Servo-U Ventilators at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital have transformed patient lives this winter. This equipment has been invaluable for young patients
Saving lives through new technology Read More »
Lifeshare’s Christmas Project has been running for many years and we awarded them a grant to fund all the meals on Christmas Eve day. Ellen Rowshanzamir told us how the Christmas Project 2023 helped the homeless in Manchester. “Christmas, the season of joy and celebration, often brings warmth and togetherness to many. However, for those
Bringing Some Joy to Manchester’s Homeless Read More »