Support From Pioneering Essex Company
2nd April 2026
Charities and voluntary groups in Essex have been receiving vital support over the past two decades, thanks to a partnership between Teledyne e2v and Essex Community Foundation.
Teledyne e2v is a trailblazer in advanced technology with a deep-rooted history in Chelmsford, and has strengthened its local communities for the past two decades, with grants from the fund it set up with Essex Community Foundation (ECF). Since the early days of British engineering innovation, the company’s commitment to local people has grown alongside its global success.
In 2006, the company established the Teledyne e2v Foundation with ECF and the fund is giving ongoing and much-needed help to those in need, including children with cancer, men with mental health problems, people who are homeless and first aid organisations.
The partnership between the company and ECF is a strong commitment to support grassroots charities and voluntary groups across mid and south Essex, where the majority of Teledyne e2v’s employees live and work.
More than £140,000 has already been distributed from the Teledyne e2v Foundation to 69 local causes, and, crucially, because the fund is invested for the long-term, it will keep giving year after year, ensuring support that lasts well beyond individual grants.
What makes the company’s fund distinctive is the way decisions are made. A charity panel made up of Teledyne e2v employees works closely with ECF to review applications and award grants. This hands-on approach keeps the process grounded, personal and closely connected to the communities it serves.
Sam Philbrick, Chair of the Committee, said:
“Working with ECF has introduced us to so many local charities that we never knew existed before. Every year, we meet to discuss applications from charities that meet the criteria of our fund, which focuses on mid and south Essex.”
“It’s inspiring to hear about the work these groups do and to discuss, as colleagues, which ones we will support. Being able to visit the organisations afterwards is always incredibly motivating.”
Sam Philbrick and Joanne Jones from e2v who are members of the Charity Committee at ECF’s 30th anniversary event in July 2025
Since 2006, the fund has supported a wide range of local charities and voluntary groups, from those helping young people and families, to organisations tackling isolation, improving wellbeing, and strengthening community resilience. Many of these are small, volunteer-led groups whose impact far outweighs their size, exactly the kind of organisations ECF aims to support.
The most recent grants include:
A grant of £2,660 to 12th Man Mental Health enabling them to train 20 local men as Mental Health First Aiders, giving them the skills and confidence to spot early warning signs of poor mental health, offer immediate support and guide others towards professional help. Rather than waiting for men to seek services, the project places trained responders directly into male-dominated environments such as businesses, clubs and community groups, spaces where men already feel comfortable.
12th Man provides mental health training in businesses and spaces where men already feel comfortable.
This approach helps break down stigma and encourages conversations that might otherwise never happen. Each trained Mental Health First Aider becomes a trusted presence within their community, creating a ripple effect that reaches far beyond the individuals trained.
Nick Little is a Director at 12th Man. He said:
“For many men, talking about mental health still feels difficult, especially in workplaces and social spaces where vulnerability is rarely encouraged. We are working hard to change that, and receiving support from the Teledyne e2v Foundation has allowed us to reach men who are often hidden in plain sight. By training people within the community, we’re creating real change where it’s needed most.”
Providing Life-Saving Care
When emergencies strike at community events, having trained volunteers and the right equipment can mean the difference between panic and life-saving care. Essex Community First Aid Events Volunteers, formed in 2018 by a group of dedicated local volunteers, ensures that small community events across Essex, from school fetes to charity fundraisers, have expert first aid cover without cost barriers.
A grant of £500 from the Teledyne e2v Foundation helped them to buy two Entonox administration sets and accessories, giving volunteers the tools to provide effective pain relief during critical moments. In their first year, the team supported 63 events, far more than the 12 originally expected, now they receive over 125 bookings for over 200 events annually assisting people in moments of extreme stress, including administering life-saving care helping individuals with minor and serious injuries and conditions.
Essex Community First Aid Events Volunteers providing support at local events.
“This funding makes a real difference,”says Mike Fraser, a Trustee of the charity.“It ensures our volunteers have the equipment they need to support people safely and confidently. Every event we attend, we’re able to bring reassurance, care, and immediate medical help to those who need it most.”
With skilled volunteers and upgraded equipment, Essex Community First Aid Events Volunteers continues to be a vital, life-saving presence across the county.
Supporting Chelmsford’s Homeless
Cool to be Kind also received a grant from the Teledyne e2v Foundation. Funding of £2,000 helped with the costs of hosting an online directory of resources and to provide essential items for people who are homeless across Chelmsford.
For over a decade, Cool to be Kind has been a lifeline for Chelmsford’s homeless, providing practical support and connecting people to vital services. Established in 2015, the organisation runs an outreach programme, the Rucksack Project, and distributes surplus food from supermarkets. It also manages Street Support Chelmsford, an online directory linking 110 organisations and 235 services to vulnerable individuals across the city.
Cool to be kind providing practical support to Chelmsford’s homeless for over 10 years.
Support from the Teledyne e2v Foundation helped fund one-third of these programmes, covering website hosting, a part-time Engagement Manager, and essential items such as clothing and sleeping bags. Each week, around 35 rough sleepers receive clothing and sleeping bags, while hundreds of people access the online directory to find food, warm spaces, legal advice, and accommodation.
“This funding has been transformational,”says Dan Skeates, co-founder of the charity. “It allows us to keep people safe, warm, and connected to the services they need. Every item we provide, every person we reach, makes a real difference in our community.”
Supporting Families Through Childhood Cancer
Facing a childhood cancer diagnosis is devastating for families, and timely emotional support can make all the difference. Gold Geese, a Southend-based charity, provides tailored practical and emotional support to children and their families across Basildon, Chelmsford, and Southend. Founded in 2018 by Katie Southgate after her child’s cancer diagnosis, the charity ensures no family faces the journey alone.
A grant of £2,000 from the Teledyne e2v Foundation enabled Gold Geese to provide specialist counselling to 25 families, giving each child, sibling, and parent a minimum of six sessions with BACP-qualified counsellors trained in bereavement, oncology, and trauma.
Katie and her daughter Hattie received practical support and reassurance from Gold Geese.
This support bridges the gap in NHS services, where waiting times can stretch to months, offering families immediate help without financial burden.
“This funding has been life-changing for the families we support,”says Katie Southgate, founder and CEO of the charity.“It allows children and their families to receive the counselling they need at a time when waiting is simply not an option. Every session brings hope, reassurance, and practical support during an incredibly difficult journey.”
Commitment to Community
This commitment to community sits naturally alongside Teledyne e2v’s wider ethos. The company’s history in Essex stretches back to the 1940s, when it began as part of the Marconi group, manufacturing magnetrons for defence radar systems. Registered as a separate company in Chelmsford in 1947, it played a pioneering role in British engineering under the leadership of Simeon M. Aisenstein, a Russian-born engineer whose work helped shape Europe’s broadcasting and communications landscape.
Today, as part of Teledyne Technologies, following its acquisition in 2017, Teledyne e2v operates as a global manufacturer serving healthcare, life sciences, space, transportation, defence and industrial markets. Despite its international footprint, the company has never lost sight of its local roots.
That same forward-looking mindset is reflected in its passion for education and skills development. By inspiring students in physics, mathematics and engineering, and through its award-winning Apprenticeship Scheme, Teledyne e2v is helping to nurture the next generation of scientists and engineers. Many apprentices go on to secure long-term careers with the business, strengthening both the company and the communities it serves.
Facts about Teledyne e2v
- Set up a long-term charitable fund with ECF in 2006 which is currently valued at over £207,000.
- Given grants totalling £140,000 to a wide range of charities supporting local initiatives and helping local people in need.
- Acquired by Teledyne Technologies in March 2017 exactly 70 years after the company’s original company registration in 1947
- Recipient of 13 Queen’s Awards for Technology, plus the Sir Arthur C. Clarke Award for excellence in space innovation
- In 2025, three high profile European Space Agency (ESA) missions launched featuring imaging sensors designed and produced by Teledyne e2v’s Space Imaging division in Chelmsford
- Teledyne e2v Space Imaging supplied the one-billion-pixel Charge Coupled Device (CCD) imaging array for ESA’s Gaia mission, mapping the Milky Way in unprecedented detail
- 104 CCDs will be flown on ESA’s Plato mission, due to launch early 2027, and will assist with the study of terrestrial exoplanets
- Other well-known space missions that use imaging sensors from Teledyne e2v Space Imaging include the Hubble Space Telescope, Euclid Space Telescope, Mars Perseverance Rover and New Horizons
- A range of Teledyne e2v’s magnetrons are used deployed in marine radar systems which are used by ships for navigation, collision avoidance and weather monitoring.
- Our state-of-the-art radio frequency (RF) deactivation technology brings moving targets to a controlled stop at a safe distance across land, air and sea and is used by law enforcement agencies to protect people and borders.
- Teledyne e2v’s technology is at the heart of high energy x-ray cargo scanning systems used at seaports and border crossings for the rapid, non-invasive detection of contraband, weapons and prohibited items.
- Teledyne e2v’s products are present in over 90% of radiotherapy systems worldwide, contributing to the treatment of cancer patients who receive radiotherapy.
As the Teledyne e2v Foundation celebrates 20 years of giving back, the story is not just one of funding, but of relationships, between colleagues, charities and communities, built on trust, curiosity and a shared belief that local action can have lasting impact.
If you are interested in setting up a charitable fund in your name or the name of your company, please call Perry Norton, Head of Development at ECF on 01245 355947 or email perry@essexcf.org.uk