Teaming up to open a summer house for young people in Essex
29th April 2022
Together we can make a difference. That’s why Charlie Watkins Foundation (CWF) and Youth Enquiry Service (YES) have teamed up once again to better support young people in Essex with the creation of ‘Charlie’s Cabin’, a new summer house.
The CWF has been working with YES since the start of 2021 on a variety of projects to benefit young people in the area.
YES supports more than 2,000 young people in Essex, helping to address their emotional needs and providing support through community projects.
One of these projects is the GoGreen community garden – an allotment space where young people can gather and work together to grow fruit and vegetables. The GoGreen Community Garden shares produce with the local foodbank and the site also has a small kitchen so that the produce can be cooked into delicious meals to share.
David Sollis, the CEO of YES, said the GoGreen project: “Has allowed young people a safe space away from the concerns of the world and allows YES and those young people to build a long-term relationship together.”
Now, thanks to funding from CWF, YES has created a new addition to the community garden; a summer house called ‘Charlie’s Cabin’.
Charlie’s Cabin will provide a safe and quiet space for the young people at YES to be able to open up to each other and YES staff about any troubles they may be facing.
A frequent visitor to YES, Clare Osbourne said: “Going to YES and taking part in the projects has helped me and my mental health immensely. Having the space to talk to people my own age as well as having support from the staff means so much to me and I really look forward to my visits there.”
This new addition to the project follows CWF previously funding essential gardening tools to YES, including a large 6m by 3m gazebo to use in bad weather and the project leaders’ costs.
CWF has also worked with YES to help fund two school navigator roles, offering face-to-face mental health support to students.
We are pleased to administer CWF and help them to award grants to local charities and community groups in Essex.
If you’d like to help CWF fund more essential items like these for young people, please consider making a donation.
Republished from Charity Today.
Welcoming guests to Ingatestone Hall
21st April 2022
We welcomed 80 of our fundholders, donors and supporters to Ingatestone Hall for our first Spring Reception in two years.
It was great to be back together again, and we are so grateful to our President Lord Petre for allowing us to hold our event in his lovely home.
Evenings like this are valuable opportunities for us to bring our people together, sharing stories about funds and talking about issues that are being tackled in our local communities.
Two local voluntary organisations spoke and shared how financial support from ECF has helped to further their work. These were:
BOSP (Brighter Opportunities for Special People)
For over 30 years BOSP has been supporting families who have children with disabilities or life-limiting conditions.
Their sessions for those aged 0-25, help to develop their independence, self-esteem and communication skills, while improving parents’ well-being by providing much needed respite. This care allows them to spend quality time with their partner or other children, do work or catch up on much-needed sleep.
We supported BOSP with a grant of £20,000 to run a respite service for children in Basildon and Brentwood who could not return to school full-time once lockdown lifted.
Kool Carers
If a parent has a disability or illness, their child or children will often take responsibility for some of their personal care and tasks around the house, such as cooking and cleaning, alongside looking after any siblings.
Time out from the pressure of caring responsibilities is so important for young people in this role.
Kool Carers was set up in 2018 to provide a safe environment where young carers can access professional support, to help them cope with their responsibilities, while they attend group events and other fun activities.
We awarded Kool Carers a grant of £5,000 towards the salary of a full-time administrator to help further their work.
“Moving-in” to local communities
Douglas Allen Estates has a long history of supporting local communities. Now, they have gone a step further to embed this value into the company’s ethos.
Working with the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF), they have set up the Douglas Allen Foundation. Grants will be given out to charities and voluntary groups providing vital care and support to children with mental or physical disabilities and their families in Essex and East London, particularly in areas where the Douglas Allen offices are based.
Michael Wright, Douglas Allen’s Operations Director said, “This is a great partnership for us and makes perfect sense. ECF has the expertise we need to help us achieve our corporate charitable aims and ensure that the money we give away is used in the most effective and efficient way.”
Michael also stated that “We want our staff to be involved in fundraising for our Foundation and have a say in the decision-making. ECF can help us achieve this.”
Set up over 60 years ago, the local estate agents came to life in East London as ‘Dennis Garrard Spiro’, representing the names of its founders. In the 1970’s, Martin Garrard left to open his own agency and Cyril Dennis and Ivor Spiro bought an old chain of surveyors and estate agents called ‘Douglas Allen’.
Over the next 12 years, the company expanded rapidly, opening branches in North & East London and Essex. Following the collapse of the property market in 1991, Arun Estates, based in Kent and Sussex was looking for an opportunity to expand into Essex and they purchased the business in 1993.
Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, building a strong reputation to become one of the largest independent estate agents in the South-East of England.
Wright’s predecessor, Jon Holden said: “For us, it’s important to invest in our local community. Our support goes beyond the occasional donation. We’re constantly looking for new ways to raise money, imploring everyone, from our staff to our customers alike, to get involved in fundraising efforts to help make a difference. We look forward to taking the next step on this journey by working with ECF.”
The first round of grants have gone to:
- BOSP (Brighter Opportunities for Special People) – £13,250 to provide a range of support and activities for children with disabilities in South Essex.
- Candles (North Essex Down Syndrome Support Group) – £3,841 to run activities, events, clubs and specialist sessions for families with young children who have Down Syndrome.
- Children Today – £793 to buy a specialist buggy for a young boy in Braintree District who has various disabilities.
- Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity – £7,429 to provide transport and support to families in Essex with a severely ill child in hospital (pictured).
- SNAP – £191 to buy a specialist car seat for a 3-year-old girl in Basildon who has a range of sensory issues.
Caroline Taylor, CEO at ECF, said: “We are pleased to be working with Douglas Allen and Arun Estates.
“It can sometimes be difficult for companies to know where to give support and what impact it will have. At ECF, we have over 25 years’ experience of working with our donors, connecting them with the issues and causes that they care about and helping them to achieve their charitable aims.”
To apply for funding from the Douglas Allen Foundation, please call the ECF grants team on 01245 355947 or apply now.
Essex welcomes its new High Sheriff
5th April 2022
Nicholas Alston CBE DL is starting his year as the 842nd High Sheriff, determined that the role which dates back to Anglo Saxon times, is aligned with current day issues.
At the top of his list of priorities for his year in office, is shining a light on the vital role that volunteers play in giving their time and expertise to supporting local charities and improving communities for the benefit of others.
Nick, who was born in Harwich Police Station in 1952, spent 30 years working in national defence and security for which he was appointed CBE in 1996. He lives in Chelmsford with his wife Philippa and describes himself as “a thoroughly Essex boy”.
He is Chair of Trustees at the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF), is a Governor at Anglia Ruskin University, previously chaired the Mid-Essex Hospitals Trust and until recently was Chair of the drug and alcohol charity, Open Road.
“I am delighted to have been appointed by Her Majesty the Queen to this most ancient of roles”, said Nick.
“Essex is a wonderfully diverse county, and I am looking forward to getting out and meeting as many people as I can. I want to highlight the important work of local charities, community groups and volunteers and to draw attention to some of the issues that they are tackling.
“Our communities will inevitably have been changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I want to better understand the impact this has had and what the future may look like as we all move ahead.”
“I am also looking forward to spending time with Essex Police, Essex County Fire & Rescue Service, the Courts and in particular the Probation and Prison Services, to understand the pressures they face in keeping us all safe.”
Nick will regularly share details of his visits and activities on the High Sheriff of Essex website and on social media. He said, “I hope people will find my visits and experiences interesting and that they may learn something they did not already know. I hope too that I might be able to encourage more people to think how they might volunteer in their own communities.”
To mark the start of his year, Nick has published a book celebrating 25 years of the High Sheriffs’ Fund in Essex, which includes contributions from past High Sheriffs and beautiful photographs from around the County. Each year the Fund supports groups of many different sorts across Essex working to make their communities safer.
“I hope to be able to raise money for the Fund from the book and from other events during the year, and as ECF runs the ‘Proceeds of Crime Matched Funding Scheme’, thanks to the support of Essex Police, all donations I receive will be matched on a 2 to 1 basis. This means that for every £2 received ECF will add £1, and if Gift Aid can be claimed it nearly doubles the value of donations.”
Caroline Taylor, chief executive of ECF, said: “Nick has a busy time ahead, with events and visits already in his diary, including a summer reception that he and Pippa are planning for July at RHS Hyde Hall. We wish him good luck and look forward to supporting him during his year and sharing his progress.”.
You can follow Nick’s journey at www.highsheriffofessex.com and @Essex_HS on Twitter.
SUPPORT THE HIGH SHERIFF AND YOUR DONATION WILL BE MATCHED!
ECF is running the Proceeds of Crime Matched Funding Scheme where donations to the High Sheriffs’ Fund are matched on a 2 to 1 basis. This means that for every £2 received, ECF will add £1, and if Gift Aid can be claimed, it nearly doubles the value of donations.
Donate online now: bit.ly/HSFundEssex
Young dancer puts her best foot forward
4th April 2022
A talented young dancer from Loughton is one step closer to having her dreams become reality, thanks to support that will help her to compete at a national level.
Ella Sofi Zarnadze, who is 10 years old, took up Latin and Ballroom dancing professionally just two years ago. Now, a donation of £1,000 from a fund managed by the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation, means that Ella Sofi, along with her dance partner Alexander, will be able to increase their training and enter more competitions.
Ella Sofi’s dad, Beka Zarnadze, said: “We give as much support to Ella Sofi as we can, but the cost of travelling to competitions, specialist clothing, coaching and competition fees adds up really quickly.
“We are so grateful that ECF’s donor, who has chosen to remain anonymous, was inspired by Ella Sofi’s talent and potential and wants to help her achieve her dreams.”
In April 2022, Ella Sofi, and her partner Alexander, are representing Great Britain on the Juvenile Team at the Junior Dance Festival, taking place at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
The talented duo has already come second overall in the UK International Championships, third in the British Nationals, and won the Stars of the Future Dance Championship. They are also top of the National League Table for juvenile dance competitors.
Perry Norton, Head of Development at ECF, said: “We are pleased to support Ella Sofi and wish her and Alexander good luck in their upcoming Juvenile Team Match in Blackpool, where they are representing Team GB for their category.
“The charitable funds we manage reflect the different wishes of our donors. In this case, the donor likes to support individuals and voluntary organisations in West Essex. They also wish to remain anonymous.
“Working with us means they can achieve their charitable aims while maintaining their anonymity.”
ECF works with individuals, families, companies, public agencies and charitable trusts. If you would like to discuss how we can work with you to achieve your charitable aims, please call us on 01245 355947 or click here for more information.
Local people are in full bloom at community allotment
16th March 2022
A community allotment based in Saffron Walden is receiving much needed funding that will help more residents to enjoy the outdoors and grow their own fruit and vegetables while socialising and improving mental health
Set up in 2011 by a group of volunteers, the Dig It Community Allotment, off the Walden Road, has recently reopened and is getting ready for the Spring/Summer season.
A grant received in 2020 of £4,806 meant they were able to buy new tools, make the site socially distanced and safe, while providing mental health support to members to reduce isolation and support well-being.
The funding came from the Britvic Community Fund which is managed by independent charitable trust Essex Community Foundation (ECF).
Laura Thompson-Harper, from Dig It, said: “The allotment is an important place where people come together to socialise while learning how to grow different produce.
“Our experienced team of sessional workers support our service to develop their knowledge in growing and horticulture. Our service users are from a wide range of backgrounds and many are involved in the project to reduce isolation and improve mental and physical health.
“Being in the outdoors has so many benefits for health and well-being and it not only helps to keep our members fit, but also means they can socialise and talk about things that may be worrying them. Strong friendships are made through the activities and the groups are wonderful.
“Everything we grow is shared out among our members so everyone can take fresh ingredients home for dinner.”
Laura added, “We are so grateful for this grant. It has made a huge difference and enabled us to develop our site, expand our offering and meet the needs of our community”.
Dig It’s activities in the community have included an ‘earth oven building’ course in collaboration with Fairycroft House and Art @ the Allotment sessions. They also work in collaboration with Saffron Walden Mencap Society and Cornell Café through a group run specifically for service users of these settings.
They are open for two sessions a week (from Feb-Nov) on Monday 9.30am -12.30pm and Friday 10.30am -13.30pm. Art @ the allotment is running fortnightly till June. For more information please visit http://dig-it.org.uk/ or contact info@dig-itgardens.co.uk
The site is wheelchair friendly, with raised beds, as well as play areas for children. Doga are also welcome.
Andy Payne Worpole, Head of Programmes at ECF, said: “Thanks to our fundholders, we can help groups like Dig It to grow and develop their work in response to the needs of their communities.”
If you are a local charity or community project in Essex that needs funding to support your work, call us on 01245 356018.