Community garden in Loughton to flourish thanks to funding boost
20th October 2021
A volunteer community garden project in Loughton has received a welcome funding boost to continue providing healthy outdoor activities for local people and support mental well-being.
Restore Community (RC) received £4,000 from the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF).
RC supports people of all ages and helps to meet the needs of local communities in West Essex. As well as their impressive community garden, they run the Oakwood Hill Community Centre in Debden where a range of activities for children and young people take place, including holiday clubs where the children who would normally receive free school meals can engage in crafts, sports and they also receive a hot lunch.
In addition, they offer support services for vulnerable residents and those needing help with accessing local services.
Jo Mackey, Head of Restore Community said, “All of the projects benefit the local community, including low-income families who are unable to afford the mainstream playgroups and activities for their children. The Community Garden has been particularly helpful to people who have felt isolated after the COVID-19 pandemic and who have found a sense of well-being by being able to volunteer.
“Everything we have achieved in the GROW Garden has been the collective effort of people in the community who have come together and volunteered their time to create this inclusive and supportive space.
“The social connections and friendships formed are an important part of our project and this helps to combat social isolation.
“The Garden is open twice a week and we also host a group of adults with learning difficulties and a group of young people with special educational needs and complex disabilities who work alongside our community volunteers.
“We love growing organic fruit and vegetables together and everyone who joins us experiences the benefits of social connection, physical activity and teamwork.”
The High Sheriff of Essex, Simon Brice, visited the community garden and surprised Brian, a garden volunteer, by presenting him with a High Sheriff certificate.
This was in recognition of Brian’s dedication and contribution to the gardening project.
Simon said: “This Award is thoroughly well-deserved. Brian is one of their core volunteers and I was told that he always goes the ‘extra mile’.
“Brian attends every session, all year round, and helps the other volunteers, some of whom have special needs and disabilities, to ensure that they can meaningfully take part and contribute to the project.
“He brings vast experience and knowledge of both gardening and construction to the site and during my visit I was very impressed with the brilliant work that is being done at GROW. They have such a positive impact in the local community and help to bring people together.”
Jo added, “Brian is a real asset to the community garden – he is the brains, the brawn and the heart of all that we do.”
If you are a local charity or voluntary organisation that is in need of funding to support your work, please contact ECF on 01245 356018 or click here for more information.
Leave a gift in your Will for everyone in Essex
Supporting local communities through us by leaving a legacy in your Will is becoming increasingly popular.
As well as making a difference now, your gift will last for many years to come and there are tax incentives when you give to charity in this way. If you are thinking about leaving a legacy, a good place to start is by talking to your professional adviser, or you can call us to talk through your ideas.
Here is a lovely story about a lady who made a generous bequest to us this year.
Gwendy Marrs Fund
Gwendy was born in 1930 and lived most of her 90 years in North Essex. From a young age she had a love of dancing and by her late teens she had become one of the high-kicking Tiller Girls made famous by the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium. She was a member of the dance troupe for four years, culminating in its 1952 tour of South Africa.
When she returned to Essex, Gwendy started work for the Colchester Lathe Company where she stayed for 31 years. After her husband Colin died in 1983, she resumed her love of performing and made appearances as an extra on many well-known TV series, including Hi-De-Hi and Lovejoy.
Gwendy is fondly remembered by all who knew her as a warm and exuberant personality, the life and soul of any gathering, and as someone who enjoyed her nearly 90 years to the full.
She was involved in many local community activities and we were delighted to receive a legacy from her. We look forward to keeping her memory alive through the Fund established in her name.
“Gwendy was such a wonderful lady who was full of enthusiasm for life. Dancing and performing were her passion, and she was always keen to be involved in local activities whether it was through the church or the croquet club.
“She had no children or close family to leave her estate to, so when I raised the idea of setting up a Fund in her name with ECF and leaving a legacy, Gwendy was so pleased that she could help people after she died, and that she would be remembered for years to come.” Fiona Ashworth, Thompson Smith and Puxon
We can help you support your local community in many ways. No matter which option you choose or what you want to achieve with your charitable giving, we make it easy for you to support a wide range of local voluntary organisations working at the grassroots of our communities.
To find out more about leaving a legacy please click here or call Perry Norton, Head of Development, on 01245 355947 or e-mail perry@essexcf.org.uk
Befriending programme helps to beat loneliness in West Essex
12th October 2021
A befriending scheme for those with life-limiting illnesses will help even more people in West Essex, thanks to grant of £10,000.
St. Clare Hospice, based in Hastingwood, has received the funding boost from the independent charitable trust Essex Community Foundation (ECF) for their ‘compassionate neighbours programme’.
The scheme connects people who are socially isolated due to life limiting illnesses or limited mobility from older age with members of the public, who volunteer their time to visit or call them regularly.
Julie Foster, from St. Clare Hospice, said: “The risk of social isolation has increased dramatically ever since COVID-19 took hold and we had been expanding our programme as much as possible to try and meet the growing demand, particularly in rural areas, but we have been limited by staff resource.
“This grant from ECF helped us to employ a full-time support worker who will expand our work matching local volunteers to members of the community by encouraging the building of genuine friendships through weekly visits or phone calls.”
Julie added, “The project benefits both parties – the compassionate neighbour and the community member. Many of our compassionate neighbours have experienced the loss of a loved one and are themselves lonely and isolated.”
Sylvy volunteers as a compassionate neighbour and said: “I had always wanted to give something back and when I found out about the scheme, and that I could start doing home visits to bring companionship, I knew this project was right for me. But it’s a two-way thing; it’s got to work for both people, and with Pam, my match, as soon as I walked in the door, I knew that this was right.”
If you would like to access support from compassionate neighbours or enquire about becoming a volunteer, please click here.
During the pandemic, St. Clare Hospice also launched a new bereavement helpline, established weekly counselling sessions for nursing and residential home care workers, and created new support materials to help people facing death and loss.
SUPPORT ECF’S ACORN FUND CHALLENGE and help charities like St. Clare Hospice.
ECF is running the ‘Acorn Fund Challenge’, appealing for donations and matching them 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.
- Give online through JustGiving
- To give by card over the phone call us on 01245 355947
- Send a cheque to Essex Community Foundation at 121 New London Road, Chelmsford CM2 0QT
- Speak to us if you want to make a donation by bank transfer or to set up a regular gift
For more information email Perry Norton: perry@essexcf.org.uk
Southminster railway station to host men’s skills workshops
22nd September 2021
Handymen will be taking on a project to give Southminster’s station’s old workshop and deserted waiting room a much-needed boost.
The old leather workshop on the station platform has been taken over by long-term “shedder” Bob Adams and Maldon and District CVS for a new Men in Sheds project.
This space, equipped with workstations already in place, will be used to host the project for men in the area to come together and share practical skills and knowledge.
As a first step the Essex Shed Network will be organising a working party to sweep and sort the space so its ready for the project to launch.
Next to the old workshop is a former waiting room which has fallen into disrepair and work will be carried out so it can be turned into a social space to complement the workshop.
There are also plans to refresh station planters and refurbish the community garden which runs next to the station platform.
Maldon and District CVS director Sarah Troop said: “I am so pleased to be able to receive the keys of this great community space.
“We have been dreaming of having a Men in Sheds project on the Dengie since we opened the Maldon Shed in 2014.
“A lot of hard work and perseverance have finally got us to this stage and we are keen to hit the ground running and make this space open the community as soon as possible.
“I’d like to thank Greater Abellio rail for sharing our vision and the Community Network rail team at Essex County Council who we will be working alongside to complement the station adopters scheme to create a welcoming environment for commuters and other station users.
“Thanks also goes to the Essex Community Foundation who have provided funding to the project.”
The Essex Shed Network will be looking for men in the area to take on a range of roles within the project in the coming months. To get involved, call 01621 851891 or email matt@essexshednetwork.co.uk.
Republished from the Maldon & Burnham Standard.
We’re hiring: Join the ECF team!
Are you self-motivated, highly organised and enjoy working in a busy team? If so, this is an exciting opportunity to join Essex Community Foundation (ECF) as an Office Administrator.
Each year ECF, one of the largest independent grantmakers in the county, awards around £5million of grants from charitable funds under its management. This funding supports voluntary and community organisations in Essex that are working to improve the lives of local people.
In this role you will undertake a range of administrative tasks, ensuring that the rest of the team has adequate support to work efficiently. You will also be the primary point of contact for visitors to the Foundation’s office.
You will be based within the Grants Team and much of your work will be focused here with additional time spent providing support across the organisation.
- Full-time
- £18,000 – £20,000 pa depending on experience
- Based in central Chelmsford
The closing date for applications was Monday 11 October 2021. Please keep an eye on our website and social media pages for future opportunities.
Harwich Mayor calls on business leaders to ink their name in local folklore at charity auction
21st September 2021
A piece of Harwich art history goes up for auction this week and The Mayor of Harwich, Cllr Ivan Henderson, has called on local businesses to ensure it delivers a legacy for community projects in the area.
The Mayor wants a young Harwich artist’s Octopus Ahoy! sculpture to raise huge funds in support of local charities, voluntary organisations and community groups working in Harwich and Dovercourt.
‘Octavious’, (pictured below) designed and painted by Harwich teenager, Alana Fensom, 18, goes under than hammer for charity at Le Talbooth on Thursday 23rd September, with proceeds going to the Harwich Mayflower Legacy Fund managed by Essex Community Foundation, and the Tendring Community Fund. Alana, just 17 when she entered the artwork to be part of the public art trail, is the youngest person ever with a project of this kind and Mayor Ivan Henderson wants her sculpture to secure a legacy and remain in the town, saying:
“It seems only right that Alana’s artwork stays in the town and creates a legacy in her town and surrounding areas. We can make sure that funds raised at auction can go towards helping local children and young people become involved and make a positive contribution to the community in which she grew up through the Harwich Mayflower Legacy Fund and other projects.
“I call on all Harwich businesses, who want to play their part in supporting causes in our wonderful town, to dig deep to make sure the fantastic Octopus Ahoy! Art trail creates a legacy for our town and residents can enjoy Alana’s sculpture for generations to come.”
Alana Fensom, said: “It was just incredible to part of the Octopus Ahoy! art trail and have thousands of people enjoying my work. To think that ‘Octavius’, which was shaped by my upbringing in Harwich, could possibly go to helping other local young people in the town is simply overwhelming and better than I could have imagined. I’d love to see it donated back to the town so local people can enjoy it and remember the joy the trail bought to so many.”
Art lovers can find out more about the event, view each of the sculptures available online bidding and book a ticket for the live auction here.
