Saffron Building Society donates more than £100k in grants
3rd June 2021
A building society serving Essex has donated more than £100,000 to charities across East Anglia over the last decade.
The Saffron Building Society Community Fund, which is managed by Essex Community Foundation (ECF) has been providing grants to charities since the fund began in 2011.
This year, Saffron has granted £13,778 to six different charities, meaning a total of 55 charities have benefited from the fund over the last ten years.
Claire Hunnable, community business partner at Saffron Building Society, said: “After such a difficult year, that left many charities struggling to raise money, the importance of the community fund couldn’t be clearer.
“The charities are chosen by our grant panel, which is made up of staff and members with the expertise and guidance from ECF. We are safe in the knowledge that all the grant money is well-spent supporting the communities around our branches.”
The charities receiving money from the fund this year are:
- 3rd Brentwood Scout Group – Towards the purchase of a second-hand minibus.
- Action for Family Carers – To help run activity groups for people with dementia in Harlow, Epping, and Great Dunmow.
- Red Kite Rape and Sexual Abuse Service – To upgrade the charity log digital record system to aid the setup of a Hertfordshire-based charity supporting victims.
- Radio Forest – To upgrade the software and associated equipment of a hospital radio service covering Epping forest, Saffron Walden, and Brentwood.
- Stepping Stones Play & Learn Group – For the salary of a key worker to support children with complex needs.
- Beacon House Ministries – Advocacy work with vulnerable individuals leaving prison, supporting and educating.
Claire said: “We’re really proud to be able to support these important charities this year, and now that restrictions are easing, I am looking forward to visiting all of them and learning more about what they do.
“At Saffron, we pride ourselves on caring for our communities, so staying in touch with all the charities after the grants have been given is really important to the whole team.”
Saffron staff have proved consistently through the pandemic that it’s more than money when it comes to helping the less fortunate. Staff have been volunteering to assist those less able through the OnHand app, have provided a reassuring, friendly ear to customers on the phone during lockdowns and worked without ease to ensure everyone was financially able to navigate the year utilising free financial wellbeing calls.
To find out more about Saffron Building Society and its community efforts, visit the website here.
If you are interested to know how we help local companies to give back to their community, click here or call Perry Norton, ECF Head of Development, on 01245 356018.
Four Essex voluntary groups receive The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services
2nd June 2021
Four voluntary groups from across the county who work in the community have been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services (QAVS) aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation.
Representatives of the groups receive the QAVS Award Crystal and a QAVS Certificate signed by Her Majesty the Queen from Her Majesty’s representative in the County, the Lord Lieutenant at a local ceremony. Two volunteers from the winning groups are invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2022 (depending on restrictions at the time), along with other recipients of this award.
The four winning groups from Essex are:
- Abberton Rural Training: this group provide local land based skills for vulnerable and isolated individuals and families in Essex.
- BATIAS Independent Advocacy Service: this group support people with learning disabilities to have their voices heard and inspire positive changes to lives, enabling those they support to become active citizens, and provide new life opportunities.
- Essex Police Special Constabulary: this group have over 520 volunteers who provide almost 204,000 hours of volunteer policing for the communities of Essex.
- Citizens Advice Southend: this group provide free, confidential and impartial advice to a wide range of people many of whom live in deprived areas.
The four groups from Essex are amongst 241 charities, social enterprises, and volunteer-led groups to receive the prestigious award this year across the UK. The number of nominations remains high year on year showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.
This award is given to volunteer groups across the UK to recognise exceptional service within their communities. The recipients of the award are announced each year on 2 June – the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. The QAVS is considered as the MBE for voluntary groups.
The four Essex winners will receive the Award from Jennifer Tolhurst, Lord Lieutenant of Essex, later this year subject to the COVID-19 restrictions at the time.
Jennifer Tolhurst, Lord Lieutenant of Essex said: “The announcement of four winners of the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services, the highest national award for voluntary groups, across Essex is a wonderful tribute to the outstanding work of the voluntary sector.
“The number of awards won across Essex speaks volumes for the excellence of volunteering in our county and the increasing importance of the work of volunteers for community wellbeing. I am delighted that four extremely deserving groups, who are providing a wide range of services to our communities have been honoured by Her Majesty the Queen.
“I look forward to presenting the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services to each of the groups over the coming months, when the present restrictions allow, and to celebrate their success with their volunteers and many who receive their excellent service”.
New Mayor of Harwich launches fund for the town
20th May 2021
An important part of the history of Harwich is being celebrated with the launch of a new charitable fund that will provide support for local charities, voluntary organisations and community groups working in the Harwich and Dovercourt area for years to come.
The Mayflower Legacy Fund has been set up by Cllr Ivan Henderson, who has devoted almost three decades to public service in Harwich. Ivan is a former MP for Harwich, a district and town councillor, and became Mayor of Harwich on 20 May.
The fund, which will be managed by the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF) has been named after the Mayflower which was registered in Harwich and, 400 years ago, was sailed from England to America.
Although many of the planned celebrations for the Mayflower’s anniversary have been hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Ivan’s hopes of establishing a fund to support local charities have become a reality. He is county councillor for Harwich and has launched his fund with £10,000, an allocation given to all county councillors to invest in their communities.
“I wanted to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Master Christopher Jones’ sea voyage aboard the Mayflower and to create something that will support local charities and will last beyond the anniversary year,” said Ivan.
“I feel very fortunate to have been able to launch the Mayflower Legacy Fund and I am delighted that my allocation of £10,000 from Essex County Council and further donations to the fund will be match-funded through the Proceeds of Crime Matched Funding Scheme, which is managed by ECF with support from Essex Police. This means that for every £2 donated, £1 will be added. If gift aid can be claimed this is matched as well, which means the original donation is nearly doubled.
“The fund will have a link to the ongoing maritime history of Harwich and, importantly, will build up over time and create a legacy that will support and benefit local people for years to come.
“There are so many local organisations who have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic and they really need extra support. A lot of children and young people will be facing difficult issues and the fund will help them and enable them in turn to become involved and make a positive contribution to their community.”
Ivan has lived in Harwich for all of his life and worked at the docks for 20 years. He has to date completed 28 years public service, is now a transport consultant and is prominent in promoting tourism in Harwich.
He said: “All my Mayoral fundraising will go into the Mayflower Legacy Fund. I am hoping to encourage businesses and individuals to regularly contribute and have already had support committed from Milsom Hotels and Harwich Haven Authority.
“By doing this together we can build a financial resource for local charities and voluntary groups working in Harwich and Dovercourt to tap into and which will provide ongoing support, particularly for organisations that are contributing to community safety and those working with children and young people.”
Ivan is looking forward to a busy year and is delighted that the Harwich Sea Festival in August will host one of the major Mayflower 400th anniversary events postponed from last year.
He is planning to give a grant from the Mayflower Legacy Fund so that 10 local young people nominated by local charities can take part in a voyage from Harwich to Portsmouth organised by the Tall Ships Sailing Trust.
For more information and to make a donation to the Fund visit Ivan’s JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/harwichmayflower400legacyfund
Apply for a grant here or call the ECF team on 01245 356018 to discuss your charitable work.
Building skills for brighter futures
19th May 2021
One of our recently funded projects was featured in the Epping Forest Guardian. Read the article below.
A project offering training and mentoring to people with learning disabilities in making goods from recycled wood is continuing to flourish.
Purpose built-premises have been created for Voluntary Action Epping Forest’s Ace Activities Upcycling scheme in Stapleford Abbots, with vacancies for up to eight new trainees.
These additional opportunities for ACE Upcycling have come thanks to help from Riverside Timber Recycling project – which has built the especially adapted workshop – and a £10,000 grant from the Essex Community Foundation (ECF).
Finished articles from the projects are sold at the VAEF ACE Upcycling stand at Riverside Timber Recycling Project, Chigwell Nursery and at various local fetes. All money raised goes back into the upcycling projects.
ACE Upcycling projects are open to working age adults with learning or physical disabilities and mental health issues. It offers training and mentoring in making goods from recycled timber, as well as restoring and upcycling furniture for sale to the public.
The projects are designed to boost participants’ confidence through providing focus, developing skills and encouraging discipline in a fun environment. Trainees also enjoy the companionship and collaboration of working with others.
Josh, who works at ACE Upcycling said: “I really enjoy learning how to make things at ACE Upcycling. I have made planters, benches, tables and much more. I like working with Tim who volunteers at the project, as well as seeing all my friends.”
For more information on vacancies available on the project or for furniture items for sale, visit the ACE project’s new website www.aceactivities.org.uk or contact Sally Panrucker on spanrucker@vaef.org.uk
To apply for a grant from ECF click here.
Why your business should consider giving back locally
A blog from Perry Norton, Head of Development at Essex Community Foundation – Republished from Fiducia Wealth Management.
The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged individuals and companies alike to take a closer look at their local community and think about how they can make a difference.
Essex Community Foundation (ECF) offers an opportunity to understand local issues, consider how and where they want to make a difference, and if they want to have an impact over the long-term.
Established in 1996, ECF is an independent charitable trust with 25 years’ experience of managing charitable funds on behalf of individuals, companies, trusts and public agencies and supporting local charities and voluntary organisations with financial grants.
During the Coronavirus pandemic we have supported many projects where people have found different ways to help those in need, including collecting and delivering food parcels for neighbours, befriending phone calls to elderly people who needed to shield, volunteering in hospitals to give vaccines or provide comfort to patients, and even making a conscious effort to support their local shops and businesses to help keep them afloat.
Charitable giving is often portrayed by the media as only being possibly by the super wealthy. The generosity of people such as Bill Gates and Elon Musk who have donated billions through their own foundations to tackle issues including the environment and poverty on a global scale are widely known and publicised. While their generosity is amazing it can reinforce the perception that you need to be a millionaire to make a difference, and this simply is not the case.
We do not need to wait for an Essex Bill Gates to sort these issues out for us because we have the power to do it ourselves and starting local is a good place to begin making a difference.
Giving locally can have a huge impact on small, grassroots charities. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 voluntary and community organisations in Essex, many of which are volunteer-led and probably unknown to most people.
These organisations give vital support within their communities, but they may not have the same profile or access to resources that other, well-known, organisations have.
ECF works with individuals, families, businesses and other local organisations who all share our vision; to create a long-term sustainable financial resource that can support people in local communities forever.
We work with many companies who have incorporated a long-term approach into their CSR strategies and have set up charitable funds in the name of their business. We help them to build a greater understanding of local issues that are being tackled so they can focus their giving on issues that matter to them and their staff. They can also engage staff in fundraising challenges or introduce a payroll giving scheme to help increase the amount of support given.
We know that companies often receive letters from charities asking for support and it can be difficult to know which ones to support and where donations will have the most impact.
Working with ECF means you do not need to say ‘no’ to any requests received, you simply send them to us. We may be able to help them through your charitable fund or from one of the other 170 charitable funds that we manage. We can also direct them to other appropriate funders.
For more information about how you or your business could get involved, please contact me (Perry) on 01245 355947 or perry@essexcf.org.uk. You can read more on corporate giving through ECF here.
If we all work together just imagine how powerful the impact that our collective donations can make in Essex!
Beresfords supports the essentials in life
18th May 2021
Billericay Baby Basics is receiving a welcome funding boost from the Beresford Foundation for its work supporting mothers and families who are struggling to cope with the financial pressures of looking after a new baby.
The charity, which was only recently established, is already proving to be of huge benefit to local families. Based in the Revival Church in Billericay, Baby Basics also covers the Basildon and Wickford areas.
A grant of £800 will help them to buy essential items including shelving, storage boxes and bags as well as enabling them to produce leaflets and a banner to help publicise their work.
The Beresford Foundation was set up by the award-winning estate agents in 2015 and is managed by the independent charitable trust Essex Community Foundation (ECF). Grants are awarded annually from their Foundation to support local charities and voluntary groups in the county.
Paul Beresford, chairman and managing director, said: “Being a business with over 50 years’ experience of working in Essex and London, we are committed to supporting charities and projects in the areas where we work.
“Many of our customers are families with young children who are trying to buy their first home or make the next step on the housing ladder.
“Billiericay Baby Basics really resonated with us. We have seen how the pandemic has put a financial strain on many families, especially those who have lost jobs or been furloughed. Having a new baby adds a whole extra layer of cost, so helping those who, for many reasons may find themselves struggling is something we are very pleased to support.”
Jane Robb, Team Leader at Billericay Baby Basics said, “We are delighted and grateful to receive this funding which has helped us to get properly set up and promote our services.
“It is thanks to support from local companies like Beresfords, who are working with ECF, that we are able to support families who are finding it difficult to cope. We help mums in all manner of circumstances, they can be young teenagers as well as women fleeing domestic abuse or trafficking.
“They are referred to us through different services and we are pleased to help them with the basics they need to keep their babies fed, clean and safe until they can get back on their feet. We know that the Baby Basics service will provide relief and help in the midst of the challenging circumstances that these mums and families are facing.”
Paul added, “We are very pleased to be working so effectively with the team at ECF. Establishing and growing a long-term charitable fund means that each year we will give support to causes we see as a priority and those that are making such a difference to people’s lives in the communities where we work.”
Find out more about ECF and how you can support your local community here.
To see if you are eligible to apply for a grant, complete our short questionnaire here.