ECF welcomes three new trustees
11th February 2021
Three dynamic new trustees have joined the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation, (ECF) to help the organisation to have an even greater impact in the future.
Gail Cunningham, Ben Minter and Gemma Cartwright are making it their mission to see ECF strengthen its position as one of the leading community foundations in the UK, working with individuals, families, businesses, charitable trusts and statutory bodies to support the vital work of charities and voluntary groups in the community.
A total of 167 charitable funds are now under ECF’s management and this achievement has meant that over the past year of great challenges, £4.8 million has been distributed in much-needed grants to 436 voluntary organisations and 89 individuals.
Gail, Ben and Gemma have taken up their roles as trustees at ECF at a time when the organisation has set its sights on encouraging even greater local philanthropy to help improve the lives of those in need in Essex.
Gail, who lives in Chelmsford, is head of investment learning at the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF). Her extensive experience of the charity sector, in the UK and overseas, makes her a great asset as a new trustee for ECF and she is eager to use her skills to help the organisation develop and continue to flourish.
She said: “Since moving to Chelmsford, I have been impressed by the work of ECF, in particular its sustained growth, commitment to grassroots issues, community accountability and its ambition to make a greater impact through working in partnership with other organisations.
“I have a keen appreciation of the power of community foundations and similar models, having worked with them in Canada. The ability of community foundations to listen to people’s needs is a key resource.”
Ben Minter, a charity investment manager who lives in Brentwood, is bringing energy and enthusiasm for the voluntary sector to his new role as an ECF trustee.
“I think ECF serves a vitally important role in ensuring the resilience of local enterprises from grassroots upwards, helping them to keep going, especially given the current economic environment and the longer-term funding pressures in the third sector,” said Ben.
“There is great value in working directly with the local community and I will take huge pride in being able to visit the people and projects funded by ECF grants to see the success stories, while offering further support to those yet to reach that stage.
“I was born in Colchester and feel a sense of real connection to the county. I believe that being a trustee for ECF will be a great way to give something back and will help develop a network of local expertise for the good of the community in future.”
Gemma Cartwright, who lives in Southend, is a development officer with the Southend Association of Voluntary Service supporting many charities and voluntary groups. She also volunteers her time and gets involved with lots of community work and activities. Through her work she had already forged strong links with ECF and is looking forward to her new role as trustee.
Gemma said: “I have a deep passion for equality, ending injustice and the work of the voluntary sector and I am strongly motived by the direct impact made by small and medium sized groups.
“Having grown up in Southend I have been aware of ECF for many years and the vital impact it has across Essex. As an ECF trustee I will be able to use my knowledge of the charity sector, develop new skills, interact with new people and learn more about the work of the voluntary sector across Essex.”
Caroline Taylor, chief executive of ECF said: “We are delighted to welcome Gail, Ben and Gemma as our new trustees and know that their skills, experience and commitment will be invaluable as we face the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”
To see more members of our trustee Board, click here.
High Sheriff walks the walk
15th January 2021
Julie Fosh was not daunted by the challenge of doing things differently during her year as High Sheriff.
Coupled with her usual determination and enthusiasm for everything that she does, Julie has spoken with a great many charities and voluntary organisations on the telephone, through online meetings and visits (when allowed).
Thanks to the support of local people and companies she has also organised events including a 50 mile walk along the Essex coastline, and has raised over £30,000 for the High Sheriff’s Fund.
“The effort, creativity and professionalism of everyone I speak with reflects the talent, deep passion and care for others that we have within our Essex communities. I can’t thank them enough for all they are doing”. Julie Fosh, High Sheriff of Essex
Reflections of the High Sheriff
“My Declaration did not go as planned. The initial arrangements in County Hall were rapidly pared down to three of us, in full court dress, in our back garden – at least the sun shone! My attentions then turned to what I could do – a sentiment shared by so many. The traditional garden party now involved sending 650 invites to a virtual ‘Wish You Were Here Summer Party’, asking for a photo or short video clip and request for donations. It provided an amusing, uplifting and generous response. To view the montage see below.
Later in the year my husband, Paul and I embarked on a walk – 150 miles from Harwich to Tilbury. The Ha’Penny Pier was glowing in the early morning sunshine as we left Harwich with a spring in our step. Leading the way, with an amazing rendition of Walking With The King, was the aptly named Wash Your Hands Band, formed to raise the spirits of communities in the Tendring area during lockdown and very thoughtfully organised by Cllr Ray Gooding, Ivan Henderson (Leader of the Labour Group at ECC and Deputy Mayor of Harwich) and Suzanne Howe (United in Kind). And so began another ‘first’ in a shrieval year that has become like no other.
The original aim of my walk was to complete it during term-time and engage groups from coastal schools. With schools closed the walk was moved to mid-August. The sun beat down on us for most of the first five days. There were wild swims in the cool North Sea. If you haven’t visited the Tendring Coast in recent years then do – it will not disappoint. Fossil hunting on the Naze, the new sea defence of 22 fishtail groins between Holland-On-Sea and Clacton is a work of beauty as is the award-winning Clacton Pier. Thanks goes to the Old Surgery B and B in Frinton for their generosity and to The Sandrock B and B in Clacton for an equally comfortable night. Joined by Richard Pattison (Essex Scout’s County Commissioner), not forgetting scout mascot ‘Teddy Brown’, we followed the beautifully distinctive coastal path to the remote Point Clear.
A visit to Brightlingsea, the delightful coastal home of a newly refurbished museum and stunning harbour, was made possible by Felicity Lees who very kindly collected us from Point Clear and organised a tour to see the great work of the Pioneer Trust. With help from the Mersea Ferry we spent the night at Mersea Outdoors (thanks to Paul Button) with a swim and evening barbeque on the beach – very romantic!
Stacey Belbin at the helm of the beautifully renovated Lady Grace took us across the estuary mouths to the Grade 1 listed 7th century Capel of St Peter-on-the-Wall at Bradwell-on-Sea – a remarkably spiritual place of pilgrimage for all persuasions and none. The golden glow from the freshly harvested fields provided a spectacular backdrop for a most thoughtful reflection and blessing from my chaplain and the Rural Advisor and Agricultural chaplain Revd Canon Janet Nicholls.
It is while walking along the Dengie peninsular that you feel so close to the elements, so unprotected from the encroaching sea, so vulnerable. The inlets and saltings can be misleading, encouraging you to attempt a short cut but sucking away at your boots with each step.
We enjoyed the culinary seafood delights at lively Leigh-on-Sea courtesy of the Mayor and Mayoress of Southend. So fuelled, we climbed to the 13th century remains of Hadleigh’s ghostly castle. It has stunning views over the Estuary and is adjacent to the site of the 2012 Olympic mountain bike course.
We were so pleased to be joined at various stages by over 100 people including our Lord Lieutenant Jenny Tolhurst and husband Philip, past High Sheriffs James Bettley and wife Lucy and Bryan Burrough and wife Philippa. We were also joined by several Mayors and Chairs including those from Colchester, Leigh-on-Sea, Castle Point, Canvey, Brightlingsea, Thurrock and South Woodham Ferrers. The group on the National Citizen Service programme (organised by Martin Solder and his team at the Essex Boys and Girls Clubs) epitomised all that is great about young people: supportive, enthusiastic and good fun. So too, the 2nd Stanford scouts with their twenty-five strong chorus of ‘Oggy, Oggy, Oggy’ on Mucking Flat.
On our journey we enjoyed great company, stunning views, including a special one from the top of Fobbing church tower and huge help, support and encouragement from the Essex farming community. Thanks too to all other friends and family who joined us, gave encouragement and generously donated to the High Sheriffs’ Fund.
Passing the well-preserved Coalhouse and Tilbury Forts we finished at the World’s End pub and reflected on our journey north to south on the Essex coast.
Julie Fosh
High Sheriff of Essex 2020 -2021
A gift from one team to another
Our Team Fund here at Essex Community Foundation (ECF) gives support to other charity teams who we think would benefit from an unrestricted donation at Christmas time. They can do anything they want with the funds so long as it brings a smile to the faces of their team and/or clients.
This year we decided to give a donation of £1,000 to Safer Places, the domestic abuse organisation in Harlow and we were delighted to receive a heartwarming thank you letter from their CEO about how they used the money to celebrate the end of a very tough year.
Setting up a charitable fund with your team is easy. For more information click here.
Thank you from Safer Places in Harlow
“Thank you for providing funding for us to celebrate with our staff at the end of this tough year.
We held an online staff party which was hosted by GAV Quiz. As well as the quiz it also included performances from the musicals and musical clues from a group of performers from the London Musicals and a singalong which sounded really awful, but was such good fun. Everyone enjoyed it and it was so lovely to all be together. We also sent Christmas presents to every one of our staff and volunteers.
We have been doing a great deal to try to support the wellbeing of staff over the last months as they have their own personal anxieties and circumstances to deal with, as well as needing to provide a good deal more support to our clients for whom this pandemic has been such a challenge.
We decided to gift them a package that would support their wellbeing and so went for something for each of the five senses. Everyone received some sock slippers, some body butters, a Yankee candle votive, some Lindor chocolates and a handmade Christmas bauble made by one of our Trustees, and a Christmas greeting and thankyou letter. Two members of our team, Aimee and Rachel, volunteered to double as elves to do the parcelling up and dispatch from the Santa depot North Pole (aka our very cold store room!).
As a result of an obsessive search for the best deals on Black Friday we got a great deal for our money. We had a small amount set aside in our budget for Christmas and by combining this with the money you so kindly provided we have enough left to be able to come together and do something when it is safe. We have in mind a picnic in Hatfield Forest as we expect to be able to do that sooner than anything indoors.
Everyone really enjoyed the celebration and receiving a parcel was very much appreciated especially at a time when some of our staff were on their own and not able to have their usual Christmas. The feedback has been really heartening.
Strangely though physically together less often, we all seem to have become closer over this time and relationships between all of us at Safer Places have only strengthened as we have looking after each other as well as our clients. Our staff have been incredible and so to have the opportunity to celebrate and thank them on behalf of the organisation, and for them to know that this was as a result of being recognised by the Foundation was wonderful. Thank you so much and best wishes for 2021.”
If you would like to support local charities, short or long-term, we will be pleased to discuss your wishes and the options that might work best for you. Click here for more information.
Volunteers support vulnerable people in Epping Forest
12th January 2021
A £10,000 grant from us has helped Voluntary Action Epping Forest (VAEF) to support the most vulnerable people across the Epping Forest District during the COVID-19 crisis.
The funding made a world of difference to VAEF as they have been able to adapt their projects to support the elderly, people with learning disabilities and those on benefits.
Jacqui Foile from VAEF said: “Using our volunteer expertise we rapidly set up a district-wide community response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“We have been co-ordinating volunteers and businesses to support those in crisis. Our services include telephone support, shopping, collecting prescriptions and providing welfare support and advice.
“We have incurred additional staff salary costs and running costs but have a reduced income due to cancelled fundraising events, loss of chargeable services and donations. The grant from ECF has helped us to meet the extra costs and keep our services going.”
Maggie Gilchrist, Volunteer Centre Coordinator for VAEF, said that volunteers have pulled out all the stops to help those in need.
Highlighting examples of the help given Maggie said : “During the COVID pandemic one of our volunteers, Kelly, put herself forward to remotely support the clients from the VAEF Community Clubs, as they could not run because this group of residents are very clinically vulnerable.
“She calls 12 clients twice a week to do welfare checks, ensuring the clients are getting their shopping and prescriptions as well as encouraging them to do gentle exercise and help them feel less lonely.
“Kelly took on new COVID clients too, one who was a near neighbour who had no living family or friends left. Kelly went above and beyond to support this resident. She was honoured when this resident asked her to be in her support bubble. Kelly always meets up maintaining social distance and going above government guidance.”
Maggie highlighted two other volunteers, Phyl and Peter, who were also keen to make some contribution towards supporting those most affected and threatened by this unprecedented situation.
“Phyl and Peter wanted to work through an established community group and VAEF seemed to fit the bill. As they both already had current DBS checks, they were quickly allocated a local family to support who were unable to shop for themselves.
“We also made contact with the local pharmacy and offered to deliver prescription medicines to those who had been instructed to isolate and shield themselves. To date, Peter and Phyl have delivered over a staggering 1,300 prescriptions to their village residents and continue to deliver more every day.”
VAEF, an independent charity, has been the backbone of community work in Epping Forest since it was set up 1993 and will continue to give as much support as possible to people in need, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you are an Essex voluntary organisation in need of funding, click here.
Leave a lasting legacy
6th January 2021
Leaving a legacy to us in your will is one way of supporting your local community.
This year, we received a generous bequest from Shirley Martin and we look forward to keeping her memory alive through the grants we award.
Shirley was born on 27 December 1932 in Ilford, Essex, the second child to Stanley and Ivy Ingleton.
After attending the Ursuline Convent in Ilford, Berkhamsted School for Girls and St. James Secretarial College in London Shirley’s first job was working for the Festival of Britain Office in Colchester. She subsequently joined the family Wine and Spirit business in Ilford, together with her brother Kenneth, working for their Father. When he died in 1961 the business moved to new premises in Maldon. Shirley became a director and company secretary and continued to work until she retired in 1992.
Shirley met and married Francis Martin in 1963. They bought a home in Colchester where they lived happily until his untimely death in 1982. She continued to live there until just before her death on 28 December 2018.
As a young girl Shirley was a keen tennis player and was shortlisted for Junior Wimbledon. Wimbledon Fortnight was a “must” in her life and she followed tennis enthusiastically. Her other great joy was music and she was an accomplished pianist.
In later life she was an enthusiastic concert goer, being a strong supporter of The Snape Maltings and St. Botolph’s in Colchester. For many years she had season tickets for the English National Opera and The Royal Opera House Covent Garden. She studied music theory, composers and compositions and when at home listened avidly to her many classical CD’s.
Other interests included horse racing – she was part owner of two racehorses for a time – while she also enjoyed sports cars, travel and good food. In short, a veritable Renaissance woman.
For more information on how to set up your own fund as part of your legacy, please click here.
Small community group makes a big difference
4th December 2020
Please note: this group photo was taken prior to COVID-19.
We were pleased to help Open Door Loughton become established two years ago. Now a further grant of £500 has been awarded to the group from our Essex Coronavirus Response and Recovery Programme.
The organisation has proved to be a lifeline for adults of all ages by offering them vital support following their discharge from an acute mental health ward.
The funding has been welcomed by Paula Wilson, a retired headteacher who set up the group to fill a gap after a similar local organisation closed down. Paula knew from first-hand experience how much such a service was needed, because she had seen how it had helped her daughter.
“The grant from ECF has enabled our group to keep going through these challenging times,” said Paula. “It has paid for the hire of the church hall where we meet and, under the Coronavirus regulations, we have an exemption which allows us to have meetings of up to 15 people.
“We can continue to offer the basic friendship and support that people need so much when they are discharged from a mental health unit. They find it hard to settle back into the community and may feel very much on their own.
“The value of our group has been recognised by a consultant psychiatrist who said that the improvements he could see in people who had been inpatients was amazing. The members of the group are so supportive of each other and they can enjoy social interaction and activities in a safe place, with people around them who understand mental health problems.”
One member of the group, Steph, said: “I have really found it to be a lifeline. When people are discharged from a mental health ward, they often don’t have access to ongoing care. Coming to the club means that there is a place where you can socialise and not feel isolated. It is a place where you can speak openly and know that you are not going to be judged. For 13 years, since I was 17, I used to self harm, but I will soon reach the milestone of being harm free for two years.
“After a lot of upheaval in my life I am much more positive, and I was recently able give a talk about self-harm. Afterwards a few people came up to me and said they had their own experiences of self harm but had never told anyone. It was good for them to know that someone understood the vicious cycle of self¬ harm and, if what I am doing helps at least one person to be more sympathetic, then it is worthwhile.”
All the members of the group are looking forward to being able to expand and develop its activities, including healthy cooking sessions which had to stop because of the Coronavirus restrictions.
Open Door Loughton has come a long way in two years, and it looks set to give much needed support to many more people in the years to come.
Find out how you can support your local, grassroots community groups here.