Past News
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Whizz-Kidz
05.04.2009A grant of £6,000 was recently made to Whizz-Kidz to help provide customised mobility equipment, training and advice to disabled children throughout Bristol. Whizz-Kidz is a national charity that improves the quality of life by giving disabled children the independance to live their lives to the full through the provision of mobility equipment, support and training.
Web Site: Whizz-Kidz
InterAct
30.03.2009At a recent meeting the Foundation granted £2,500 towards InterAct's work in Bristol. InterAct run performing art groups throughout the country for children with special needs and children from low income families. The grant will enable the charity to continue the holiday workshops in Bristol. The workshops are held throughout the summer and help build both skills, self confidence and enable children from many different backgrounds to perform together.
The Princess Royal Trust Carers Centre
25.03.2009At a recent meeting the Foundation granted £1,500 to The Princess Royal Trust Carers Centre to give support with transport costs. A frequent problem for carers is poor access to transport and, as a result, many carers do not take part in social or support activities which can lead to increased pressure and a sense of isolation. The Carers Centre provides a wide range of services to carers, and supports approximately 5,000 unpaid family carers in the Bristol area.
Web Site: Princess Royal Trust Carers Centre
133rd Bristol (Newfoundland) Scout Group
05.03.2009At a recent trustees' meeting, the Foundation granted £5,000 to 133rd Bristol (Newfoundland) Scout Group to assist with the costs of running transport to enable Scouts, who would otherwise find it impossible to get to a meeting, to attend. The 133rd Bristol(Newfoundland) Scout Group provides scouting to those who are unable to attend their local Scout Group which may be a result of wheelchair access, or specialist care needed.
Florence Brown Community School
25.02.2009Following the November trustees' meeting, £2,500 was granted to The Florence Brown Community School to assist in funding a residential activity trip for the children. The school is a Bristol based special school that works successfully with young people who have a range of complex needs. Work is done on an individual basis with each child depending on their needs.
Web Site: Florence Brown Community School
Victim Support
20.02.2009In November, the Foundation made a donation of £10,000 towards the ongoing work of the local branch of Victim Support. Last year Victim Support in Avon worked with over 20,000 victims of crime in Bristol. Support is offered to all referred victims by telephone and, for those Victims who need it, a trained volunteer offers ongoing support. In addition the charity supports witnesses of crime and helps applicants who are pursuing Criminal Injuries Compensation. Victim Support also provides specialist support to victims of domestic abuse.
Web Site: Victim Support Avon
Barnardo's Bristol BASE Project
28.01.2009During the November meeting the trustees awarded Barnardos £25,000 towards the work of Barnardo’s Bristol BASE. The Bristol BASE Project (Barnardo’s Against Sexual Exploitation) works with young people at risk of sexual exploitation or who are being sexually exploited. The project provides a safe environment in which to work with the young people to help them understand their exploitation, promote safety and self-esteem and to raise their aspirations.
Web Site: Barnardo's Bristol BASE Project
Asthma Relief
21.01.2009In August, the Foundation donated £1,000 to Asthma Relief, which will be used to provide breathing equipment such as nebulisers and air freshening machines within the Childrens Hospital in the City of Bristol. Asthma Relief provides breathing equipment, advice and support to asthma sufferers. As well as placing machines in hospitals, health centres and individual's homes, the charity services and maintains all equipment, provides a 24-hour helpline and raises awareness about the condition via the internet and by giving talks.
Web Site: Asthma Relief
Huntington's Disease Association
03.09.2008In August the Huntington’s Disease Association was awarded £5,000 towards their Bristol Regional Care Service. The Service supports people affected by Huntington’s disease, an hereditary, degenerative Disease of the central nervous system, for which there is presently no cure. The work of the Regional Care service includes home visits from multidisciplinary professionals to enable individuals to manage their symptoms and remain in their own homes, assisting patients to attend Specialist Clinics and provides training to various health and local Authority Professionals in the Bristol area.
Web Site: Huntington's Disease Association
Caring at Christmas
02.09.2008At the August Trustees’ meeting the Foundation made a donation of £5,000 to Caring at Christmas, towards the provision of a warm and safe environment for people that are homeless over the Christmas period. Caring at Christmas has been carrying out this work since 1987 and last year, during the Christmas week, 1,520 meals were served and around 30 people stayed overnight each night. Over 350 volunteers contribute to making Christmas as special as possible for people that are homeless; as well as a bed, hot meals, toilets and showers, some volunteers provide entertainments and services such as music, art workshops and reflexology.
Web Site: Caring at Christmas
Friends of Hartcliffe Millennium Green
20.08.2008On 14 June Friends of Hartcliffe Millenium Green held a Fun Day on the Millennium Green, Bishport Avenue, Hartcliffe. The event was supported by a donation from the Foundation, made in May of this year. The Fun Day was a great success, with events and attractions including crafts, games, face painting, stone carving, a bouncy castle and trampolines, and animals from Bristol Zoo. The weather was excellent, encouraging around 500 local residents to attend, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
Filton Avenue Junior School - Outdoor Classroom
14.07.2008The Foundation was recently involved in enabling an outdoor classroom at Filton Avenue Junior School to be constructed. The playground shelter was opened last month, and will be used for a range of open air activities, as well as providing shade on summer days.
Gay Elms Primary School - Barton Camp
14.07.2008At the May Trustees’ meeting the Foundation made a donation towards the cost of Gay Elms Primary School residential camp. This took place in June, and it certainly sounds as though the children had a fantastic (though challenging) time at Barton Camp, based in the countryside outside of Bristol. The children were able to experience and participate in a wide range of activities, including mountain biking, archery and outdoor cooking – sausages over a campfire and nettle tea!
Deafblind UK
11.06.2008At the May Trustees’ meeting Deafblind UK received a donation of £5,000 from the Foundation. The donation is towards the costs incurred in supporting elderly deafblind people in Bristol. Loss of both sight and hearing brings problems in many areas of life, including communication, access to information and mobility. Deafblind UK currently supports 10 elderly deafblind people in Bristol, who require varying degrees of support, both human and technical.
Web Site: Deafblind UK
Concorde Wheelchair Dancers
11.06.2008Following the May Trustees’ meeting the Foundation made a donation of £1,000 to Concorde Wheelchair Dancers. The Concorde Wheelchair Dancers are a Bristol dance team with members representing all ages and many disabilities. The group are the reigning Regional 2005 and National 2006 Wheelchair Dance Festival champions, and the Foundation’s donation will help fund the teams attendance at the National Competition in Blackpool this November.
Web Site: Concorde Wheelchair Dancers
Contact a Family
03.06.2008Contact a Family is a national Charity providing advice, information and support to the parents of all disabled children. The charity also enables parents to get in contact with other families whose child has the same condition so they can benefit from their shared experiences and support. At the recent Trustees’ meeting the Foundation made a donation of £1,000 towards the work of Contact a Family within Bristol.
Families of disabled children are under enormous practical, physical and emotional pressures day to day. They may feel isolated because they often don't know anyone else in the same situation. They say the best form of support is that from other parents because they can benefit from their shared experiences and mutual understanding. Contact a Family provides families of disabled children with information and advice on all aspects of raising their child and puts them in contact with each other.
Web Site: Contact a Family
Barton Hill Settlement - The People's Hive
07.04.2008The People’s Hive, based at the Barton Hill Settlement, facilitates community work and volunteering, offers opportunities for the over 50’s, and runs a community time bank. The Foundation recently released its 2008 commitment of £28,072, for use towards The People’s Hive volunteer programme. This programme includes two projects; The Volunteer Unit and Time for Action. The Volunteer Unit matches local people with volunteering opportunities, working with local projects to ensure that volunteers get the support they need. The community time bank, Time for Action, allows people to swap skills to help one another – a diverse range of ‘swaps’ including DIY, gardening, listening and learning an instrument are offered by individuals through the project, enabling them to both benefit from and share with their community.
Web Site: Barton Hill Settlement
Childtime
14.03.2008The Bristol based charity Childtime was awarded a donation of £5,000 at the February Trustees' meeting. Childtime works with emotionally and psychologically distressed children and young people in Bristol and the surrounding areas. The donation provides core-funding for the charity's Open Access Counselling Service and will help them to continue to offer accessible and professional support to children struggling with issues including family breakdown, bereavement, abuse and domestic violence.
Web Site: Childtime
FareShare South West
12.03.2008In February, the Trustees made a donation of £35,800 towards FareShare South West, the Bristol-based depot which is part of the national food charity, FareShare. There is an enormous imbalance between the amount of consumable food waste produced by the food industry every year, and the millions of people in the UK who are unable to afford a healthy diet. FareShare South West, which is currently in development in Bristol, aims to address this imbalance by redistributing quality surplus food to community groups working with vulnerable individuals. The Foundation’s donation will help fund the cost of the forklift truck and refrigerated delivery vans required by the project. Within the City of Bristol FareShare South West works with groups including Emmaus Bristol, Fairbridge West and Redwood House.
Web Site: FareShare South West
Independent Age
11.03.2008At the February Trustees' meeting the Foundation made a donation of £3,600 towards Independent Age's 'Keep Able Project' in Bristol. Independent Age works with elderly people on very low incomes and currently assists over one hundred elderly people in the City of Bristol. The Foundation's donation to the Keep Able Project will fund 133 Aids for Independence, items such as tap turners, swivel bath seats and low-cost wheelchairs, to help disadvantaged elderly people to maintain their independence and dignity.
Web Site: Independent Age
Bristol Old Vic
09.07.2007The Foundation recently pledged £250,000 to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre, one of the country’s oldest working theatres. As featured widely in the press, the Bristol Old Vic has announced a start date for the £7 million programme of renovation works. The theatre closes on 1 August 2007 for preparation work for the refurbishment which will include new seating, a new air cooling system, lifting of the stalls floor levels for improved stage visibility and installation of disabled lift access as well as structural repairs. To donate towards the £2 million still required please follow the link to their website.
Web Site: Save Bristol Old Vic
John James Blue Plaque
21.03.2006On 25th July 2006 John James would be 100 years old.
It is fitting therefore that a Blue Plaque was unveiled today on the site of John's birthplace - 96 Philip Street, Bedminster. This is the site now of Windmill Hill City Farm.