Charities

Charity’s top award

JHF staff

CLEVEDON-based charity, The Jack Hazeldine Foundation, was named Breakthrough Charity of the Year at the esteemed Third Sector Awards Ceremony in London.

The charity aims to support and empower disadvantaged children and young people in North Somerset through the strength of positive relationships. They achieve this with an extensive programme of mentoring, tutoring and therapeutic provision.

The accolade is for the creation of their unique, outdoor learning space, The Orchard - a stunning multifunctional outdoor classroom situated just outside Clevedon.

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the need to adapt JHF programmes became apparent very quickly and, working hand in hand with the community, the Orchard was created.

The project began by securing a piece of land from a local farmer, then planning started. The swell of community support and inspiration grew and their workforce soon expanded beyond staff members to include school teachers, rugby teams, trades people, local businesses, and community volunteers.

Throughout the pandemic The Orchard enriched the wellbeing of many young people and their families; it was home to hundreds of hours of mentoring and tutoring and a range of inspirational outdoor workshops.

Theatre trips are back

LANGPORTand District Red Cross are hoping to resume their fundraising coach trips to the Bristol Hippodrome next year.

They are now booking for shows including Bourne’s Nutcracker, the Lion King, We Will Rock You, Mamma Mia and others.

The group has a new link on Facebook at Charity Theatre Trips.

Details: www.theatretrips.webeden.co.uk email Charitytheatrerips@btinternet.com or call Chris Cox 01458 273085

Volunteers needed

AGEUK Somerset is looking for volunteers to help with its new Active Befriending service. Each volunteer will be matched with an older person who lives near them. They will join them for a walk and chat once a week, for eight weeks initially. The aim is to improve each client’s mental and physical wellbeing by providing some company alongside gentle exercise. It says loneliness is endemic among the older population and for many this is coupled with anxieties about going out following such a long time indoors.

Details: volunteers@ageuksomerset.org.uk or call 01823 345623

Veterans march for charity

LOCAL veteran Paul Thorner and Paulton Councillor Grant Johnson were among 150 veterans who walked 50 miles of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset raising funds for The Rifles Charities – Care for Casualties, which supports veterans suffering with PTSD. They set off from Lulworth Cove for the three-day march, finishing at the RNLI station in Lyme Regis. After months of fundraising, Paul and Sharon Thorner, from Paulton, Paul and Sharon Thorner with their managed to raise a commemorative trophy huge £6,821 and counting. On top of this, Grant Johnson raised a further £800 from his own Just Giving page.

Paul said: “I’d just like to thank everyone that has supported me to achieve such a great sum for a really important cause. We had loads of support along the walk, which made it that much easier to keep going, especially over some of the extremely steep cliffs we had to climb.”

It’s hoped the walk will raise about £100,000 for the charity.

Jam or cream first? Hospice tea is a sell-out

CHSW regional fundraiser Heidi Roberts (second from right) with some of the team serving teas

A TICKET-only cream tea afternoon at St John’s Church Hall in Midsomer Norton has raised £600 for Children’s Hospice South West. The sell-out event was organised by the Midsomer Norton Friends of CHSW.

Sixty people sat down for the cream tea fundraiser All the Js! Jan Snook, Jane Weeks and Janet Loe from the Castle Cary branch of Macmillan Cancer Support

Members of a group of cyclists who ride each year from Weston-super-Mare for the coffee morning, with Janet Loe

Charity golf day

CHELWOODBridge Rotary Club held its annual charity golf day at Farrington Park, with 52 players taking part.

Club president, Tony Quinn, had chosen the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as his charity for the year and together with earlier events the club was able to hand over £1,590 to the charity.

Tony is pictured with Cystic Fibrosis Trust ambassador Siobhan Coles who said how important it was for the trust to receive such donations to enable it to continue its vital research into the condition which affects so many young people.

Coffee, cake and more in Cary helps cancer charity

A COFFEE morning, raffle and plant sale in Castle Cary has raised more than £800 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Douglas Macmillan, who founded the charity, was born in Castle Cary and had watched his father die from cancer.

Farm charity is the winner in conker contest

The Witham Friary Conker Committee

THE annual Witham Friary conker competition has raised more than £400 for the agricultural support group The Farming Community Network.

Around 90 competitors – young and old – took part in the garden of the Seymour Arms, with previous champion Paul Uphill beating Sue Charlton in the final. The competition has been held for at least the past 40 years, taking a break last year due to the pandemic.

Paul Uphill on his way to victory…

Church appeals for money –old money

THE Friends of Axbridge Church are appealing to people to donate pre-decimal and pre-Euro coins and notes – and any unwanted foreign currency or commemorative coins – to be turned into cash to boost their funds to maintain the building.

The group will be running a stall at Axbridge Farmers Market on Saturday, November 6th and Saturday, December 4th where they are asking people to donate the old money.

Money can also be places in an envelope or bag and posted through the door of 1, Moorland Street, Axbridge or call 01934 733034 to arrange collection.

Reducing fuel bills

Each player enjoyed at least two games in the contest Kaz Adams (left) with customer Noreen Busby

A LOCALcharity is offering free membership to its oil buying scheme to over-70s to help them avoid fuel poverty this winter.

The West of England Rural Network’s (WERN) community oil buying scheme welcomes applications from all residents, village halls, schools, churches, local community buildings and businesses from within Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bristol.

Membership normally costs £20 a year for domestic users. But thanks to a grant from Quartet Community Foundation from their “Surviving Winter” fund, WERN is offering free membership to domestic heating oil users aged 70 and over.

Kaz Adams, oil scheme co-ordinator from the Chew Valley based charity, said: “One of our charitable aims here at WERN is to reduce rural fuel poverty. Our oil buying scheme enables many rural people to reduce their oil bills.

“We place a single, large order once a month and negotiate with multiple local suppliers to get the best price for all our members, often achieving between five to six pence per litre less than your average, high street oil price.”

Details: Kaz Adams 01275 333701 07825 202043, email: karen@wern.org.uk or visit http://www.wern.org.uk/community-oil-buying-scheme/

Charity beats holiday blues

MEMBERSof Keynsham Mencap were enjoying their first group holiday together for two years in Cornwall when one of their two minibuses broke down and had to go back to the dealer for repairs.

Staff and volunteers ensured this didn’t impact on the holiday by organising taxis and additional cars to ferry people around.

Whilst on a day trip to the beach one member said: “It is so good to be by the sea I haven’t seen it for over two years, thank you for taking me on holiday.”

Trustee Niall Tomlins hired a mini bus and set off at 6am on the morning of departure to rescue the members and take them safely back to Keynsham.

A second holiday taking another group of members on holiday to Devon was planned for a month later and a minibus had to be hired to take the 16 members, six volunteers and their luggage on holiday.

The charity says holidays for people with learning disabilities are so essential to their wellbeing. They are subsidised with additional fundraising and need a team of six volunteers to make breakfast and lunch every day for over 20 people and provide care for the more vulnerable members.

Operations manager, Laura Jefferies, said: “We are so grateful to our volunteers who pulled together to make sure members still had an incredible time and that the unforeseen difficulties that were faced didn’t impact on the members’ experiences.

“For some members this is their only opportunity to go away with friends and feel more independent, it also provides essential respite for parents and carers.”

The charity has set up a fundraising page to meet the additional costs of more than £2,000. It says along with a drop in income experienced over the pandemic it needs to replenish its funds to make sure Christmas activities will not be affected and scaled down.

Details: http://easydonate.org/MINI

School’s new recruits

SHOSCOMBEChurch School has recently welcomed Bonnie and Truffle into the classroom to help increase children’s confidence with animals.

They have been supplied by Dogs for Health, a non-profit organisation founded in 2020 currently covering Frome, Shepton Mallet, Coleford, Westbury and Warminster.

School head teacher, Ruth Noall, said: “They provide a shoulder to cry on and a welcome distraction when children are feeling upset, whilst also helping to keep children active at break and lunchtime.

“It is well-researched that dogs can help children's mental health and wellbeing in many ways from listening to children read, being a companion for a walk or playing a game of ball.

“Having Bonnie and Truffle in school has been amazing. They are kind, caring and a joy to have around!”

Getting help with energy bills

WITH energy bills likely to soar this winter, Age UK B&NES is urging people to see if they are eligible for the Warm Home Discount Scheme which saves households £140 off their electricity bill.

The charity is concerned that for some, the rising prices could mean choosing between heating or eating and is encouraging older people to take advantage of their free, simple benefit check.

Information & advice manager, Gill Adams, said: “We help hundreds of people a year save money on their energy bills and would really encourage people over 65 to give us a call and see if they could be saving – many people do not even realise they are eligible!”

The Warm Home Discount Scheme is different to the Winter Fuel Allowance which all people of pension age receive. It is a one-off payment of £140 paid through your supplier, taking money off your electricity bill.

Pre-payment meters and pay as you go meters are included. If you receive pension credit or are on a low income, you could be eligible.