Barclays Wealth Community Awards winners announced at presentation
The winners of the 2010 Barclays Wealth Community Awards, who share a £37,812 Awards fund, have been announced at an emotion filled presentation at the Pomme d’Or Hotel.
This year’s ten winners are Jersey/England Parent Support, Methodist Homes for the Aged (Jersey), Jersey Alzheimer’s Association, CRY Jersey, Teenage Cancer Trust, First Tower Community Association Youth Project, Ace of Clubs, Friends of Mont a l’Abbe School, Age Concern and Greyhound Rescue.
The Barclays Wealth Community Awards are in their fourth year and continue to support projects that make a real difference to local people in a variety of ways. The annual Awards are open to registered charities that have representation in Jersey.
Nearly 50 charities submitted applications to the 2010 Awards, hoping to secure a share of the £25,000 Awards fund, which,, on review of the applications, the judges decided to increase to £37,812, as there were so many deserving projects.
‘I am absolutely delighted to be in a position to donate to these local good causes,’ said Paul Savery, Managing Director, Barclays Wealth Intermediaries and International, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man. ‘We had only allocated £25,000, but have been able to secure further funding to enable us to help additional deserving projects. A particular favourite with all of the judges was Friends of Mont a l’Abbe School, which supports the island’s only school which caters for children with significant disabilities and/or special needs. The group requested £21,571 to fund equipment for the school’s new sensory room and we were thrilled to be able to hand them a cheque for the full amount. It is also a pleasure, on behalf of Barclays Wealth, to have presented much needed cheques to nine other charities.’
The Friends of Mont a l’Abbe School charity was awarded £21,571 to fund the equipment for the school’s new sensory room. The sensory room, which is being constructed as part of the school’s partial rebuild, will offer the 85 pupils, aged three-18 years, access to state of the art light and sound activated equipment, which is vital for the stimulation of the youngsters, many of whom have severe disabilities. This type of therapeutic learning is invaluable. The Friends of Mont a l’Abbe School group fundraises for the school and was given charitable status in 2009.
Teenage Cancer Trust was given £3,600 to pay for five youngsters and a nurse/social worker to attend the forthcoming Find Your Sense of Tumour conference in the UK. Every year Teenage Cancer Trust in the UK funds and organises a conference solely for young people who have or have had cancer. Around 400 young people from across the UK are invited to attend, offering these young people a chance to meet and share their experiences with others their own age who know what it is like to be diagnosed with cancer. The conference programme is packed full of activities, giving the young people attending the opportunity to listen to and take part in discussions on subjects such as hair loss, fertility and relationships. Teenage Cancer Trust aims to ensure that every young person with cancer and their family receives the best possible care and professional support throughout their cancer journey. They also empower young people through education and advocacy.
First Tower Community Association Youth Project secured £3,300 towards the costs of operating Project Forward – an initiative which, over three years, will help provide a focused programme for 14-16 year olds to develop basic skills and raise self esteem through a range of practical activities including art, cooking, craft, IT and games. These activities encourage discussion, planning and organisational skills, money handling and group work - developing the skills that participants will need to secure employment and move into adulthood. The Association already runs a drop in café, The Hang Out, which is a self-funding partnership operated in conjunction with the Youth Service.
Jersey Alzheimer’s Association was awarded £3,241 to fund the organisation’s art and photography scheme - a collaborative project on which the Association works with students from Greenfields (the young people’s secure unit) and those on the Alternative Curriculum. The scheme sees the students produce art and photographs which are used to brighten up the Beech Ward at Clinique Pinel (St Saviour’s Hospital), where people with dementia go for assessment and respite or to wait until a suitable place is found for them in a permanent care home. The building is in need of updating and the interior offers little in the way of visual stimulation. Some works, which are great for stimulating those suffering memory loss, will also be displayed at Rosewood House where people with dementia who are no longer able to remain at home are accommodated.
Ace of Clubs received funding of £2,400. The group provides a partnership with the working parents of 80 children aged between four and 12 years old, offering after-school and holiday clubs at a low cost. The scheme is not supported by the States and therefore relies on donations and the small fees they charge to keep the service, which so many parents and children rely on, running. The funding from the Barclays Wealth Community Awards will pay the operational costs for the Ace of Clubs Homework Club for one year – a club which ensures that children (currently numbering 43), whose parents work long hours, can sit with a team member and complete their homework with the support they require.
CRY Jersey secured £1,000, which will enable the charity to supply gifts for the youngsters of mothers of the Jersey Women’s Refuge at a Christmas party, which is being organised by the Freedom Church. Receiving a gift has a major impact on the lives of these children, as many have mothers who are struggling financially. CRY Jersey aims to rescue and restore young lives broken by poverty, oppression, exclusion and abuse, and supports projects worldwide.
Age Concern Jersey was awarded £1,000, which will be used towards the redecoration of the charity’s property, Windsor House, benefitting the elderly users of the building. Age Concern Jersey aims to support the elderly in the community by offering day care services at Windsor House, such as help with form filling, provide a listening ear, social activities, subsidised lunches, hairdressing, chiropody and computer classes.
Greyhound Rescue Jersey received £1,000 of funding which will help support the charity’s Pets as Therapy (PAT) initiative. The scheme sees dog owners take their much-loved pets into residential homes and Mont a l’Abbe School which acts as a relaxing therapy for many. The dogs are also taken into schools to educate youngsters about the importance of looking after animals, using the example of former racing greyhounds, which are often cruelly treated when they retire.
Methodist Homes of the Aged (Jersey) was given £500. The charity operates two residential homes which offer high levels of care for the elderly. The charity is part way through a restoration programme, upgrading current facilities, and it had not budgeted for the digital switchover. The award will pay for a digital television in the lounge of the Stuart Court home, which will benefit the 30 residents.
Jersey/England Parent Support received £200 to help fund the charity’s ‘Eco-Cycle’ initiative. The group was set up in 2003 by Dacia and Mike Kidman to offer financial support to families of young children travelling to the UK for emergency or specialist treatment – assisting in relieving the financial concerns which these situations can sometimes generate. The Eco-Cycle scheme encourages people to donate unwanted bicycles which are then recycled – the scheme contributed one third of the charity’s total income in 2009.
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