Surrey Heath Community Fund

27th April 2016

The Surrey Heath Community Fund is a fund specifically for the benefit of Surrey Heath and its residents established in partnership with Voluntary Support North Surrey. The fund enables and encourages local giving so that we can develop a greater capacity to respond to local needs.

The Surrey Heath Community Fund makes it easy for local residents to support the breadth of needs in the Surrey Heath community by:

Exclusively supporting local community projects
Pooling donations from companies, individuals and families to make a bigger impact
Providing a sustainable source of funding to support the evolving community needs
Developing the capacity to respond to local issues as they arise

Examples of grants from the fund:

Surrey Drug and Alcohol Care – £2,000

Surrey Drug and Alcohol Care (SDAC) provides a 24/7 manned confidential helpline giving emotional support, information and advice to drug and alcohol users, their families and friends within Surrey. The service aims to provide a listening ear, offer motivational support and encouragement and advice and information on drugs and alcohol.

This grant supported the charity’s Telephone Counselling Service – a free service which was operated initially as a pilot in 2010 and now provides support to between 500 and 600 clients a year affected by their own or somebody else’s alcohol and/or drug misuse.

Sparklers Foundation – £1,500

Sparklers Foundation supports families where there is a child or young person aged 2-25 with special needs or autism. Support is through provision of social networking opportunities, playgroups, advice, guidance, and signposting, parental advocacy, playgroups for children with special needs and their siblings, sibling conversations groups, and social events for parents and carers.

This grant supported holiday playgroup costs for families with a child with a disability and their siblings. The playgroup sessions reduced isolation for families where an individual has special needs and provided peer support for parents and carers, as well as a nurturing environment for siblings. The events provided an opportunity for families to meet special needs professionals, and families to gain confidence in communicating their areas of difficulty with other parents.

Runnymede Community Fund

The Runnymede Community Fund is a fund specifically for the benefit of Runnymede and its residents established in partnership with Voluntary Support North Surrey and Runnymede Borough Council. The fund enables and encourages local giving so that we can develop a greater capacity to respond to local needs.

The Runnymede Community Fund makes it easy for local residents to support the breadth of needs in the Runnymede community by:

Exclusively supporting local community projects
Pooling donations from companies, individuals and families to make a bigger impact
Providing a sustainable source of funding to support the evolving community needs
Developing the capacity to respond to local issues as they arise

Example grants from the fund:

Your Sanctuary – £3,000

Your Sanctuary supports people who have suffered from, or who are exposed to domestic abuse. The charity aims to offer protection for survivors and their families; work towards the prevention of domestic abuse; and undo the harm caused by it.

Funding was awarded for the continuation of two programmes run by the charity – ‘Womens’ Freedom’ and ‘Recovery.’ Both are vital and successful community groups for women in Surrey who have/or are experiencing domestic violence. These programmes empower women to keep themselves and their children safe and help them to build a new life free from domestic abuse.

Looking Ahead – £1,500

Looking Ahead runs classes in Addlestone and Windlesham providing 36 x 2hr weekly sessions across 3 terms, where any adult living with sight loss can learn new communication skills such as Braille, touch typing, specialist IT systems on laptops, tablets and smartphones.

This grant allowed for the continuation of communication classes for people with visual impairment. These classes have a number of benefits for attendees; increasing education and skills, helping to improve health and wellbeing, tackling disadvantage and exclusion and reducing isolation.

Peaslake Village Community Fund

The Peaslake Village Community Fund is a charitable fund specifically for the benefit of Peaslake and its residents established with a capital sum from a bequest to the Peaslake Community Council by Miss Jean Brodie.

The Fund enables people who love Peaslake to donate money for the exclusive benefit of the town and its people. With your help we can help build a stronger community by supporting local causes that can make impact and that will empower Peaslake to help itself now and in the future.

Each year the fund awards a grant to support a Christmas lunch for the elderly of the village of Peaslake, known as the Jean Brodie Memorial Lunch.

Why Support the Peaslake Community Fund?

As a village our needs are very specific, and local people are often faced with reduced access to facilities and funding. Our dedicated panel of local residents award grants to:

Help older or disadvantaged residents combat isolation and stay happy, healthy and included
Increase facilities, training, skills and experience for young people
Support village activities, services and community focal points such as the Village Hall
Fund projects that improve and preserve the village heritage, culture and environment

Download the Peaslake Small Grants Form here, to apply for a grant up to the value of £2,000.

For grant applications over the value of £2,000, Express your Interest here.

If you’re interested in leaving a legacy to Peaslake, further information can be found here.

The Lower Green Neighborhood Fund

The Lower Green Neighborhood Fund supports local community and voluntary groups who are making a difference to the quality of local community life by awarding grants to fund their work. The Fund supports voluntary effort, not just for a single cause, but across all sectors including; isolated older people, those affected by long term illness and disability, young people and families living in poverty and disadvantage.

Lower Green is situated in Elmbridge, one of Surrey’s most affluent and sought after areas. Amidst this wealth, there are pockets of disadvantage in the borough where groups and communities are quite simply overlooked. The overall wealth of Elmbridge often masks these, but there are many shocking statistics about social or geographical areas of deprivation and need, and because they are hidden, they are often much harder to address.

The Fund makes it easy for local residents to support the breadth of needs in Lower Green by providing a sustainable source of funding to support evolving community needs and issues as they arise.

Horley Edmonds Community Fund

The Horley Edmonds Community Fund is a charitable fund specifically for the benefit of Horley and its residents established with a capital sum from a bequest to Horley Town Council by the late Cyril Edmonds, a well-known builder who lived in Norwood Hill.

The Fund enables people who love Horley to donate money for the exclusive benefit of the town and its people. With your help we can help build a stronger community by supporting local causes that can make impact and that will empower Horley to help itself now and in the future.

Local charities and community groups are encouraged to apply for a small grant from the fund using the Community Foundation for Surrey’s application form here!

If you have any questions not answered here please contact

Joan Walsh, Town Clerk, Horley Town Council

town.clerk@horleytown.com

Or contact the Community Foundation directly.

Example grants from the fund:

Active Prospects – £300

Active Prospects (AP) supports people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, acquired brain injury, and those with complex needs. AP has been established for over 25 years and was initially set up to manage former NHS Learning Disability services.

Funding was awarded for a Future Prospects Employability Programme to benefit people with learning disabilities. Active Prospects opened a Charity Shop in 2017 with the purpose to provide supported volunteer opportunities for people supported by the organisation (and others) to gain the skills they need to progress to paid work. Job Coaches, managers, staff and community volunteers each brought a different skill set and helped each volunteer in their journey to undertake paid work.

The Lucy Rayner Foundation – £500

The Lucy Rayner Foundation (LRF) was set up by the family of Lucy Rayner, who committed suicide at the age of 22. The aims of the Foundation are to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of depression in young adults; facilitate change in the way mental health is perceived by society and to provide emotional support and education for young adults with mental health issues and their families.

Funding was awarded for workshops and delivered in secondary schools across East Surrey to offer either stand alone or short courses of workshops informing and educating children about mental health, emotional well-being and resilience. Workshops covering important and relevant themes including self confidence, bullying, anxiety and stress, depression, self harming, anger and eating disorders were also implemented with the grant.

Haslemere Challice Community Fund

26th April 2016

The Haslemere Challice Community Fund is a fund specifically for the benefit of residents of Haslemere and the surrounding villages. The fund was established in partnership with the Challice Trust, originally established from a bequest made to the Haslemere community by Mrs Ruth Challice Bush in 1962. By working together we offer a fund that enables and encourages local giving so that we can develop a greater capacity to respond to local needs.

Since establishing the Fund has built an endowment of over £1million to support Haslemere and its residents. We have awarded over £363,000 in grants to a wide range of local charities and community organisations.

Why support the Haslemere Challice Community Fund?

As a town our needs are very specific, and local people are often faced with reduced access to facilities and funding. Our dedicated panel of local residents award grants to:

Help older or disadvantaged residents combat isolation and stay happy, healthy and included
Increase facilities, training, skills and experience for young people
Support local activities, services and community focal points
Fund projects that improve and preserve the village heritage, culture and environment

Examples of funded projects:

Three Counties Money Advice service – £2,000

To support individuals and families at a time of economic crisis. 3 Counties Money Advice (3CMA) operates out of Haslemere Community Centre and offers FREE debt and benefit advice to anyone who calls in or makes an appointment. They have 70+ families from Haslemere and district who they support or advise.

Haslemere Festival Jubilee Event – £2,000

Funding to support the Jubilee Bonfire, Fireworks and Tea over the Jubilee weekend in 2022.

Cancer Testing South – £2,000

Free events at the Haslemere Comrades centre offering testing for men between 40 and 80 years of age for prostate cancer.

Download a copy of the 2016 Annual Fund Report for the Haslemere Challice Community Fund here.

Hambledon Community Fund

The Hambledon Community Fund encourages local giving to develop a greater capacity to respond to village needs. The Fund enables people who love Hambledon to donate money for the exclusive benefit of the village and its people. With your help we can help build a stronger community by supporting local causes that can make impact and that will empower Hambledon to help itself now and in the future.

Why Support the Hambledon Community Fund?

As a village our needs are very specific, and local people are often faced with reduced access to facilities and funding. Our dedicated panel of local residents award grants to:

Help older or disadvantaged residents combat isolation and stay happy, healthy and included
Increase facilities, training, skills and experience for young people
Support village activities, services and community focal points
Fund projects that improve and preserve the village heritage, culture and environment

How is the fund helping the Hambledon Community?

Since its inception in 2008, the Hambledon Community Fund has awarded 37 grants worth £43,321 to most of the village organisations and to some individuals.

This includes 4 grants in the last 12 months to the Football Club for ground irrigation, the Nursery School towards an outdoor classroom, the Cricket Club for clubhouse LED lighting and the Village Hall towards new double-glazed windows.

The projects that grants have contributed to are summarised below:

Hambledon Village Shop – kitchen refurbishment, benches for picnic area
Almshouses – extension and refurbishment of the houses
Hambledon Cricket Club – maintenance of club grounds including new boundary posts, creosote, movable safety nets, clubhouse lighting improvements
St. Peter’s Church – purchase and installation of a hearing loop and other audio-visual equipment
Hambledon Football Club – new changing rooms, mower, ground improvements, pitch irrigation
Hambledon Nursery School – new outdoor classroom, equipment and development of pond garden area
Hambledon Festival Committee – PA system for use in village events
Hambledon Village Hall – two storage heaters, new stage curtains, replacement windows

In addition to the above, a defibrillator was organised by the Parish Council, The Hambledon Village Trust built a toilet block behind the shop and the Hambledon Heritage Society installed a viewpoint map plinth on Hambledon Common.

Download the Area Fund Grant Application Form to apply for a grant up to the value of £2,000. Once you have completed this form, please send to the HCF Chair by email at hambledoncommunityfund@gmail.com for consideration by the HCF panel.

For grant applications over the value of £2,000, Express your Interest here.

If you’re interested in leaving a legacy to Hambledon, further information can be found here.

Guildford Philanthropy

Guildford Philanthropy’s aim is to help reduce social inequality across our Borough and ensure nobody is left behind.

Guildford Philanthropy was launched in 2014 by Guildford Borough Council and the Community Foundation of Surrey to inspire local philanthropy and create a permanent source of capital to support and benefit the local community. Helping disadvantaged and vulnerable people develop their work skills and confidence.

Celebrating our 10th anniversary in 2024, we can look back on a decade of raising awareness and bringing our community together. Thanks to donations from local residents and businesses, we have built an endowment fund of over £900,000. The investment proceeds of which will provide funds to award grants every year going forward in perpetuity. In addition, we have to date awarded over £400,000 of grants to local charities, social enterprises and other voluntary organisations. As well as providing mentoring support, connections to other funding sources and the bringing together of 34 businesses as our Corporate Ambassadors to network and support those most in need on their doorstep.

Guildford Philanthropy is powered solely by volunteers who kindly give their time and expertise, and apart from a small admin fee to the Community Foundation of Surrey, all donations go to support good causes. We are very grateful to Guildford Borough Council, who have for several years provided match-funding support so that all donations are increased by 50%, boosting the help we can provide to our local community.

We endeavour to raise awareness and encourage local members of our community. To help us support projects that deliver training opportunities, work experience, jobs and other benefits to local people who need help – whether due to poor education, disability or mental illness. We aim to build confidence and self-esteem by facilitating access to a working environment and encouraging the development of new skills, thus enabling those most in need to improve their lives.

We also help local charities and community and voluntary organisations to become more sustainable and enhance their ability to tackle needs across our community.

You can visit the Guildford Philanthropy website here for further information: guildfordphilanthropy.org.uk/

Match Funding

Guildford Philanthropy gives everyone the chance to support their local community. To encourage potential philanthropists, Guildford Borough Council will match fund every £1 of private donations with a further 50p. If you are a UK tax payer your donation may also be eligible for Gift Aid, helping your donation go even further!

Donation

£1,000

Match Funding: £500

Total gift

£1,750

Gift Aid: £250

Epsom & Ewell Community Fund

We urgently need more donations to support our local voluntary organisations in Epsom & Ewell

The Fund enables and encourages local giving to support local communities to develop and thrive by supporting voluntary effort, not just for a single cause, but across all sectors including;

Those affected by long term illness and disability
The environment
Sport and recreation
Young people
Isolated older people
Families
Community facilities

The Epsom & Ewell Community Fund makes it easy for companies and individuals to support the breadth of needs in the Epsom & Ewell Community by:

Exclusively supporting local community projects
Pooling donations from companies, individuals and families to make a bigger impact
Providing a sustainable source of funding to support the evolving community needs
Developing the capacity to respond to local issues as they arise

“This is a Fund for local people run by local people, where those who care about Epsom & Ewell can either donate now, or leave a legacy in the future.”

Chris Frost, Chair

Recent charities we have supported:

The Sunnybank Trust

This charity supports adults with learning disabilities in the North East Surrey area to live without prejudice and have confidence, opportunities and control over their own lives. They celebrate our differences and believe that everyone in our community should be included, respected and treated as equal. Their Chief Executive, Dorothy Watson, said:

‘We are very grateful for the support of the Epsom & Ewell Community Fund. As a charity, the Sunnybank Trust supports adults with a learning disability to be valued and included in their community. Through the range of clubs, activities, advocacy and transition we ensure that all of our partners with a learning disability have a voice and is able to lead as fulfilling a life as everyone else. This wouldn’t be possible without the support of funders such as Epsom & Ewell Community Fund – thank you!’

Staff and partners of the Sunnybank Trust at one of their Coffee and Chat sessions

The Stoneleigh Job Club

The Stoneleigh Job Club has experienced coaches to help people who need advice and support in getting the skills and confidence to successfully find work. They can help people over 18 who are looking for their first job, returning to work after retirement or maternity leave, thinking of changing their job, starting up on their own or unemployed.

If you think you would benefit from coaching, you will find a caring supportive coach able to listen and provide positive advice and help.
They can be contacted by e-mail stoneleighjobclub@gmail.com or on 07941 231072. They are based in the Stoneleigh Community Library on Stoneleigh Broadway.

The Stoneleigh Job Club in action

Epsom Methodist Nursery

The following is an extract of an article that appears by kind permission of the Epsom & Ewell Times.

For nearly 25 years Epsom Methodist Nursery has been providing early years childcare in the heart of Epsom. Now the Nursery is entering an exciting new chapter in its history. As well as continuing to offer early years education for two to five year-olds the Nursery will become a Family Centre.

Following consultation with parents the Family Centre is planning to offer a broad range of activities and support including:

A bumps and babies group for new parents providing ante-natal and post-natal support.
Support groups for parents and carers of toddlers and young children.
Courses and classes covering areas such as potty training, coping with challenging behaviours and family budgeting.
Support for speech and language development.
An affordable after-school club.
A summer lunch club.

The move to becoming a Family Centre has been made possible by a grant award from the Community Foundation for Surrey (CFS). CFS has arranged for the Netherby Trust and the Epsom and Ewell Community Fund to provide £12,450 which will match a contribution from Epsom Methodist Church. This money will help fund both the employment of a Family Centre Manager for the next year alongside the various activities that are planned.

Commenting on the grant award Cara Golding, the manager of Epsom Methodist Church Nursery, said:

We are delighted to have secured this funding from the Community Foundation for Surrey. Our work with families at Epsom Methodist Nursery has shown us how committed parents are to their children and families and how keen they are to pick up ideas that will help them with the everyday and sometimes complex challenges that parenting can bring. Local agencies and public services are under pressure and services have been cut back. So the more we can do to provide practical help to parents and give children the best start in life the better. That is our mission.

Epsom Male Voice Choir have been entertaining audiences for over 40 years and have a reputation for donating to local causes. This year the chairman’s charity is the Epsom and Ewell Community Fund and the choir hope not only to raise donations but also to heighten awareness of the EECF’s great work within the community.

Company support

We are grateful for the support the Fund received from Peacock & Co., solicitors, during 2023. We would welcome similar support from other companies.

Fundraising opportunity with Riviera Travel

Epsom & Ewell Community Fund is now able to benefit from a fundraising partnership with Riviera Travel. Each time a holiday is booked with Riviera Travel, provided that the customer mentions the Epsom & Ewell Community Fund at the point of booking, our fund will receive 10% of the total value of the booking as a donation from Riviera.

The offer is valid every time people mention Epsom & Ewell Community Fund when they book, every time they travel, on all passengers on their booking, whether alone or as a group, whether a short break or a river cruise, a long-haul adventure or a European tour – they all count, every time.

Click here to find out more and visit Riviera Travel.