Thomas Trust Fund

27th April 2016

The former Trustees of the Thomas Trust transferred the Trust’s capital to create a bespoke Community Foundation Fund in 2014 and continue to award grants to care for elderly, disabled and blind people in the Godalming area.

Betty Thomas was a forthright lady and very determined that the Trust she intended to set up should be run professionally and fully exercise her wishes and stipulations. Her concerns for the elderly, blind and disabled demonstrated her kindness and desire to assist on a long term basis.

The previous Trustees of the Thomas Trust are most encouraged at the enhanced awareness and profile brought to the charitable aspirations of Betty Thomas through having the privilege of being part of a larger and prestigious organisation in the Community Foundation for Surrey

Dr Chris Jagger MBE

Thomas Trust Fund Panel Member

Example grants from the fund:

Bright Shadow – £1,800

Bright Shadow is a charity working to enable people living with dementia and those affected by it to live well and to thrive through creative and meaningful activities.

This grant supported the charity’s interactive performance ‘Zest’ workshops that use tried and tested methodology using story-making, movement, song, imagination and sensory stimuli to engage people in fun and meaningful activity to stimulate social interaction and facilitate community building within people with dementia. This funding allowed for the workshops to be set up and implemented in both Woking and Godalming for one year.

The Clockhouse – £3,000

The Clockhouse provides a safe, secure and stimulating environment for the over 60s living in Milford and the surrounding villages to meet. Attendees experience a full range of fun and engaging activities, as well as support throughout the sessions, while carers receive respite from their caring role.

This grant provided funding for the groups ‘Exercise and Balance Awareness Sessions’ to help support the fees for a qualified teacher to run the programme to the local group three days a week. Exercise sessions are invaluable for those who have been discharged from hospital after falls and illness and greatly improve balance and confidence. This grant helped build confidence in participants in the ability of getting out and about safely, prolonging independent living, as well as general exercise improving well being, stamina and mobility.

The Peter Harrison Foundation Community Fund

The Peter Harrison Foundation was founded in 1999. The following year, Peter Harrison completed a Deed of Gift under which he and his family gave the Foundation a capital endowment, to which the Harrison family made a further contribution to in 2010. The Foundation aims to maintain the value of this capital while distributing annual income of approximately £2.2 million for charitable purposes. In fact, over the past 16 years the Foundation has made 981 grants to 566 charities, totaling over £37 million.

By working with the Community Foundation for Surrey, this national Foundation benefits from the Community Foundation’s local knowledge.

The Peter Harrison Foundation Community Fund is a ‘small grants fund’ to support local community and voluntary groups. The Fund will focus on those areas of need that the Peter Harrison Foundation supports including children and young people with disabilities, helping disabled and disadvantaged young people through sport and providing education to disadvantaged young people.

Example grants from the fund:

Kinetic Foundation – £5,000

Kinetic Croydon are a football charity that aim to provide high quality sports coaching and educational programmes to disadvantaged young people across the London boroughs. The charity’s main goal is to encourage the development of young peoples skills, employability and aspirations for their futures, who are in, or at risk of falling in to the NEET category and/or at risk of participating in anti-social behaviour.

This funding allowed for free weekly football sessions to take place, specifically aimed at disadvantaged primary school children from the Tandridge area. This grant provided the Soccer Schools facility hire, coaching staff time, equipment costs, as well as marketing costs of promoting the project.

GASP Motor Project – £5,000

GASP Motor Project helps young people aged between 14 and 19 years who are living in Surrey and the surrounding area learn basic motor mechanics and practical engineering skills.

This grant supported the ongoing development of the GASP. Students who attend the group are typically those who are not engaging, or not able to engage, in a classroom environment. GASP provides a less formal learning environment away from the stress of the classroom. With a maximum group size of six students, and with two instructors, the students benefit from personal attention in a calm environment. The emphasis is on the development of personal skills such as: listening, communication, teamwork, resilience and in particular, confidence. All of these attributes stand them in good stead on their return to school, and later in life.

The Pargiter Trust Fund

The Pargiter Trust, a national family charitable trust established to support disadvantaged older people to be independent, healthy and socially included works in partnership with the Community Foundation for Surrey to deliver their Surrey grassroots grants programme.

The Honourable Isobel Cooper-Heyman founded the Pargiter Trust in 2005 to support older people. Isobel was a Trustee of The National Benevolent Fund for The Aged (NBFA) for a number of years and was a passionate campaigner, ensuring older people have the support they need to maintain independence and live healthy, happy lives. She founded the Pargiter Trust to continue her work alleviating social isolation and stress wherever possible for older people living in England and the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Pargiter comes from Isobel’s maiden name, the only daughter of Baron George Albert Pargiter, CBE and Dorothy Maude. Since Isobel’s death in 2009 her cousin, Suzanne Gardiner, has taken up role as Chair.

Through its mission to support disadvantaged older people to be independent, healthy and socially included, the Pargiter Trust is focused on grant making and support for innovation. The trustees work closely with Community Foundations and Charities, to support grassroots projects whose objects are compatible with the Trust’s mission; to benefit those disadvantaged and over the age of 65 to be independent, healthy and socially included.

We chose the Community Foundation for Surrey because they were local, offered us the opportunity to stay involved in the giving process and visit the projects we supported.

Sue Gardiner – Chair, Pargiter Trust

Example grants from the fund:

Music in Hospitals – £1,500

Music in Hospitals aims to bring joy through the therapeutic delivery of high quality live music to benefit the public by delivering music concerts across the UK, in order to raise the spirits, reduce distress and suffering, and to bring pleasure to sick and vulnerable adults, children and their families.

This funding supported the charity’s ’18 Concerts across Surrey’ project that benefited elderly people in healthcare facilities with the objective to enhance memory, improve communication, express feelings and assist with rehabilitation of elderly people who may be living with dementia.

Tea and Chat – £5,000

Tea and Chat (Making Connections) sessions provide a place for socially isolated older people to meet and experience companionship, socialisation and engaging activities, or to accompany a partner or friend with dementia as a carer. Carers can also join in with activities, and can gain confidence and a sense of wellbeing by re-joining their community after a bereavement.

This funding supported the continuation of project and helped reduce loneliness and social isolation amongst older people across Tandridge.