Case Studies

Recent grants awarded:

November 2011

Three local Sport groups in Stevenage received  £1,600 funding from the Trust, in partnership with Betfair and Sport Stevenage.  Stevenage Cricket Club and Austin Arrowheads were delighted, as they are now able to train up new Coaches enabling their clubs to grow in 2012 and beyond.  The Upfront Project received funding for a much needed football kit for the Club.

The Trust also spread a little festive cheer to some 400 local senior citizens by giving a grant of £1,000 to K Entertainers towards their annual parties at the Post Office Club in Stevenage.  These parties took place over 4 days and included free transport, a Christmas dinner and entertainment and a fine time was had by all.

Be Your Best Foundation was awarded £1,000 for the Stevenage Rock Challenge, a performing arts initiative that delivers positive healthy lifestyle messages to young people aged 7-18  years old in local schools and colleges within our Community.

The Stevenage Gujarati Hindu Association received £500 towards a cultural event for over 500 members; the Russian Language School also received £500 to help 65 children from the local Russian community experience a traditional New Year's celebration.

Others to benefit in this round of grant giving were The Secondary Breast Cancer Support Group; Stevenage & North Herts Child Contact Centre; Old Stevenage Community Association; Pitt Court and Stevenage Broadhall Town Women's Guild.

July 2011

The Trust was delighted to award Stevenage Volunteer Police Cadets £1,149 so they could take a well earned 3 day camping and team building trip.  The cadets work tirelessly in supporting local worthy causes and this grant will go some way towards helping them to recharge their batteries and thank them for all the hard work they do within the community.

Cancer Hair Care were awarded £1,850 towards the cost of kitting out their new hair clinic in Stevenage Old Town.  This new facility opens in September and will offer a very much needed free service to cancer patients.

St John Ambulance, The 71 Club, Hobbs Court Sheltered Housing, Stevenage Women's Refuge and the Stevenage CVS also received grants.

The Trust in partnership with Betfair Sports Programme also awarded Gobi Ranganathan £1,000 to enable him to compete in the World Para-badminton Championships in Guatemala later this year.

May 2011

Over 200 residents of Stevenage will benefit from our latest round of funding.  The presentation of cheques totalling just over £2,000 took place at the Hertford Road Community Centre.  Projects ranged from first aid courses for newborns and young mums, equipment for teenagers taking Duke of Edinburgh awards, an over 60's tea party and a veteran trip.

Beneficiaries were NCT North Herts, Walkern over 60's Club, RAF Association, Churches Together in Stevanage and Nobel School.

The cheques presented were just a proportion of the grants given out over the last 3 months. We have seen an increase in requests for emergency hardship grants, particularly in the provision of basic household goods for those getting back into society after a stay in Stevenage Haven or residential care.

February 2011

Five Community Groups were recently awarded grants by the Trust.  Paul Tutin, Chairman & Managing Partner of Streets Chartered Accountants, who became a Patron member of the Trust last year, presented the cheques at the Holiday Inn, St Georges Way.

Remap North Herts received £1,000 to design and manufacture equipment which is not commercially available, to help disabled people of all ages enjoy a better life style.

YMCA Central Herts received £550 to help equip their new Space Youth and Community Centre at the old 'Edward the Confessor' pub.  The centre, the third of its kind in the county, will provide a range of activities to meet the needs of the local community, an accessible, free, safe place, where young and old can meet.

The Stevenage Credit Union received £589 to purchase a new computer; Chells Community Association was awarded £300 for a new fridge for their centre and Southend Close & Albert Street Sheltered Housing were awarded £300 for entertainment for their residents.

November 2010

The Trust gave out almost £3,500 in November, helping to benefit individuals and groups within our community. 

Gobi Ranganathan was awarded £750 to compete in Tel Aviv at the Open International Disabled Badminton Tournament.  We are thrilled to report he achieved a silver medal in the men's doubles.

K Entertainers were award £1,000 to help towards the cost of providing 430 senior citizens with a Christmas meal and show at the Post Office Club, in Stevenage over consecutive 4 nights during November.  Pin Green Community Association, Crossroads Care Hertfordshire North and The Shephall Green Centre also received grants towards their Christmas activities.

We also sourced and purchased a laptop and printer for the Central Herts Bipolar Self-help Group.  This will help benefit the 30 members who meet once a month at The Friends Meeting House in Cutty's Lane for practical advice, useful information, guidance on how to manage mood swings, ideas for complimentary treatment and activities focussing on self help.

September 2010

Tracks received £2,000 to purchase new Management Software.  The system will allow the staff to run all their administrative work on-line, freeing up time for the teachers to spend working with the children.  The National Childbirth Trust received £550 towards vital infant first aid courses covering basic life support, accidents and illness.  Phoenix Rangers, a new Girl guiding group in Stevenage received £300.  They will buy equipment for the girls to enter the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme.

The Trust was delighted to work in conjunction with Cllr John Lloyd to match fund a grant of £2,000 for Barnwell Specific Learning Disabilities Base for much needed furniture - sofas, bean bags and floor cushions can now be purchased helping to create an area at the base of dyslexic students that is safe, friently and comfortable.

May 2010

Stevenage Live Music Cafe for 13 to 19 year olds based in Bowes Lyon on Saturday afternoons benefitted from our latest round of grant giving.  They received £850 to refurbish their drum kit and buy a new guitar, amplifiers and a D.I. box for young musicians and performers who do not have access to equipment of their own.  This will give them the opportunity to practice and gain experience through performing for their peers and other cafe uses.

Chells Community Association received £1,500 to fund new rubber matting urgently needed for their pre school play area which has up until now been unusable due to its uneven surface which continuously retains water making it unsafe for the 46 children who attend the pre school.

The Poplar Scout Group were awarded £500 to buy new flags & poles for the Beavers and Cubs.

Hertford Road Community Centre received  £400 to purchase a 3-seater picnic table with wheelchair access for people with disabilities.

February 2010 

RHG Corporate Insurance Brokers, a long standing member and supporter of the Trust, kindly agreed to host our Grant presentation at their offices in Argyle Way.  Paul Beasley Managing Director of RHG said "We are very pleased to support the trust in various ways since it was formed some 20 years ago.  We like the idea of supporting the local community and the Trust provides a very valuable source of funds for extremely deserving cases that do not get a lot of publicity.  Sometimes a grant may only be for a few hundred pounds but this can make a difference."

Paul presented cheques totalling £7,500.  Those benefiting from a cash injection were Stevenage Leisure Limited to pay for new children's equipment for summer activity days, the Stevenage World Forum to host a multicultural event in Stevenage town centre, the Stevenage Haven to purchase a new freezer, and the Stevenage Photographic Society which needed a new laptop.  Other groups to benefit included , Herts Area Rape Crisis, Stevenage Pioneers and the Renaissance Club.

    

Thank You

The Trust was delighted to work in conjunction with Cllr John Lloyd to match fund a grant of £2,000 for Barnwell Specific Learning Disabilities Base for much needed furniture.  Sofas, bean bags and floor cushions have now been purchased to create a chilled out area at the base for dyslexic students that is safe, friendly and comfortable, allowing them to relax and enjoy reading in.

North Herts Scooter Collective for donating £125.00 to the Trust.

Newly extended Tesco superstore on Broadwater Retail Park celebrated its re-launch on the 1st November with a £1,000 donation to the Trust.  We would like to thank Store Manager Sean Bryne and all the staff at Tesco for their support.