Six local charities to pitch for up to £100,000

Six local charities will have the opportunity to receive up to £100,000 from Greenham Trust at this year's Pitch to the Panel event in Newbury. The six finalists were shortlisted from 22 applicants this year, the most applications that the annual event has received to date. They will each have a chance to pitch their projects to a live audience and a panel of judges at an event on 8 May 2019.   Local charity finalists The finalists this year are: Age Concern Newbury & District The charity is hoping to extend the contract of its Community Outreach Worker and lease a new minibus, which together with cost £112,151. The minibus will increase the number of people they collect and drop home each day, enabling isolated people to be reached. Josie Reed, chair of Age Concern Newbury and District explained: “The timing was perfect, we had just decided to ‘extend our reach’ and start fundraising to acquire a new minibus and increase our networking capabilities, when along comes Pitch to the Panel. We are thrilled to have been shortlisted, it is a real boost to morale.” Breakthrough Learning Breakthrough Learning is seeking £142,654 to pay for the rental of a building, allowing staff to have 1:1 intervention with larger numbers of children with special needs, parents and school staff. The funding will also help to run training sessions to equip children and their support networks with effective learning strategies.  Vanessa Nichols, Co-founder of Breakthrough Learning said: “Pitch to the Panel is an inspiring event and we’re looking forward to seeing local residents, fellow charity workers, local businesses and of course, the Dragons!” Friends of Castle School Friends of Castle School is requesting £56,742 to build an all-weather outdoor sports track for children with complex learning difficulties. The track will provide a safe space for children to learn new skills and increase their fitness and wellbeing. West Berkshire League of Friends West Berkshire League of Friends is pitching for £57,853 for a new portable liver scanner for the Community Hospital. West Berkshire’s Domestic Abuse Service Also pitching are West Berkshire’s Domestic Abuse Service, requiring £39,413 to implement a helpline access service located in West Berkshire. The helpline will enable more victims to be reached and will provide access to specialist support. Home-Start West Berkshire Home-Start West Berkshire is fundraising for £133,571 for its Resilient Families incentive that supports families at risk of the early stages of inattention and neglect.      Greenham Trust Greenham Trust Ltd was founded in 1997 to purchase the former Greenham Common Airbase, and to create and manage the new 150-acre Greenham Business Park. The Trust’s principal objective is to use income from commercial property to provide charitable funding for the benefit of the local communities in West Berkshire and North Hampshire. To date the Trust has supported over 1,000 local organisations, donating over £40 million in 21 years. Groups seeking funding can apply online at The Good Exchange. Public vote online Members of the public will be given the power to vote online for their favourite project between 4 April and 6 May 2019, before supporters come together at the Corn Exchange, Newbury to find out whether the funds will be distributed across the six projects or one winner takes it all. For each vote registered Greenham Trust will make a £1 donation to the project chosen up to an overall maximum of £5,000.   Panel of judges This year's judges are: • Roland Gardner, chief executive, Newbury Building Society; • Dr Abid Irfan, Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group chair and locality lead (Newbury and District); • Gerry Lejeune, chief executive, Berkshire Community Foundation • Jayne Woodley, chief executive, Oxfordshire Community Foundation. Chris Boulton, chief executive for Greenham Trust said: “Pitch to the Panel gives the public the opportunity to participate in helping a local good cause achieve its goals and aspirations for helping others. The event is a perfect way for businesses, charities and the community to come together to acknowledge and appreciate the amazing projects achieved in our area." Tickets to the Pitch to the Panel event are free and can be booked online or by visiting The Corn Exchange in Newbury.    

from UK Fundraising https://ift.tt/2FYi0qB