Greenham Trust is delighted to announce that Age Concern Newbury & District who run the Fair Close Centre and Newbury Riding for the Disabled have each raised over £30,000 thanks to quintuple matched funding by Greenham Trust, as part of Greenham Trust’s 25th Anniversary £25k in a Day scheme.
Age Concern Newbury & District raised £5592 from donations made at a garden party, a raffle and on-line donations on the day. With £25,000 of matched funding from Greenham Trust through its on-line platform thegoodexchange.com, and £167 of gift aid, the total raised was £30,759. These funds are required to replace obsolete heating and hot water boilers with high efficiency condensing boilers at the Fair Close Centre. This equipment is urgently needed to maintain the effective running of the building and the essential Meals on Wheels service relied on by vulnerable elderly members of the community.
Over 80 participants took part in Newbury Riding for the Disabled’s 5km sponsored walk/run on Sunday 29 May. With donations still coming in, the latest total for sponsorship and donations with gift aid is a huge £12,006! With £25k of matched funding from Greenham Trust the total sum raised stands at £37,006. Special mention to Maeve and Abbie who completed laps of their garden, Seren who joined the 5k walk and Jemima who negotiated the whole course, including the ford, in her wheelchair. The funds raised will enable Newbury RDA to build an Outdoor Arena with an all-weather surface at their stables at Wyld Court in Hampstead Norreys. As well as the benefits of being outdoors in the fresh air, the new facility will provide a safer surface to ride on and enable riders to increase their range of experience and sense of achievement.
Chris Boulton said: “We are delighted to help these two worthy projects as part of our 25th anniversary initiative. Both organisations did exceedingly well to raise over £5000 on their nominated day in the current economic climate. The boilers for Age Concern will ensure the ongoing delivery of their services to the elderly population in West Berkshire for years to come and the arena at Newbury Riding for the Disabled will significantly enhance the facilities for a large number of disabled children.”
James Wilcox, Chief Executive of Age Concern, Newbury & District said: ““We are absolutely thrilled to unlock the £25,000 in matched funding and deeply grateful to Greenham Trust for this exceptional fundraising opportunity. This project is a top priority and the funds will enable us to proceed ASAP.”
Catherine Wilson, Secretary and Trustee for Newbury RDA said: “Newbury RDA is thrilled with the outcome of Sunday’s sponsored walk and run which raised an amazing £12,000. We would like to thank the Greenham Trust for match funding us with £25,000 all of which will go towards our Outdoor Arena project which will be a huge asset for the 70 weekly riders we have. We would also like to thank the generosity of Alan Rind for letting us use his land, Vicars Game and the Hampstead Norreys Community shop as well as all the riders and volunteers and other donors who joined us in our mission to raise the funds.”
Both applicants are still fundraising for the final balance of their projects and if you would like to help them reach their target please follow the links here: https://greenhamtrust.com/25kinaday
There is a further opportunity for charitable organisations to apply for three more Greenham Trust £25k in a Day events in the Autumn. The deadline for applications is Friday 15 July. Further details are available here: https://greenhamtrust.com/25kinaday .
