Cash for Your Community 2017: Good causes get £20,000 boost - with video
A charity which helps provides life-changing therapy for children with cerebral palsy and other movement-related conditions, is £5,000 better off thanks to this year's Cash For Your Community giveaway.
The Shropshire Star has once more teamed up with Enterprise Flex-E-Rent to dish out £20,000 to good causes across Shropshire and mid Wales, with a total of 46 groups getting a slice of the money.
Groups ranged from Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes to Guide Dogs for the Blind, with many groups taking part for the first time this year. The money was allocated according to which groups could collect the most tokens that had been printed in the Shropshire Star.
The biggest winner was The Movement Centre, based at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital near Oswestry.
The centre, which treats children with cerebral palsy and other movement conditions, received £5,000 – the biggest amount received by a single organisation since Cash For Your Community was launched in 2015.
In second place was Wellington Cottage Care Trust, which runs a day-care centre in the former Wellington Cottage Care Hospital.
The charity, which had topped the table for the previous two years, received £2,000.
Willey Cricket Club, which came third, received £1,000 which will be used to pay for coaching its youngsters.
In fourth place was Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes, a team of volunteers who deliver blood and other emergency medical supplies to hospitals by motorcycle.
"We're delighted to have come fourth, said corporate fundraiser Lynne Stone. "We came eighth last year, so we have done really well." She said some of the £653 would be used to pay for screens and projectors which would be used for presentations explaining organisation's work.
The cheques were presented by Shropshire Star circulation director Dean Barber, and Danny Glynn, managing director of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent.
Telford & Wrekin Parkinson's Support Group received £605.57, and group leader Alan West said it would be used to provide life-changing therapy.
"One of our members had some speech therapy, and she said afterwards 'I can now have a conversation with my grandchild, which I couldn't before'," said Mr West.
The Harry Johnson Trust, which provides treats and support for children with cancer, received £596.15. The cheque was collected by Stephen Johnson, who with wife Sarah set up the charity in memory of their son Harry who died at the age of seven in 2014. It is the third time the charity has taken part in the scheme, and Mr Johnson said the money would make a real difference to its work.
Families in Telford received £520.80, which provides help for young children and their parents in the Sutton Hill and Woodside areas of the town.
Dr Raja Bandak said the group did important work in a deprived area, and would use the money on things such as trips to the seaside for youngsters who would not otherwise get the opportunity to enjoy such treats.
The 1st Shrewsbury Scout Group took £443.08. Chairman Jo Jones said the group's hut was in urgent need of replacement, and the money would be a tremendous help towards raising the money for a new building.
"We have got over 100 youngsters, and they were all collecting the tokens, they really enjoyed it," she added.
Flt Sgt Aaron Dad, of 1119 Shrewsbury ATC Air Cadets, said he was delighted to receive £543.30 from the fund, which will go towards a flight simulator for the group.
"It is a project we have been looking at for some time, and it will go a long way towards securing that," he said.
Flt Sgt Dad said collecting the tokens had been extremely hard work, but the youngsters had also enjoyed it.
"We gave them a project to get out to their friends and families, and they really did that. We're really pleased to have done so well at the first attempt."
The Friendly Transport Service, which provides a community bus service in Broseley and Much Wenlock, received £382. Chief executive Marie Monk-Hawksworth paid tribute to the community for collecting so many tokens.
Mrs Monk-Hawksworth said the charity was running a project to encourage active lifestyles by taking people to Much Wenlock Leisure Centre. The money would allow the scheme to run for an extra six months, she added.
Tom Macdonald of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent said he was delighted the company had joined forces with the Shropshire Star for the third year running.
"Being able to support people in the community is central to the whole ethos of the company," he said.
Mr Macdonald said he had been hugely impressed of the work that was done by some of the groups which often did not get the same publicity as the large charities.
"Some of these charities are not so well known, yet Cash For Your Community has shown the huge amount of support there is out there for the work that they do," he said.
"It has been a privilege to be able to help them."
The Winners
The Movement Foundation - £5,000
This charity, based on the site of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital near Oswestry, does vital work with children suffering from cerebral palsy and other movement-related conditions.
Unfortunately the centre's treatment programme is not eligible for NHS funding, so the charity has to raise its own funds.
The money will be used to fund equipment used in therapy for children who have a disability which affects their movement control.
Wellington Cottage Care Trust - £2,000
This is a nurse-led day-care centre in the former Wellington Cottage Care Hospital, which has been fully refurbished and modernised.
Catering for vulnerable adults with disabilities or special nursing-care needs, the charity provides a range of activities and entertainment, as well as meals and drinks in a safe, pleasant environment. The trust would use a slice of the fund to help pay for a washer/steriliser, complete with associated racking, which will cost approximately £4,500.
Willey Cricket Club - £1,000
This small, traditional cricket club in a village on the outskirts of Broseley celebrated its 125th anniversary last year.
It fields two teams in the Shropshire Cricket League, as well as a Sunday team playing friendlies.
The club has a core of stalwart volunteers who regularly turn out to maintain the ground at Barrow, between Broseley and Much Wenlock.
The money will allow the club to enrol youngsters on a junior coaching set up it was introducing for children aged five to 13.
Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes - £653
This charity helps save the lives of people by delivering urgent medical samples, including blood, platelets and frozen breast milk between hospitals and pathology labs on motorbikes.
The charity was formed three years ago and is 100 per cent staffed by volunteers. It receives no funding from the NHS.
Telford & Wrekin Parkinson's Support Group - £605.57
This group, which meets at Ketley Community Centre on the last Tuesday of every month, offers friendship and support for anyone in the borough.
Each meeting has a speaker which alternates between subjects relating to the disease and wider issues.
The Harry Johnson Trust - £596.15
This charity, which provides support for children and teenagers being treated for cancer, was formed in memory of seven-year-old Harry Johnson, who died from the illness in 2014.
The charity helps children who receive care from the oncology unit at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, serving the whole of Shropshire and parts of mid-Wales.
The trust provides everyday essentials for use in hospital, including fleece pillowcases, toys, vouchers and days out.
Sports and Arts in the Community (Sparc) - £575.28
The charity was formed six months ago to support the Sparc leisure centre in Bishop's Castle, which is threatened with closure.
So far it has raised £60,000, but trustee Ruth Houghton said it would need to find much more to ensure the future survival of the centre.
Little Rascals Foundation - £548.21
This charity was set up by the directors of the Little Rascals play centre to support children with disabilities.
Trustee Kim Wootton said the aim was to ensure that children felt accepted, included and appreciated.
The foundation plans to use the money to provide a travelling service, where sensory and soft-play equipment is taken out to children in their own homes or communities.
1119 (Shrewsbury) ATC Air Cadets - £543.30
This air cadets group encourages young people to take a practical interest in aviation and the RAF, providing training that is useful for both civilian and service life.
At the moment the group is trying to raise money to create a mobile flight simulator within a trailer which can give people a taste of what it is like to fly a plane.
Climbing Out - £527.85
Climbing out is a charity that rebuilds the lives of young adults who have suffered life-changing illnesses by organising outdoor activity programmes for groups of 16.
It was founded by Kelda Wood from Aston Pigott, who suffered an awful compression injury when a bale of hay fell on her. She went on to make her name as a canoeist, training with Team GB's paracanoe team for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, and has made it her work to help others overcome similar obstacles.
The charity runs several five-day courses in areas such as the Lake District. Organiser Lucy Anderson-Edwards, who has herself twice battled cancer, said the funds would help support these activities, helping members to stay in touch and become more active.
Families in Telford - £520.80
This group runs activities for families with children under five, allowing them to make friends, take part in discussions and improve their education.
Operating groups on the Sutton Hill and Woodside estates, it has a programme for children. The group also holds four-week family programme during the summer holidays.
Severn Hospice - £486.73
The hospice cares for about 2,100 patients with incurable illnesses, as well as providing support for their families and loved ones.
Covering Shropshire and mid-Wales, it serves one of the largest catchment areas for a UK hospice. The hospice wants to buy rising-recliner chairs to aid patient comfort and mobility, and specialist cushions to prevent pressure sores.
1st Shrewsbury Scouts - £443.08
This is one of the oldest scout groups in Shrewsbury, with about 100 members aged from six to 16.
It needs money to build a new hut, to replace the existing building which is in a poor state of repair.
Wellington Amateurs FC - £441.39
This club fields 10 football teams for different age groups, ranging from seven years at one end of the scale, to open adults at the other.
But Wellington Amateurs hopes that a slice of the dream fund will allow the club to add an extra team so that the current batch of under 16 year old players will be able to go on and play at the under-18 level when they are a little bit older.
The Friendly Transport Service - £382.00
The Friendly Transport Service provides a lifeline to many people in and around Broseley who would not be able to get out and about were it not for the work of its volunteers.
The charity provides door-to-door transport for those who do not have their own means of getting from one place to another.
It uses both cars and minibuses, ensuring that wheelchair users can also benefit from the service.
Monkmoor Scout Group - £380.53
The group was formed in 1980 with the merger of two other scout groups in the Monkmoor area of Shrewsbury.
It has 100 members, boys and girls, aged between six and 14, and is looking for funds to help with essential refurbishments at its headquarters, including a new floor and doors for the building.
Shrewsbury Hockey Club - £377.49
The past three years have seen Shrewsbury Hockey Club’s junior section grow to cater for about 100 children aged between four and 14, offering coaching sessions on Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings.
The sessions are open to boys and girls of all abilities, and the club’s junior teams have taken part in county tournaments, as well as representing the county at Midlands regional level.
The club is looking to purchase new hockey equipment, including portable goals, which will replace the football goals which are used at the moment.
It is also wants to buy new sticks, balls and goalkeeping equipment.
The Little Theatre Donnington - £377.09
This is a community amateur theatre society based in the Donnington area of Telford.
It performs five shows a year, and maintains a 254-seat theatre in an old army hut which was once part of the wartime COD Donnington complex.
The group has 60 members, both adults and children, and its plays are watched by 2,500 people each year.
Severn Centre Trust - £373.09
The trust runs a community centre in Highley, and is raising funds to restore its swimming pool.
General manager Chris Reeves said the pool had an expected lifespan of 30 years when it opened 47 years ago.
He said it required refurbishment to continue to be used by the community. Mr Reeves said the pool helped ensure residents had a healthier lifestyle in many ways.
Ludlow & District Riding for the Disabled - £330.56
This group provides riding and carriage-driving opportunities for disabled people in Ludlow and the surrounding area.
The organisation caters for 20 adults and 60 children who use its services on a regular basis, with a wide range of disabilities from social and behavioural problems to severe mental and physical impairment.
The sessions combine education, therapy, and fun to improve physical and mental wellbeing.
Shifnal and Albrighton Live at Home Scheme - £295.48
This charity supports older people who live at home by offering services, including trips, groups, befriending, meals and shopping.
The prize money will be used to set up a group for men, which would aim to tackle isolation and loneliness.
Hope House Children's Hospices - £260.96
Hope House provides vital care and support to children who are not expected to live into adulthood.
The charity, which runs a centre in Morda, near Oswestry, costs £6 million a year to run, with 80 per cent of that coming from fundraising and donations.
It also provides bereavement support to families, including parents and children who have suffered the death of someone close to them.
East Shropshire Talking Newspaper - £236.99
East Shropshire Talking Newspaper was formed in 1990 and provides recorded news bulletins each week for the blind and partially sighted in Telford and the surrounding area.
The broadcasts, which are made up of a digest of stories and features from the Shropshire Star, Shropshire Magazine, and the county's weekly newspapers, are recorded on a USB memory stick which is delivered to the listener. The charity also provides the listeners with USB players, which allow them to listen to the broadcasts.
Brownlow Community Centre Trust - £232.42
Brownlow Community Centre is based in a former junior school and is home to groups including a day nursery, a band, weightlifting group and line dancing club. It also hosts groups for special educational needs, drama and singing, as well as a sewing club.
The centre, in Claypit Road, Whitchurch, is raising funds to replace its old central heating boiler with a zoned heating system, which will be able to reach parts of the building which are without heating at the moment. The building was donated to the people of Whitchurch in 1982 by Lord Brownlow.
Shropshire Rural Communities Charity - £232.03
Shropshire Rural Communities Charity is committed to making the county a great place for everyone to live, no matter what challenges they face.
Chief executive Julia Baron said difficulties people in the county faced could include poor transport, lack of amenities, ill health, and hard-to-heat homes, as well as a lack of social contact.
The charity plans to use the money for its Wheels To Work scheme, which lends people pedal cycles or motor scooters to get to work.
Shrewsbury Guide Dogs Fundraising Group - £227.46
This is a passionate group of volunteers who raise funds to enable guide dogs to continue with their vital work.
The charity is made up of a mixture of blind, partially sighted and fully sighted people who come together to run events and collections.Guide Dogs
Stay - £221.20
Stay provides housing and support to homeless and vulnerable people across Telford.
As well as providing supported housing, it also has workers who visit people in need of help in their own home or other place of choice. The charity was formed 26 years ago, and now supports around 150 people at any one time, assisting them to develop and turn their lives around.
Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution Shropshire - £213.47
This charity provides financial and practical support to disadvantaged people from the farming community.
Last year the Shropshire branch of the charity spent £80,000 providing valuable support.
It helps retired and working farmers across the county, including their families and those no longer able to work due to ill health or injury.
The National Childbirth Trust Shrewsbury, Oswestry and surrounding areas - £190.80
A branch of the National Childbirth Trust, this charity supports Shropshire parents in the first 1,000 days from conception. It runs Bump & Babies groups, coffee meetings and walk-with-baby sessions. The group also provides packages of items including clothes, toiletries and toys to the parents of children who are in need.
Cuan Wildlife Rescue - £190.01
This charity rescues and rehabilitates sick and injured wildlife from all over Shropshire.
Last year it answered 10,000 phone calls about animals in distress, and more than 2,500 animals come through its hospital doors each year.
The money will be used to help the charity continue with this work, particularly in helping to pay for an expensive milk formula which is very important to the animals.
Shrewsbury Food Hub - £178.62
The Hub collects surplus food from supermarkets and then distributes it to charities and community groups across the Shrewsbury area.
Since it was formed in April last year, its team of 38 volunteers have delivered 21,000 meals to 32 hard-pressed community groups across the area, collecting food from eight different supermarkets.]
The money will help pay for volunteers’ costs, including food-safety training and fuel to make deliveries.
Newport Cottage Care Centre - £165.42
This day-care centre in Newport operates five days a week, and provides an important service to the elderly, disabled and people who do not require full nursing but do need some degree of care.
It also provides specialist dementia care for two days a week.
Friends of Montgomery Canal - £162.71
The group is committed to restoring the Montgomery Canal as part of a plan to connect mid-Wales to the national canal. It supports the canal with a programme of activities, principally the Montgomery Canal Triathlon which will take place on May 6 this year, bringing entrants from across the country to cycle, walk and canoe 35 miles of canal from Newtown to Welsh Frankton.
The restoration scheme is described as one of the country's largest waterway projects, with a very special heritage, both man-made and natural.
The MS Society Telford District Group - £157.36
The society runs monthly social meet-ups and exercise sessions, as well as two different weekly yoga groups and a gym session at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital.
Jigsaw Family Group - £109.59
This group supports 285 families across Shropshire who have children with neurological conditions that can cause social isolation, including autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Run by a group of experienced parents, the group aims to raise awareness of the issues surrounding the conditions, to improve services within health and education, and to reduce social isolation.
North Shrewsbury Friendly Neighbours - £108.01
This charity gives support and practical help to the people of north Shrewsbury and surrounding areas who may be in need through social isolation, poverty or old age.
It provides practical help and support with neighbourly tasks such as shopping, transport to the doctor or hospital appointments, befriending, dog-walking or errands. Friendly Neighbours also helps with the filling in of forms, emotional support, and is able to offer advice about help from other organisations.
1st Shifnal Scout Group - £88.32
The 1st Shifnal Scout Group was reformed by a group of parents six years ago, after being closed for many years. It now supports 150 children who attend every week.
The money wills go towards the building of an outdoor bushcraft shelter with a fire pit and solid floor.
Telford Gateway Club - £87.08
This is a club for adults with learning disabilities. Run entirely by volunteers, it holds weekly meetings providing fun and activities, including craft, bingo and meals out. They also play boccia, a game similar to bowls.
The club will put the money towards the cost of a short break in Llandudno for its members.
Shropshire Stags - £85.73
This rugby team caters for people both with and without disabilities.
The team was formed 18 months ago, and includes players with Asperger's, autism and Down's syndrome.
The Stags, who train at Telford College of Arts and Technology, are hoping to take a team of 30 players to the mixed ability World Cup in Spain in August.
Empathy for Special Children - £70.56
This charity works with children who have autism and other special needs, providing fun, safe, supported activities.
Empathy for Special Children runs regular activities for youngsters, as well as family friendship groups in Craven Arms, Telford and Oswestry.
Foodbank Plus - £57.64
Foodbank Plus delivers food parcels to people in crisis to help alleviate their immediate needs.
It also runs the 360 Journey to Work course which helps those struggling to find employment by improving their skills. The scheme has a 60 per cent success rate.
The organisation also provides debt advice and teaches basic gardening and healthy cooking skills, and all services are offered free of charge. Project leader Karen Williams said: "Foodbank Plus offers hope, recognising the value of each individual, helping clients make positive choices for their future.
Parkinson's Disease Society, Shrewsbury branch - £57.13
This charity wants to use the money to fund speech therapy for sufferers of Parkinson's disease in the Shrewsbury area. The society holds monthly meetings to give invaluable advice and support for sufferers of Parkinson's disease and their carers. Regular physiotherapy sessions are also provided.
Vision Homes Association - £55.10
This charity provides specialist support for adults with visual impairment and other conditions, allowing them to lead full, active lives.
South Shropshire Youth Forum - £51.72
South Shropshire Youth Forum runs services for young people, including regular youth clubs in Ludlow, Craven Arms, Church Stretton and Cleobury Mortimer.
It also works with projects that seek to give young people a voice, and helps them in their personal development, teaching them civic values.
Welshpool Community Transport - £51.32
This small charity provides transport support for vulnerable people within a 10-mile radius of Welshpool.
The scheme is run for the benefit of people who are elderly, disabled or otherwise disadvantaged, who have no car of their own.
It offers taxi tokens for them to visit doctors, hospitals or shops, as well as using volunteer drivers to help out.
Telford & Wrekin Foster Carers Association - £50.76
This charity is run by foster carers for foster carers, to support them in their role looking after vulnerable children in care.
Treasurer Lorraine Dixon said the money would be spent on specialist training for carers, behavioural therapy, day trips, and an annual Christmas party.
