Shropshire Star

Oswestry charity celebrates share of £1million fund

Derwen College has received a £10,000 funding boost as part of Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards, which supports young adults with special educational needs and disabilities.

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File photo of cash provided by Movement for Good
File photo of cash provided by Movement for Good

For the sixth year running, Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards is giving away over £1 million to charities across the year. 

Derwen College, based near Oswestry, is a specialist college for young adults with special educational needs and disabilities.

The £10,000 donation, made as part of the Movement for Good Awards, will support the charity’s Nurture programme which has been developed for students with complex or profound and multiple learning disabilities. 

The programme is highly personalised for each student with education and training based around communication, social interaction, independence and wellbeing. 

The programme aims to maximise skills for the students’ adult lives, including moving into supported living, and increased community participation in social mobility.

Bev Simmonds, Nurture programme lead at Derwen College, said: “We are so thrilled for the expansion of Nurture to be going ahead, knowing we will be able to broaden the range of students we can support in a personal and individual way. 

"The expansion to Nurture offers us a dynamic teaching space where students can develop their communication, social and independence skills.”

Further winners will be revealed later in the year and residents across Shropshire are encouraged to keep nominating causes they care about by visiting the website.

Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive at Benefact Group, said: “We would like to thank every single person who took the time to nominate a good cause as part of our Movement for Good Awards. 

"Benefact Group is a family of award-winning specialist financial services companies and the third largest corporate donor to charity in the UK. 

"Owned by a charity ourselves, charitable giving is at the heart of what we do. 

"All of our available profits go to good causes and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give. 

"“We are delighted to be able to donate over £1million to good causes each year through our Movement for Good Awards and are grateful to all our supporters, including the customers of the trusted insurer, Ecclesiastical, and the responsible and sustainable asset manager, EdenTree. 

"We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”

Benefact Group has donated over £200 million to charitable causes since 2014 and last year was recognised as the third biggest corporate giver in the UK1. 

The organisation aims to reach £250 million in donations by 2025.

Movement for Good is funded by EIO plc, part of the Benefact Group.

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