Community grant-giver celebrates 25 years
Rose Harland • Published 3 Oct 2010 08:30
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AN ORGANISATION supporting charities and community groups in Berkshire celebrated its 25th anniversary by handing out £25,000.
Berkshire Community Foundation held an anniversary celebration at the Coppid Beech Hotel, Binfield, on Monday, where a panel of judges decided to award the grant to anti-knife and drug outreach project Basian, based in Reading.
Shahid Farid, who co-founded Basian with Urfan Azad in 2005, said: “It’s amazing. It’s not something that we were expecting, especially with the competition and all the other good work.”
The project will use the money to fit out a van with games and other equipment to reach out to a wider area.
The event was held at the Coppid Beech Hotel courtesy of hotel owner and foundation supporter John Nike OBE.
Mr Nike was away and so not able to attend the evening but he said in a statement read by hotel general manager Andrew Oxley: “The foundation’s
professionalism and grant giving is essential in providing guidance and funding for deserving volunteer groups and
community organisations who generously give their valuable time towards helping Berkshire’s very needy.”
BBC Radio Berkshire breakfast show presenter Andrew Peach, who compered the evening, said: “We are moving into a period when the Berkshire Community Foundation is going to be more important than ever.”
Andrew Middleton, chief executive of the foundation, said it gave £562,000 to 285 groups last year and added: “We really want people to realise that there are some excellent groups out there. We are trying to champion their cause.”
More than 50 organisations applied for the funding and the final three were invited to the decision-making evening on Monday.
The judging panel was made up of the High Sheriff of Berkshire Lady Catherine Stevenson, Thames Valley Chief Constable Sara Thornton, the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire and president of the foundation, Mary Bayliss, Richard Griffiths-Jones chairman of the foundation, and Jane Wates OBE.
Lady Stevenson told the finalists: “You have all done a superb job.”
The two runner-up projects, which were each given £500 raised by the foundation’s staff, were the Britwell Youth and Community Project in Slough and East to West, which has been operating for 13 years and is based in Egham.
The Christian charity tries to help young people of any background to turn their lives around through its work with schools including Charters in Sunningdale, as well as running a supported lodgings scheme and providing a youth pastor for Egham.
It has 11 full and part-time staff, plus around 30 volunteers, and works with around 500 young people a year.
Andy Burns, CEO, said: “It’s like a big brother role, looking at what are the causes behind a young person’s behaviour, is it through boredom? Is it through low self-esteem? It’s through that commitment to them that we have seen some stunning outcomes.”
The foundation has teamed up with a website so people can give to Berkshire charities online, see www.berkshirecommunityfoundation. org.uk
This article appeared in Bracknell News 30 Sep 10
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TinyTim
3 posts
Oct 5, 19:45
Report commentBig Congratulations to all the Berkshire Community Foundation! As a very grateful Dad to three of my Boys that have all gone through Pete Sherman's 'hope' Football sessions over the last few years funded by them I stand as witness to the very real impact they have in helping Pete with this in my Town. More power to their elbow!!!
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Krispy1
3 posts
Oct 5, 20:28
Report commentCracking! Agree with Tintim the football wouldnt have happened I know I play there
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