The outgoing High Sheriff of Herefordshire, Patricia Churchward, is bringing her year in office to close with the award of grants to ten community projects.
Over the past year, Patrica has raised a grand total of £30,000, by hosting events such as a Charity Golf Day, High Sheriff’s Ball and the annual Shrieval Lecture. Generous donors have also come forward, including the Freemasons and The Hop Pocket in Bishops Frome.
The grant awards are distributed by the Herefordshire Community Foundation which manages the High Sheriff Fund.
Speaking about the grant awards, High Sheriff Patricia Churchward commented; “It means a lot to me to be able to assist some of the community groups I have met during my year – all of whom give hugely supportive services.
That said, I am also sad not to be able to have raised and given more – as, without exception, every visit I have made, witnessing some of the most hardworking and committed volunteers, deserves huge praise and support.
It was so difficult to decide who to allocate my funds to, but I feel sure these will all use the money wisely and continue to help more people, in particular – young teenagers, veterans, the homeless and adults with special educational needs.”
The successful projects are:
Close House in Hereford, which has received a £5000 grant to help vulnerable teenagers find their future pathways, using creative arts workshops, experiences and entry-level qualifications. The funding will support skills training as well as allowing the charity to update its arts and digital music equipment.
Meanwhile, Hinton Community Centre will be putting their £5000 allocation towards heating in the boxing club to enable all participants, young and old, to enjoy using the gym in the colder months.
In Ross-on-Wye, the £5000 grant will make a vital contribution to core costs of running and staffing @TheHub, which offers a warm welcome to local residents five days a week.
A further £5000 grant has been committed to the work of The Houghton Project. Set on a farm between Hereford and Leominster, it teaches rural skills, from working with animals to cheese-making. It offers a supportive environment which encourages participants to develop resilience to any challenges they might face.
An award of £2500 has been granted to Herefordshire Veterans Support Centre, which has seen a four-fold increase in individuals accessing its services, since its move to new premises on Widemarsh Street last autumn. The funding will go towards a number of initiatives, including a trip to the National Memorial Arboretum, a football project and emergency care packages.
Continuing on the sporting theme, 3Degreez Allstarz will use their £2500 award to expand their scholarship program which helps both competitive and recreational athletes with essential costs.
Bromyard Food Bank and Money Advice Centre has been granted £2152 to help it support those in the town and surrounding villages who are struggling with poverty or suffering financial hardship.
Over in Leominster, Radio ECHO has received £1500 to support its work upskilling learning disabled participants. Each week the project produces two radio shows which participants manage from research right through to recording. The grant will be spent on updating the team’s equipment.
Finally, £1000 has been granted to Hereford Cathedral to support their outreach work in the community and £436 will be used by Crimestoppers to print vinyl stickers and deliver them to businesses across the county.
The next round of High Sheriff Awards will open at the end of this year, sign up to HCF’s e-newsletter for details at www.herefordshirecf.org
Donations to the High Sheriff Fund are always welcome, both large and small, and can be made here by following this link: www.bit.ly/HighSheriffFund
About Herefordshire Community Foundation/ www.herefordshirecf.org
Established with the aim of building stronger communities across the county, Herefordshire Community Foundation (HCF) is an independent, grant-awarding charity that connects local people and businesses who care with causes that matter.
Since 2002, HCF has distributed over £7.5m in grants to worthy causes and individuals, making a real difference to disadvantaged people in Herefordshire.
HCF manages ‘named funds’ such as the High Sheriff Fund, investing capital long-term on behalf of local philanthropists and then distributing the dividend income as grants.
The charity also runs fundraising appeals which attract donations from Herefordshire’s residents and businesses who are keen to help local communities, for example the HCF Emergency Relief Fund which supports those impacted by floods and other natural disasters. In addition, the charity manages large funding programmes on behalf of others, such as Herefordshire Council and HM Government.
