The Local Community Fund

Abby’s Heroes is one of the latest charities to be successfully nominated by Quilter colleagues to receive a grant from our charity, The Quilter Foundation’s Local Community Fund.

Abby’s Heroes aims to help and support children and their families, including bereaved families, who come under the care of the Piam Brown and the Teenagers and Young Adults (TYA) wards at Southampton General Hospital. It offers financial and practical help as well as the opportunity to make lasting memories for the children and their families.

“We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen to receive a grant from the Quilter Local Community Fund towards our Play Therapy Service. We are a children’s cancer charity supporting families across the South Coast when their child is diagnosed with cancer. We provide many different layers of support, and our Play Therapy Service is part of our development for 2023. It will allow children to express how they are feeling through play and process everything they have gone through when they may not have the words to do this. We are really excited to launch this and know that it will make a real difference to some very special children.”

Sally Randall, CEO and Founder

The Honeypot Children’s Charity is one of the latest charities to be successfully nominated by Quilter colleagues to receive a grant from our charity, The Quilter Foundation’s Local Community Fund.

The charity’s mission is to build brighter futures and create happy childhood memories for young carers aged 5-12. It’s the only charity in the UK that provides continuous support for these children throughout their formative years.   Honeypot’s Wrap-Round service aims to alleviate social isolation, support young carers’ emotional wellbeing, and help them build the confidence and skills they need to succeed in education. The charity supports over 2000 young carers every year with services including respite breaks, learning breaks, creative virtual workshops, memorable days out and the Wellbeing Fund.

“Thanks to this fantastic support from the Quilter Foundation, Honeypot will build brighter futures and create happy childhood memories for 120 young carers age 5-12.

“Children will be able to take a break from their caring responsibilities at home and enjoy Honeypot’s Wrapround support services including a 3-day residential respite break at Honeypot, where they can bounce on the trampolines, swing on the swings, whizz around on bikes and go-karts, eat delicious food that they haven't had to prepare for themselves and generally had a super time just simply being children.

“They will also be able to join online activity sessions after school and in the school holidays meaning they can access Honeypot support and contact with other young carers when they are feeling particularly lonely and isolated.”

Viv Carter, Community Engagement Manager

The Olympias Music Foundation is one of four charities who have recently been successfully nominated by Quilter colleagues to receive a grant from our charity, The Quilter Foundation’s Local Community Fund.

The Olympias Music Foundation (OMF) is an award-winning charity which empower communities in Manchester through music. Since 2015, OMF has delivered 13,000+ free music lessons to over 250 children on free-school meals, reaching hundreds more children and adults through choirs, workshops and performances.

“We are grateful to the Quilter Local Community Fund for their generous support of our Learn to Play music scheme. The project currently supports 85 children on free school meals, in receipt of income support or who are refugees or asylum seekers to receive free weekly instrumental lessons, and this funding will help us to increase this provision to 125 children in 2023-24.

“At a time of increased financial hardship for many families, the support of organisations like the Quilter Foundation is more important than ever in ensuring we can continue to provide transformational cultural opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and support them to reach their potential.

“We can’t wait to work more closely with the Quilter Foundation over the coming year, and to amplify this impact in our community.”

Dr Jo Yee Cheung, Chief Executive

Wessex Heartbeat is one of four charities who have recently been successfully nominated by Quilter colleagues to receive a grant from our charity, The Quilter Foundation’s Local Community Fund.

Wessex Heartbeat is a well-established regional charity that helps newborns, children and adults diagnosed with congenital and cardiovascular diseases, primarily by supporting the work of the Wessex Cardiac Unit based at Southampton General Hospital.  It provides specialised equipment, services and facilities to help patients and their relatives through their cardiac journey. 

The charity raises funds to contribute to the prevention, rehabilitation and cure of heart diseases.  We also fundraise to provide funding and facilities to train and educate healthcare professionals in the Cardiac Centre.  

The grant from The Quilter Foundation’s Local Community Fund will support a project developing 3D Heart Modelling for Children with Congenital Heart Disease.

"3D printing of the children's hearts is a truly fantastic addition to the congenital heart disease treatment pathway in children. These models give us enhanced levels of information unseen before in our diagnostic process allowing our surgeons to personalise treatment further, ensuring that we know exactly what they are dealing with before reaching the operating theatre"

Mr Nicola Viola Congenital Cardiac Surgeon, Southampton University Hospitals

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Winchester and District Young Carers are a Charity Incorporated Organisation set up to support young carers aged 8 to 17. Their mission is to improve the lives of children and young people with caring opportunities by providing safe, quality support with a holistic approach. The funding will be used to provide a safe place for young carers to share, relax and have fun away from their usual caring duties.

“Winchester & District Young Carers are over the moon with the kind donation from the Quilter Foundation’s Local Community Fund.

"This funding will go towards supporting our work with young carers aged 8-17 in the Winchester and surrounding areas. This funding will enable us to provide much needed support for even more young carers this year, through the delivery of our innovative Exploration programme, to support young carers’ wellbeing, and our activity programmes, that provide much needed respite and fun.”

Lisa Wheadon, Manager at Winchester and District Young Carers

SAFE! provides support to children and families around the Thames Valley who have been affected by crime or abuse through one-to-one and group sessions. The funding will be used towards their Building Respectful Families service which aims to stop or reduce child on parent violence by helping young people to better manage frustrations, improve wellbeing, reduce isolation, and build healthier strategies for the future.

“SAFE! is entirely dependent on voluntary funding for our Building Respectful Families programme. The majority of children and young people we help have already faced some form of trauma in their short lives, trauma such as domestic abuse, child abuse or family conflict.

"This incredible support from the Quilter Foundation will help us to continue to make a difference and support these children and young people to feel safe, thrive, and achieve their potential.”

Chloe Purcell, Chief Executive

Central Youth Club provide a comprehensive youth service for young people aged 13 to 18 living in the Kensington and Fairfield Ward in Liverpool. Their work includes designing activities for young people, and provide information and advice on young people’s issues. The grant will be used to further develop the work at Central Youth Club by providing off site activities for over 30 young people.

“The news of the kind donation from the Quilter Foundation arrived during festive week and was the best Christmas gift for all involved at Central Youth Club.

"The funds will help the team continue to provide cost of living support to people of all age groups. That takes the form of not just food provision but also toiletries and hygiene products. Moreover, the funds will also contribute to heating and lighting costs to ensure that Central remains a warm and inviting sanctuary for vulnerable and lonely people. 

"Furthermore, in addition to the actual funding, the very kind comments from the Quilter Foundation are also an uplifting acknowledgement of the good work undertaken by all the team at Central Youth Club.”

Julie Quarless, Senior Youth Leader

FareShare supports local communities and charities by redistributing tonnes of food to shelters, school breakfast and afterschool clubs, community and family centres, and food banks.

“We would like to thank the Quilter Foundation for the fantastic commitment to support FareShare Southern Central with a generous contribution towards our mobile larders. The cost-of-living crisis is placing significant pressure on those already struggling to feed themselves and their families, and this funding will mean FareShare Southern Central can reach communities and households directly with low-cost groceries and use this opportunity to connect them with other services to help address the causes of their hardship.”

Claire Martin, regional manager at FareShare Southern Central

GROW Jersey is a non-profit organisation that supports people in Jersey experiencing food poverty. It also provides education and awareness on climate and sustainability. The funding will be used to provide materials and equipment to scale up the project.

“This significant contribution from the Quilter Foundation reinforces our belief in the Grow vision and the opportunities that the project will offer for community involvement in social and environmental causes. The project has sustainability at its core, with the community benefiting from organic and nutritious food production using regenerative land management practices which also improve biodiversity. The project also offers a connection to nature for people who have become socially or psychologically isolated; a ‘green lifeline’.”

Sheena Brockie, co-founder of GROW Jersey

Southampton City Farm is a charity focused on transforming communities through inclusive and accessible activities that improve the lives of individuals, increase community activity and enhance community cohesion. The grant will go towards funding their mental wellbeing project on the farm, with a particular lens on supporting young people with special educational needs.

“Southampton City Farm is thrilled to receive a grant from the Quilter Foundation towards our community projects. The farm receives many requests for sessions from individuals and groups from marginalised and underrepresented groups, who do not always have funding available to support their needs. The Quilter Foundation grant will help continue the farms excellent work of supporting vulnerable individuals, but now we will be able to extend this offer to more of our community.”

Oasis Southampton City Farm