Royal Wedding grants for carers

GROUPS supporting carers will receive grants from the Royal Wedding Fund.

Published 26 Apr 2012 12:30

 

Bracknell Forest Voluntary Action (BFVA) will receive £4,000 and Wokingham, Bracknell and District Mencap will receive £2,000.

The money has been distributed by Berkshire Community Foundation, a grant-making charity, which was one of 26 organisations chosen by Prince William and Catherine Middleton to benefit from a charitable gift fund set up to mark their wedding in April last year. Staff and trustees met on Friday to choose 13 voluntary groups.

Chris Bounds, care services manager at BFVA, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded money from the Royal Wedding Fund! Our £4,000 grant will supplement the services that we provide to unpaid, informal adult carers in Bracknell Forest borough. We will be setting up regular events to allow carers to socialise and benefit from the peer support that they get from each other.”

The foundation will also give £10,000 from the fund to Berkshire Autistic Society, which operates county-wide.

In Wokingham borough, £2,500 was awarded to Dingley Family and Specialist Early Years Centres, which cater for youngsters with additional needs; £2,000 to the Me2 Club, which trains volunteers to accompany youngsters with additional needs to out-of-school activities; £1,500 to Crossroads Care Wokingham, which supports carers, and £2,000 to Wokingham, Bracknell and District Mencap, which supports people with learning disabilities and their families.

Liz McDaniel, group development officer for Dingley Family and Specialist Early Years Centres, said: “The monies will be used to run a series of six workshops and parents have already started to come up with ideas on the topics which will help to make their lives easier. At these meetings they will also be able to gain support from others who are facing the same pressures as themselves and in turn this will help them to feel less isolated.

“The timing of this grant is perfect as our Wokingham centre has recently moved to larger premises within a designated area at All Saints School, so even more families will be looking to access our unique help.”

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