Finalists announced for Greenham Trust’s Christmas Double Matched Day

Get ready to donate on December 11

TEN local charities have been selected for Greenham Trust’s Christmas Double Matched Day to raise up to £15,000 each in 24 hours.

Everyone who donates to the organisations via The Good Exchange platform on Double Matched Day on Friday, December 11, will see their £1 become £3.

The selected charities will be fundraising for causes ranging from providing housing and support for 16- to 25-year-old care leavers and homeless people, to supporting the families of seriously-ill children.

Throughout Friday, December 11, these organisations have the chance to treble up to £5,000 of all monies they raise through donations and fundraising activities that is paid into their fundraising project on The Good Exchange during this 24-hour period.

To qualify, donations must be made via The Good Exchange using the links below between 00.01 and midnight on Friday, December 11. Donations made before this date will not quality for the double matched funding.

The 10 selected applicants are:

Berkshire Maestros – donate to support primary and secondary school children through fun, interactive and informative music performance workshops that will further children’s emotional, social and personal development.

Bradfield Village Hall – donate to provide a new Village Hall, a safer playground, an up to date Multi Use Games area and site improvements for the benefit of all the community.

Fair Close Centre – donate to cover core costs to enable the continuation of six-days-a-week support for the over 65s, many who live alone and are becoming increasingly isolated.

Greenham Control Tower – donate to allow Greenham Control Tower continue to help visitors celebrate the rich history of the area.

Pamber Heath Memorial Hall – donate to renovate and expand the Pamber Heath War Memorial Hall so it can continue to provide for the community.

Recovery in Mind – donate to support the mental health recovery of adults living in West Berkshire aged 18 and over who have a wide variety of mental health challenges.

Sebastian's Action Trust – donate to support families caring for seriously ill children – right from the point of a child’s diagnosis, through treatment and into bereavement, ensuring that lives, however short, are lived to the full.

Swings & Smiles – donate to provide children with special needs and their families opportunities for support, friendship and play in an accessible environment.

Time To Talk West Berkshire – donate to help fund the increased demand for free at the point of delivery counselling for young people aged 11 to 25.

Young People & Children First – donate to help provide young people (16-25-year-old care leavers and homeless) with the support, housing and life opportunities they deserve.

As an additional benefit for those selected, Greenham Trust ran a fundraising and mentoring day on November 18 to make sure that these charitable organisations are in the best position to raise as much money as possible.

Christine Evans of Bradfield Village Hall Management Committee said, “We are solely responsible for managing and running the village hall and all the facilities within the grounds of the village hall and are absolutely delighted to be part of the Double Matched Day so that we can finally get the much needed renovation project off the ground.

"We are so excited to be included in Double Matched Day to kick start our dream of providing a safe and fun space for the whole community.”

Time to Talk West Berkshire charity service manager Tammy Willsher said, “We are so pleased to have been selected to take part in the Christmas Double Matched Day.

"This year has been incredibly tough for young people and we have seen a large increase in the numbers requiring our services.

"Double Matched Day will be a huge help to enable us to continue to provide the help that is so badly needed.”

Greenham Trust chief executive Chris Boulton said, “We had so many fantastic applicants it was difficult to narrow it down to the final 10.

"The finalists were selected based on the scope of project they were fundraising for and the strength of their fundraising plan.

"It was important to us that the finalists reflected the range of the trust’s area of operation, both geographically and in terms of the causes.

"That being said, any applicant not selected for Double Matched Day could still be eligible for other grants from Greenham Trust or from other local funders and can still use The Good Exchange platform for crowdfunding activities.”

For more information on the appeal and the selected 10 local organisations, visit https://greenhamtrust.com/double