Greenham Trust selects West Berkshire Mencap and Home-Start West Berkshire for fundraiser ‘Escalator Challenge’

Greenham Trust has selected two charities for its biggest ever fundraising challenge.

West Berkshire Mencap and Home-Start West Berkshire will be taking part in the Escalator and Mini-Escalator challenge this month.

Each of the fundraising challenges takes place over five days and the level of matched funding increases each day as the applicant reaches its fundraising targets.

Greenham Trust head of grants Rob Daniels said: “When we created the Escalator challenge, these were exactly the type of innovative projects and fundraising we had envisioned.

“The Escalator is not just about the money, it’s about supercharging a project and bringing communities together.”

Home-Start West Berkshire is doing the Mini-Escalator challenge where it needs to raise £6,600 over five days to earn £25,000 in matched funding from Greenham Trust.

The charity is raising money to recruit a family coordinator to recruit, train and supervise 20 volunteers to assist 60 low-income families a year who are struggling due to the cost of living crisis.

To raise its funds Home-Start is hosting a coffee morning, a quiz, a schools’ fundraising programme and – in a huge act of bravery – its chair of trustees Clare Carless will be taking on a tandem sky dive.

Director of Home-Start West Berkshire Grace Green said the funding will help families through hardship, which has had a massive impact especially following the cost-of-living-crisis.

West Berkshire Mencap is going for the Full Escalator, from October 26 to October 30.

It is raising funds to purchase an accessible shepherd’s hut to provide a children’s overnight respite service at its Mencap Centre in Newbury.

It will aim to raise £13,200 over its five days, to receive £50,000 in matched funding from Greenham Trust.

In its attempt to reach this goal West Berkshire Mencap will be getting frightening with fundraising and hosting a series of Hallowe’en events.

Fundraising and events manager of West Berkshire Mencap Suzie Empson said: “Raising this amount of money would take months of really hard work so it’s a hugely exciting opportunity for us.”