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Thousands of pounds have been donated to 34 charities, youth groups, schools and adult support centres across the Channel Islands as part of The Channel Islands Co-operative Society’s Helping Hands fund.
The Co-op has ran the Helping Hands fund since 1995 and to date approximately £288,000 has been donated across the Channel Islands to good causes. This year the fund awarded a total of £17,900 to 34 organisations in both Guernsey and Jersey.
In Jersey a total of £9,200 was split between 18 charities and in Guernsey a further £8,700 was awarded to 16 good causes. The Society received 110 requests for funding across the Channel Islands for this year’s initiative.
Katey White, the Society’s membership and community manager, said: ‘We receive numerous requests every year for the Helping Hands fund. It’s always difficult choosing which charities to support as they are all doing such great work within the islands. We look at each individual application to try and make our donations benefit as many charities as possible.’
Among those groups in Guernsey to receive funding this year were Edible Guernsey, which provides gardening tools to older members of the community with less physical ability, St John’s Resident Home, which currently provides 45 residents with a home, and Guernsey Caring for Ex-offenders, which will use the funds to buy basic kitchen appliances for ex-offenders.
Some of those to receive funds in Jersey were Jersey Trees for Life, which plans to replace and add new squirrel bridges to the Island, the Red Box Project, which provides red boxes containing sanitary products to local schools and the Move On Youth Project, which is due to run cooking classes with Islanders aged between 13 and 18.
Jersey-based LINC Community received £500 to go towards running costs and resources for the weekly drop-in support group that helps adults struggling with their mental health and wellbeing.
Jersey Sport Limited, which promotes sport and active living in the Island, were awarded £1,500 to help support people of all ages and abilities to live healthier lifestyles by becoming more active through sport.
Catriona McAllister, chief executive officer at Jersey Sport, said: ‘We are so grateful to the Co-op for providing this grant, which will allow us to help children and young people who are currently inactive as a result of one or more life-limiting factors to experience the benefits of playing sport and being active. The funding makes it possible for us to extend our programmes providing additional support and physical activities to disadvantaged and disabled young people.’
The Riding for the Disabled Guernsey Group (RDA) also received £500 in funding. The organisation enables any disabled adult or child to enjoy horse riding either as part of their physiotherapy or as their chosen sport. It also offers members the opportunity to spend time with the horses as part of its therapy groups.
Heidi Ephgrave, chairman and group coach for RDA Guernsey, said: ‘We are delighted to have been chosen by the Co-op to receive this donation. The funding will be spent on upgrading some of our safety riding equipment such as riding hats or body protectors. It will also allow us to purchase some educational games equipment to use within our riding sessions. These items are important for keeping our riders safe and adding to the enjoyment of their riding experience.’
