Local community charity, Paul Sartori Hospice at Home based in Pembrokeshire, has scooped a share of an £85,000 fund thanks to Calor’s Rural Community Fund initiative. A prize of £1,000 will go towards vital end of life equipment to boost residents’ independence.
Now in its fourth year, the Calor Rural Community Fund has once again provided invaluable support and funding for rural communities that aren’t connected to the mains gas grid, by giving them the chance to receive grants for projects that will improve local life. Paul Sartori Hospice at Home was one of 22 winners who have benefitted from the donation which they will be using to help pay for equipment that will allow people to receive end of life care in their own homes, allowing them more flexibility and independence.
The fund comes at a special time for Calor, which is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year and marked the milestone by making its funding pot bigger than ever before, with a grand total of £85,000 available to rural causes around the UK.
Since its creation back in 2017, Calor has helped raise £455,000 for countryside causes, with a total £225,000 of this taking the form of grants from the leading gas supplier. The other £230,000 has been raised through Calor’s work with the public this year through its Crowdfunder platform. The money generated will be used to build new facilities, buy critical equipment or carry out much needed maintenance across projects all over the UK.
Andy Parker, Head of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at Calor, commented: “We’ve been absolutely blown away by the response we’ve had this year. Over 600 community initiatives entered and the standards were incredibly high with some fantastic causes coming through. It’s great to see how passionate these rural communities are and how each of their projects will make such a difference for all those living in the local area.
“Paul Sartori Hospice at Home is a really special charity, providing excellent care and much needed support to families in this part of Wales at a time when they vitally need it. We’re delighted to be able to support them in funding this new equipment and we very much look forward to seeing the impact this has.”
Each entry was judged by four impartial judges who had the extremely difficult task of choosing this year’s winners. They based their decision on the potential impact the project had on the local community, its sustainability once launched, the originality of the project and the projects submission itself. There were three levels of funding available; 11 £5,000 grants, six £2,500 grants and five £1,000 grants. The 20 finalists who didn’t receive one of the main grants were also awarded £500 to put towards their project initiative.
Judith Williams, Grants Co-ordinator at Paul Sartori Hospice, said: “We were so pleased this year to have the support of the Calor Rural Community Fund, where we raised in excess of £4,600 to enable patients to have free access to a range of equipment so they can be cared for at home.
“We are now able to source a variety of items including new mattresses and commodes, so a massive thank you to everyone who supported our project this year.”
For further information on the Calor Rural Community Fund and to view the full list of winners, please visit: communityfund.calor.co.uk/leaderboards/winners-5000
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