Thatchers Foundation

We’ve supported the brand new Ride Mendips Pump Track in Cheddar with a donation of £2,500 towards its development. The volunteer group creates opportunities for people of all ages in Somerset to get into cycling, skateboarding, scootering and other wheeled sports.

The cycle/pump track in Sharpham Road will benefit young people in the area, providing an amazing, all-weather facility to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle in a safe environment.

Barton Camp is a residential activity centre for children, run by Bristol Children’s Help Society. Situated in the Somerset countryside, on the outskirts of Winscombe, it’s one of the longest running residential adventure camps for children in the country.

The Bristol Children’s Help Society subsidises camp stays to ensure young people with any form of disadvantage can experience outdoor adventure.
The Thatchers Foundation has made a £50,000 donation to Barton Camp, allowing much needed refurbishment work and improvements to take place at the centre over the coming months.

Adding to the already fantastic life experiences at Barton Camp, new play and activity equipment will be purchased with the donation, including sturdy football goalposts; the swing area will be renovated; new posts and signage will be produced for a fascinating and informative nature walk, as well as for an orienteering course. To secure the safety of the children around the swimming pool area, an upgrade to the surrounds with a new non-slip material will be carried out.

Barton Camp is a fully accessible 101 bed residential centre; schools, youth groups and children’s charities all enjoy stays at the camp, as do family groups and other organisations.

A donation from the Thatchers Foundation will be making a big difference to the Axe Valley Men’s Shed, and the development of its future home at Shortlands on the outskirts of Axbridge.

The organisation offers a unique service to its local community, a valued place for members to pursue practical interests, as well as building social connections and friendships, and importantly supporting their mental health and wellbeing.

At Shortlands, a sensory and accessible garden is planned, as well as landscaping and new outdoor activities. Our donation will also help the group continue its arts and crafts activities at its current home in Cheddar with an external tutor; and expand its workshop facility and model railway club, as well as its computer hub and IT literacy classes.

The Winscombe and Sandford Millennium Green was created in the year 2000 as part of a Countryside Commission initiative to establish open spaces across the UK. As part of our local community, this has grown into a much-valued open space that we know and love.

The area is heavily wooded and has become not just a popular meeting point for locals, but a welcome break for cyclists and walkers.

However, the Trustees have been having to face the huge impact of Ash Die Back disease. With some 250 trees that are already, or are likely to become infected, the volunteer group is having to take action and will be using a donation from The Thatchers Foundation to carry out essential safety work, for the benefit of everyone who enjoys this beautiful space.

The Thatchers Foundation supported the fundraising efforts of the Reach Opportunity Centre in Weare for new kitchen facilities.

The grant will help this important local organisation which supports young adults with learning difficulties learn important life skills and gain self-confidence. And a lot of that is cooked up in the kitchen.

Anne Thatcher said, “The centre carries out inspirational work, and it’s clear the young adults benefit enormously in many different ways”.

“We’ve had some amazing success stories with the young people using the skills they’ve developed here to go on to jobs and apprenticeships in the local community … We’re very appreciative of the donation from the Thatchers Foundation which is a real boost to our fundraising”. Jill Swingler, Joint Founder of Reach Opportunity Centre

Click here to find out more about The Reach Opportunity Centre: ABOUT US | reach (reachcentre.org.uk).

The Thatchers Foundation helped to fund potentially three lifesaving missions for Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.

On average the cost of each mission is £1,750 and the charity needs to raise £3m a year to function.

Anne Thatcher said, “This is a lifesaving service and none of us knows if we’ll ever be called on to use it. But if we do, with the required funding, we’ll all have peace of mind that its there for everybody, right across our region”.

“We are so grateful for the support of the Thatchers Foundation. We receive no day-to-day Government funding, so are reliant on the local community and grant-givers to run our lifesaving missions”. Kate Baldwin, Trust and Grants Coordinator Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.

Click here to find out more about the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity: Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.

A donation of £5k to the 3rd Weston Super Mare Scout Group will be helping keep the Scout Group dry in future. Their scout hut – The Gilcraft Den – is in desperate need of a new roof, and we’ve been very pleased to help support their own very impressive fundraising of £55k to date.

The Scout Group has been at the heart of their local community for over 100 years, during which time they’ve seen hundreds of young people pass through the group. The Gilcraft Den is also a much-used facility for many other local community groups.

With the building in real need of a new roof to keep the Scouts safe and dry, the fundraisers are aiming for a total of £100k which will also cover the installation of double glazing and wall insulation to help reduce their carbon footprint and provide a Scout Hut to be proud of.

We wish the Scout Group the very best of luck with their renovations!

Young pupils at Westhaven School in Uphill, Weston-super-Mare were so excited when a delivery of new play equipment arrived, purchased thanks to a donation by The Thatchers Foundation.

The pupils, who all have complex barriers to learning, have been out enjoying their new trikes and other play and sensory kit, as well as a lovely wooden bench that now has pride of place in the playground. Here, the Early Learning pupils are able to sit and read, chat, or simply watch what’s going on around them.

Staff at Westhaven School applied to The Thatchers Foundation for a grant and have said what a big difference the new equipment has already made to the young pupils’ enjoyment of playtime.

Westhaven School welcomes pupils from 4-18 years old, into a caring, nurturing environment where everyone strives to be the very best they can be.

Click here to find out more about Westhaven School: Home | Westhaven School

Ever increasing demands for the services of Weston Foodbank has led to them taking ownership of a new delivery van, purchased with help from The Thatchers Foundation.

The van will be used by Foodbank staff to collect donated food from local supermarkets, helping them cope with the growth of food poverty in North Somerset.

The Thatchers Foundation gave a contribution of just over £7000 towards the purchase of the new van, as well as having the vehicle sign-written for the Foodbank.

Weston Foodbank has been providing emergency food supplies for families and individuals in North Somerset for the past 11 years, and over that period has seen the need rise significantly. In fact, in the last financial year, the volunteers distributed over 85 tons of food.

And in the first six months of the current year, it supported 4200 people and saw an increase of nearly 50% in demand last year.

The Strawberry Line Café in Yatton, Somerset is a not-for-profit organisation that trains and employs adults with learning disabilities. The café has been open for 9 years and is a valued part of the community; used by locals, walkers, cyclists and more.

The team have recently set up a new cycle hire project at Yatton train station to allow people to hire bikes to ride along the strawberry line and through the Somerset countryside.

Click here to find out more about the Strawberry Line Cycles project: Bike Hire Somerset. Rent adult, kids & adaptive bicycles online (strawberrycycles.com)

Community Interest Company ARK at Egwood has received a donation from The Thatchers Foundation to help in the important task of ensuring their car park area is fully accessible to all.

ARK (Acts of Random Kindness) is an inter-generational, therapeutic day facility at Egwood, on the outskirts of Merriott in Somerset. It offers a range of activities, experiences and support services to improve health and wellbeing, and for gaining new skills, by providing meaningful and worthwhile experiences.  All land-based, food and flower production, animal husbandry, hedge laying and dry stone walling are just a few of the activities available for people with differing needs and ages. In fact, the youngest is 9 and the oldest 72.

We were very pleased to donate £4,700 to ARK to help make their carpark wheelchair friendly, enlarging and resurfacing it. “Your support has not only given us more room for people to safely park, and enhanced the area so it is now more suitable for people of all abilities, but it also makes the first impression of ARK so much nicer” they said. “It has made the world of difference to us”.

The Freewheelers serve the NHS and communities across Somerset, Bristol, Bath, West Wiltshire, and South Gloucestershire. Their services are provided free of charge and are funded entirely by public donation and sponsorship. They transport blood, pathology & microbiology specimens, patient notes, X-rays, breast milk, and other medical supplies plus deliver every night to two local Air Ambulance bases. In 2019, they made over 6,000 deliveries, riding more than 170,000 miles.

Freewheelers EVS is run entirely by volunteers and The Foundation were delighted to support them with funds to continue running one of their bikes for 6 months – within which it would cover 12,500 miles saving hundreds of lives. Click here to find out more about The Freewheelers: Freewheelers EVS – Freewheelers EVS Blood Bikes.

The Samaritans Weston-super-mare & North Somerset  volunteers have been helping people in the Weston Super Mare and North Somerset area for more than 40 years. Part of the South West region of Samaritans, their branch covers a large area including Weston Super Mare, Blagdon, Burnham on Sea, Clevedon, Portishead and Wedmore. Volunteers at the branch respond to calls and emails from people locally and across the country. In 2019 volunteers at our branch answered 14,025 phone calls, over 1,016 emails and more than 900 text messages from people experiencing emotional distress.

The Foundation were delighted to support the branch with funds for individual headsets for volunteers when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Click here to find out more about the The Samaritans: Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen

The Wildlife Trusts Somerset are committed to working with the people of Somerset to help recover our natural world and halt the decline in the number and type of species in the county. Connecting local people with the amazing natural world in Somerset is therefore an essential part of their conservation work.

The Foundation have worked with the trust to help them maintain the health of the woodlands under their protection across the county to create a more sustainable future for wildlife and people. Click here to find out more about the The Wildlifes Trusts Somerset: Home | Somerset Wildlife Trust

We have donated £2,500 to Axe Valley Men’s Shed to help with the renovation of Axbridge Railway Station. The work will enable activities such as carpentry, model railway club and tai chi to continue, supporting men’s mental health in the local area.

The Axe Valley Men’s Shed, part of the UK Men’s Shed Association, works to combat social isolation and support men’s mental health and wellbeing through social interactions, practical skill sharing and knowledge exchange.

We have donated £1,000 to The Notable Club in Weston-Super-Mare to provide transport for members to attend, preventing isolation and allowing anyone who would like to join the club to be included.

The Notable Club is a social club for adults with physical disabilities. They host a wealth of events which allows members to meet new people, share experiences together, build new friendships and receive important support and advice.

We have donated £500 to support the continuation of the Axbridge Blackberry Carnival. With its colourful procession, decorated floats, music and vintage tractors, Axbridge Blackberry Carnival is a much-loved local tradition where the community comes together and builds on connections. Facing increased running costs, this donation will benefit the planners and organisers of the carnival as well as the local community who are enriched by this special event.

We donated £2,000 to support a new TV system being installed at the hospice allowing children to enjoy all of their favourite shows and films, bringing them comfort, happiness, and a sense of normality during difficult times.

Since starting in 1991, Children’s Hospice South West now has numerous hospices all over the South West including Torbay, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire. Their work enables young people and their families to make the most of short and precious lives, creating memories for the children’s families to cherish in the future.

We have donated £1,000 to In Charley’s Memory to support one-to-one counselling for secondary school pupils with mental health difficulties. In Charley’s Memory is a local charity which offers counselling and support for anyone over the age of 11, helping them with their mental health. Working closely with schools and colleges, the aim of the charity is for support to be made accessible for anyone who needs it.

We have donated £1,500 to Avon and Somerset Search and Rescue (A&SSAR), contributing towards the purchase of a new 4×4 vehicle to attend emergencies. Since 1975, A&SSAR has been attending emergency search and rescue operations, saving lives both on land and in water, whilst being on standby 365 days of the year. A&SSAR currently has four search and rescue vehicles which are vital to the important work they do saving lives. With the help of our donation, the new 4×4 search and rescue vehicle will enable the charity to continue its life-saving work, travelling across difficult terrains to save lives.

We have donated £1,000 to The North Somerset LGBT+ Forum which provides support for LGBT+ members and allies in the area. It offers weekly drop ins, events and activities for under and over 18s, as well as its monthly board game nights, as well is giving a voice to the community in the area.

Their vision of North Somerset being a welcoming and friendly place and our donation will support a one-off move as well as general running costs.

Western Rebels Walking Football Club is an inclusive club which welcomes players of all levels and abilities to play walking football. It currently has 80 members who live local and are aged between 50 and 80+. One of the reasons why this club was formed is to help those suffering from social isolation due to mental or physical difficulties. We have recently donated £340 to Western Rebels Walking Football Club, which has covered 2 adults to attend a St. Johns Ambulance CPR/defibrillator training course. This donation will enable the club to continue thriving and providing much needed enjoyment and inclusion, whilst also providing life-saving knowledge and equipment. This will give players and their families an added sense of security whilst doing something that they love.

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity is the primary air ambulance responder for North Somerset, providing lifesaving work every day of the year. We have recently donated £8,250 to GWAAC which will contribute towards buying a new patient monitor. Monitors are the most essential piece of kit carried for emergencies, enabling crew to assess vital information such as blood pressure, oxygen saturations, heart rate and much more, as well as doubling up as a defibrillator. The monitors used by GWAAC provide the same standard of monitoring as in hospital, meaning crew can carry out advanced treatment on the scene of the emergency. Our donation will contribute towards the continuation of GWAAC’s vital work.

We have recently donated £5000 to Avon Wildlife Trust to support the Hellenge Hill Nature Recovery Project. Hellenge Hill Is a 22-hectare site situated in the south-west of the Mendip National Landscape. It is a designated Site of Nature Conservation Interest that is home to a wildlife-rich habitat. Our donation will contribute towards the next stage of Hellenge Hill’s recovery project. This will involve improving infrastructure at site to make it more secure for grazing, with a view to introduce different animals such as heritage breeds of cattle, Exmoor ponies, and goats. The grazing maintains and restores the species-rich wildflower meadow. As part of this project, hedgerows will also be added which will provide additional habitats. Access to site will also be improved, and community engagement will increase thanks to the recovery project.

Brain Tumour Support provides emotional and practical support for anyone affected by any type or grade of brain tumour diagnosis through counselling, one to one support, group sessions and much more. This support is provided from the point of diagnosis, an extremely difficult time for many. Brain Tumour Support helps through the shock of diagnosis and makes sure no one faces their journey alone. We have recently donated £3000 towards dedicated counselling session which will support individuals and families in the local area. These sessions can be done over zoom or face-to-face, providing inclusion and flexibility to everyone in need of support.
Brain Tumour Support can be found at: www.braintumoursupport.co.uk for more information and support.

Banwell FC is one of the biggest football clubs in North Somerset, with hundreds of members including a girls and boys youth set up. We recently donated £250 towards the start-up of Banwell Beacons, a football team which will welcome adults with disabilities, and allow them to play free of charge. The start-up of Banwell Beacons will help Banwell FC with their goal of continuing to remove barriers for participation in sport, and to become a thriving community hub central to Banwell.

We have recently donated £6000 to secure the ongoing good works of Samaritans of WSM and North Somerset. They play a large role in our community, responding to calls and taking action to prevent people from reaching crisis point, as well as helping them to find ways to cope. The aim of the charity is to reduce the number of people who take their lives and ensure someone is available for anyone going through a difficult time. The WSM branch of Samaritans is an independent registered charity which is responsible for funding all of its operations, training, management of volunteers, etc. Our donation will help towards the continuation of this work, as well as any running costs that are needed at their branch building based in Weston-Super-Mare.