How we helped charities and community groups throughout 2022

Every year we aim to make additional funds available to smaller local charities, community groups and voluntary organisations who are addressing a community issue or need. Our Community Fund was launched in 2014 and since then has donated around £28,500 to over 70 different charities.

In 2022 we donated over £2,400 to nine good causes through our Community Fund. You can read about each of them below:

We donated £250 to Mencap to help furnish and support the development of a new independent living service in Rotherham. Mencap are supporting four young men with learning disabilities between the ages of 18 – 25 enabling them to be able to move into their first independent home. They provide personal support, helping with tasks such as getting dressed, cooking meals and support to enable them to go out into the community depending on the need of the individual.

3^rd Holmesfield Scout Group applied for a donation to replace their aging minibus whose window seals were letting in moisture causing rusting. The bus is used regularly by the scouts to transport them to various events such as Duke of Edinburgh expedition and group camps where the groups camp outdoors, spend time in nature and cook over open fires.

We made a donation of £250 to Wortley Rugby Union Club who are a small community club based in Barnsley who offer community rugby sessions that cater for all. The donation was requested to replace their broken floodlights and for some additional portable battery-operated floodlights to help keep the local community active during darker months.

We also donated to Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir for their Charity golf day they held in June 2022 which raised £2,500 for the Sheffield Children’s Hospital, going towards the Oncology Departments and the helipad appeal.

The Eagles Foundation requested a donation for some new rugby balls to run their training sessions with. The Eagles Foundation is the charity linked to the Sheffield Eagles Rugby League Club, who recently launched a Learning Disability Rugby League (LDRL) for young people in Sheffield with learning disabilities as it can be difficult for people with learning disabilities to access team sport.

In August we made donations to Sharewear Clothing Scheme and Fareshare Yorkshire. Sharewear Clothing Scheme provides emergency clothing, shoes and bedding to people across Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire. We made a donation to enable them to create promotional materials for their ‘Mobile Sharewear’ service, allowing them to promote the service more widely across Sheffield and ensuring all those struggling with the increase in cost of living have support with clothing. Fareshare Yorkshire is helping to tackle the food poverty issues across Yorkshire by sourcing and redistributing quality, in date, surplus food which would have otherwise gone to waste. The donation made was to go towards PPE for 10 members of the volunteer team, including steel toe cap safety boots, high visibility clothing and hard-wearing gloves.

We donated to the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund £250 to fund one family support package, which provides a family with accommodation whilst their child is being treated at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit as they may have travelled to access the care required. The support package also includes a cooked meal, a Katie Bear teddy bear, certificate, and medal for the child following open heart surgery, a welcome pack for parents and the support of one of their dedicated family support workers throughout their journey.

Finally, we donated £400 to S6 foodbank to their ‘Nobody goes without’ campaign, aiming to ensure that no one is left without food, debt support, housing, and benefit advice throughout Sheffield.

Interested local charities and community groups, which meet the criteria, can apply for a Community Fund donation here.