A UNIQUE fundraising event will take place online this week as a trust invites residents to vote in its Double Matched Day scheme.
Ten charities have been selected by the Greenham Trust, fundraising for a range of causes including supporting mothers through postnatal care to helping children through bereavement when they return to school.
On Friday, July 24, each charity has a chance to treble donations paid into their fundraising project hosted on The Good Exchange, up to £5,000 – meaning that each charity could make £15,000 in total.
Anyone wishing to donate for Double Matched Day must do so via The Good Exchange, between 12.01am and 11.59pm on Friday.
To help them prepare, the Trust ran a fundraising and mentoring workshop last week.
This is the first Double Matched Day run by Greenham Trust but, with over 30 applications, it has proved to be hugely popular in the local area so is likely to be the first of many.
Greenham Trust says it is encouraging any local charitable organisations in West Berkshire and north Hampshire to get their fundraising applications onto The Good Exchange as soon as possible to ensure that they will be ready for the next Double Matched Day.
In the meantime, they may be eligible for other grants from Greenham Trust or other local funders.
The charities
- Berkshire MS Therapy Centre – donate to help Multiple Sclerosis Sufferers and their Families throughout Berkshire and the surrounding counties
- Daisy’s Dream – donate to help Daisy’s Dream be ready to help children impacted by bereavement when they return to school in September 2020
- Dingley’s Promise – donate to help Dingley’s Promise create a recovery learning and play support programme for children with special educational needs
- East Ilsley Parish Council – donate to help revamp the playground in East Ilsley with more modern and exciting equipment to challenge and entertain the children
- The Friends of Castle School – donate to revitalise the Castle School hydrotherapy pool used by children with special needs & disabilities
- Home-Start West Berkshire – donate to help Home Start support new mothers with post-natal depression
- Newbury & District Sea Cadet Corps – donate to replace the asbestos roof on their 50 year-old building which is leaking and unsafe
- Newbury Cancer Care Trust – donate to help Newbury Cancer Care buy ‘cuddle beds’ so partners & family can lie close to their loved ones at the end-of-life
- Citizens Advice Tadley & District – donate to help them continue to run their free advice service
- Watermill Theatre – donate to help the next phase of the Watermill Theatre’s COVID-19 recovery plan.
Some of the charities taking part have explained why the funds will make a difference to them.
Grace Green, Scheme Manager at Home-Start, said: “Home-Start West Berkshire understand that the transition to motherhood can be a challenging time impacting across all areas of their life. Experiencing postnatal depression or long-term depression in their child’s early years can leave a mother feeling a failure.
“This funding towards our Maternal Mental Health Project helps us to help them to understand they are not alone. Parents describe their sense of relief to know other mothers feel this way and they can support their own well-being.
“We are absolutely delighted to receive this opportunity from Greenham Trust to raise money for this fantastically worthwhile project.”
And Paul Millard, Trustee of Newbury Cancer Care, said: “We are delighted to have been selected for Double Matched Day.
“The double match funding by Greenham Trust will get the project off to a fantastic start and hopefully lead to the purchase of the first of the two beds within a matter of weeks.”
For more information on the appeal and the selected 10 local organisations, visit https://thegoodexchange.com/double-matched-day.