Our Generous Sponsors
The following organisations have been extremely generous and awarded us grants to enable us to purchase essential equipment and maintain our services to our members:
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Heathrow Community Trust
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Greggs Foundation
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Charity Walk For Peace
Egham Constellations received a £2,500 cash boost from HEATHROW COMMUNITY TRUST in September 2019.
We desperately needed additional specialist equipment to
furnish a 2nd disabled changing room so that we could support more people from the local community in our Assisted Swim Sessions.
This generous grant has enabled us to purchase a mobile hoist and fund its servicing for 2 years. The hoist helps transfer wheelchair users onto a changing table, speeding up the whole process of helping them change and get to the pool but also allowing us to cater for twice as many wheelchair users. It has made a huge difference to Egham Constellations and the people we support.
Egham Constellations was awarded the donation under HEATHROW COMMUNITY TRUST's “Communities Together” grants programme.
Michelle Cockram (Volunteer Coordinator) said:
“We are delighted as the additional equipment will help us to increase the number of wheelchair users in our weekly sessions and reduce our waiting list.”
A community project spokesman from HEATHROW COMMUNITY TRUST said:
“HEATHROW COMMUNITY TRUST is part of an independent grant-making charity set up by Heathrow’s owners to support and strengthen local communities close to the airport. In the past two years, it has donated more than £1 million through three grant programmes, funding projects which support young people, help protect the environment and support active local communities. Funds come from an annual donation from the airport, fines imposed on aircraft that breach noise limits, Heathrow colleagues who raise funds for us, and John Lewis. The fund also supports and encourages Heathrow staff to volunteer and support the local communities where they live.”
More information about the trust and how to apply for grants is available on their website:
In October 2019, Egham Constellations were extremely fortunate to be awarded a grant of £1950 from Greggs Foundation.
Our project for 2019 was to enable more wheelchair users from our local community to access our Assisted Swim Sessions. For this to happen, we still required specialised wheelchairs and a changing bed.
Greggs Foundation's wonderful grant allowed us to purchase 2 specialised 'Wet/Pool chairs'. These are specially coated to deal with the chlorinated water in the pool environment and can be immersed in the water when the floor of the pool is lowered at the start of the session. The 2 wet chairs have allowed us to ferry twice as many wheelchair users back and forth from the changing rooms so allowing us to open our session to more members of the local community.
With the grant we also were fortunate to buy a portable changing bed which completed the fitting of a 2nd disabled changing room. Now we are able to assist with changing double the number of members needing this facility.
To top it all, the money from Greggs Foundation even enabled us to get a lockable trunk for our small bits of equipment and consumables that previously volunteers had been bringing in weekly.
"Thank you Greggs for this very generous grant. Egham Constellations are immensely grateful and you have allowed us to serve far more wheelchair users of Runnymede and beyond. They become part of very special club which helps not only their physical well-being but social and mental too."
Pauline Carter (Secretary)
The mission of the Greggs Foundation is to "make a difference to the lives of people in need in the heart of Greggs' local communities.
They certainly have done that for us.
More information about the foundation and how to apply for grants is available on their website:
https://www.greggsfoundation.org.uk
Egham Constellations evolved from Runnymede Disabled Swimmers (RDS) which was a transport group of disabled swimmers from Runnymede who used to go swimming in a pool in Woking. This group was a non-profit organisation where the members were self-funding.
In April 2018, RDS had the opportunity to participate in a sponsored walk Runnymede’s Mayor was promoting by an organisation called ‘Charity Walk for Peace’ whose slogan is ‘Peace for All, Hatred for None’. This organisation has run sponsored walks for the last 26 years raising funds for charities such as ‘Great Ormond Street’, ‘British Heart Foundation’ as well as small local charities and non-profit organisations.
RDS was lucky to be selected by Charity Walk for Peace as one of the organisations to have any money they raised 'match funded' up to the value of £2000.
By the day, we had 10 of our members (or their carers), volunteers or their friends sponsored. A group of us met up, along with thousands of others, for a most enjoyable leisurely walk hosted by Charity Walk for Peace. We all completed the 5 mile walk around Windsor Great Park. The walk was made accessible with the help of our volunteers and friends - loss of sight or physical impairment was no barrier.
RDS raised £2300 which was match funded by Charity Walk for Peace giving us a total of £4300.
This very generous match funding by Charity Walk for Peace contributes to transport costs for people joining RDS from the local community as this can be a significant barrier. Opening the opportunities for more people to join is allowing the club to grow as it has evolved into Egham Constellations.
More information about the charity and their work is available on their website:
https://charitywalkforpeace.org/
