Member Article

Oxfordshire Red Cross handed donation from housebuilder

An Oxfordshire charity that helps children and families return to a normal life after an injury or illness is benefiting from a leading UK housebuilder’s community initiative.

The British Red Cross in Oxfordshire has been selected as one of Persimmon Homes North London’s Community Champions, with the charity to receive £600 thanks to the scheme.

The project sees a pot of £24,000 donated to local groups and charities over a year.

The Oxfordshire division of Red Cross is part of a global network of volunteers, who respond to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies.

Paula Falck, fundraiser for the British Red Cross in Oxfordshire, said: “The generous donation from Persimmon Homes North London of £600 will allow us to purchase and maintain two new specialised children’s wheelchairs with leg extensions.

“There has been increasing demand for children’s wheelchairs in recent times, as patients are often referred to the British Red Cross mobility loan service from staff in hospitals. “Over the five year life of a wheelchair, we expect to help at least 60 children and many family members in getting children back to school as soon as possible.”

Greg Kaye, head of sales for Persimmon Homes North London, said: “The British Red Cross does fantastic work on a global scale and their Oxfordshire branch is no exception.

“We hope that our donation will provide injured and ill children with the wheelchairs they need after coming out of hospital.

“Persimmon Homes North London is still giving charities and community groups the chance to apply for a slice of funding, with the initiative already giving away over £10,000 since July.

“We would urge any charities that were unsuccessful last month to visit the Persimmon Homes website to reapply and hopefully they will become our next Community Champion.”

Community Champions is a year-long programme with £750,000 to be spread across the housebuilder’s 25 regions. Groups and charities who have already worked hard to raise funds themselves can apply for match funding of up to £1,000.

To apply for funding, visit www.persimmonhomes.com/charity

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ross Watson .