£30,000 award goes to The Youth Cancer Trust

After tragically losing her only daughter, Tracy Ann, to cancer, Brenda Clark founded The Youth Cancer Trust (YCT) in Bournemouth. The charity provides activity-based holidays for young people (aged 14 to 25) suffering with cancer from anywhere in the UK. The teenagers stay at the house and create their own amazing holidays from a list of exciting activities on offer, including 10 pin bowling, visits to the New Forest, water sports and horse-riding. Over 150 youngsters stay at Tracy Ann House each year and the real benefits come from them having each other to talk to and empathise with. What has become clear is that the young people really value their stay with the YCT and view Tracy Ann House as something of a lifeline.

The Foundation’s £30,000 donation has enabled YCT to create a dream garden at the house, aptly named ‘Garden of new Beginnings’. Brenda said ‘What the Foundation and Cares 4 Kids has given us is so in the spirit of our charity. When Tracy Ann was ill we desperately needed somewhere for her to go where she could unwind, be normal and have fun. Our vision is to take these brave youngsters to a place of excitement, enjoyment and laughter, somewhere away from hospitals, worry and isolation. Thank you so much!’

Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust

Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust is a world-leader in children’s palliative care and aims to meet the needs of all families caring for a life-limited child in and around the Midlands area. Acorns has two children’s hospices in the Midlands, one in Selly Oak, Birmingham and a second one in Walsall – with a third about to open in Worcester.

Staff and children at Acorns in Walsall are thrilled with their brand new dining area for the children. One delighted staff member said: ‘The extremely generous donation of £12,550 from the Foundation has enabled us to extend the dining area at our children's hospice in Walsall, by knocking a wall down and using space in the lounge next door. This means that we can now get everyone around the table at mealtimes, rather than having to adopt a shift system. Many of the young people who come to stay in the adolescent unit at our Walsall hospice are in large electric wheelchairs. These take up a lot of room at the dining table, meaning that space is at a premium when four or five of them come to stay at the same time! Mealtimes are very important at Acorns, especially lunchtime, as they are an opportunity for everyone to get together - children, young people, families and staff - to have a chat and relax over a good home-cooked meal. It is sometimes the only point in the day when everyone does get together, as they are busy with activities and games, or out on a trip, so they all make the most of it! This project has only been possible because of the tremendous support of the Foundation, and everyone at Acorns really is very grateful.’

The Wingate Special Children’s Trust

The Wingate Special Children’s Trust is based at the Wingate Centre, Nantwich and provides holiday accommodation for disadvantaged and disabled children from all over the UK. The centre is fully accessible and over 900 youngsters and their carers stay there each year and enjoy a break in the countryside. Thanks to a £14,760 donation from the Foundation, the centre now has a new and exciting outdoor adventure play area for the children to enjoy, complete with a swing for wheelchair users.

The Hunter Trust

The Hunter Trust helps the most disadvantaged in the community and primarily aims to assist in the education of students in Malawi, from primary school through to further education. The children in and around the village of Kavuzi, Malawi, now have a magnificent library to help them with their studies, thanks to a £15,180 grant from Cares 4 Kids.

Farney Close School

Farney Close School is a special school in Sussex for children between 11-16 with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties. 

It supports up to 75 kids; all who have been excluded from previous schools and are from broken homes or traumatic backgrounds.

Arriving with low self-esteem, no employment prospects and the likelihood of spending future years in an already overcrowded reform institution, the school seeks to rehabilitate its pupils back into society.

Over the years the Foundation has given over £28,000 to support numeracy, literary and science programmes. This year we gave the latter unit a grant of £5,000 to spend on equipment. The department’s normal annual budget is just £700 so we have helped make a real difference.

The Headmaster said: "I can say without any doubt that all the donations from Openwork over the years have made a massive contribution to developing and accessing quality resources for the children. In turn, this has had a deep and profound affect on engaging and developing the pupils' basic skills and making them more accomplished socially and academically. We cannot thank you enough for your contribution".