Author: remarkable

The Murray Parish Trust, a Hampshire based charity set up by actors Sarah Parish and James Murray has received a donation of £10,000 from the Barker-Mill Foundation (BMF) to help the continued support of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Southampton University Hospital.

The Murray Parish Trust was set up in 2014 by Sarah, known for her work on ITV’s Doctor Who and Cutting It, and James,  who first found fame in Coronation Street, to thank those that gave them the precious time they had with their late daughter Ella-Jayne who suffered from a congenital heart defect.

The charity supports the work of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Southampton University Hospital, a highly specialised unit providing acute paediatric care for critically ill children from across the whole of the South of England.

Tim Jobling, trustee at the Barker-Mill Foundation, said: “The work that The Murray Parish Trust do for our local PICU at Southampton Hospital is inspiring. Sarah, James and the team are constantly fundraising and doing all they can to raise the money the unit needs to give the best care for critically ill children.

“We feel very honoured to support such a well deserving charity and worthy cause.”

The unit is in desperate need of expansion.  Earlier this year, they had to start turning children away.  With only 14 bed spaces to cover Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Oxford, the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands, there is simply not enough room to treat the children that so badly need their services.

The Murray Parish Trust is currently raising funds to expand the unit and provide two new fully equipped bed spaces. The donation from BMF will take the charity a step closer to achieving their goal of the additional fully equipped bed spaces. The equipment for each bed space costs just over £60,000 and the building work required to increase the physical space will cost a further £280,000.

Sarah Parish, co-founder of The Murray Parish Trust said: “We approached the Barker-Mill Foundation having read about their dedication and commitment to supporting worthy causes that benefit the wider community around them. We are delighted that they have chosen to support our cause.

“Their generous donation will go directly towards paying for life saving bed space equipment and will in turn help to save many more young lives in the future.”

To donate to The Murray Parish Trust please visit: http://www.themurrayparishtrust.com/support-us

Three local amateur walkers hiked through the Alps to reach their final pilgrimage destination of Rome on 15^th September 2015, in aid of the Flutterby Fund.

Patrick Trant, Chairman of Trant engineering 62, Tom Finley, ex banker 69 and Bond Writer, Andy Ray, 54 walked a staggering total of 288km over 12 days, starting from 01 September 2015 in Pisa,  to complete their goal. Patrick raised £25,000 for the fund – an organisation that provides funding for therapy and equipment for special needs children from low income families. The Barker-Mill Foundation kicked off the funds with a £5’000 donation. Tom and Andy raised funds for different causes.

The walkers endured early mornings, setting off most days before 6am when it was still dark, to ensure they covered their target of 16.5miles a day by foot. The team struggled with – the many hills along the route in temperatures of nearly 30 degrees.

Every morning at 9am breakfast was served at the side of the road and the food was rationed between the men in order to ensure there was enough to go round for the walk ahead.

The walkers enjoyed some iconic Italian landmarks during the trek including the lakes at Bolsena, the Piazza del Campo and finally, Rome itself where the Vatican was the final destination point.

The Pilgrimage was brought to an end with Mass held at the Irish college in Rome and the team enjoyed a hard earned authentic Italian dinner in the evening.

Patrick Trant said: “The pilgrimage was an amazing experience! It was tough but we saw some fantastic scenery on the trek and it was even more special to take on the challenge for such a great charity.

“There were highs and lows and even a few injuries on the way but we made it and completed the challenge which was such an accomplishment for all of us. We were even lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Pope at the Vatican which was the icing on the cake!

“I wanted to fundraise for the Flutterby Fund as they are providing important support for Sophia’s House, a Solent based clinic that offers therapies for Special needs children. My niece requires special needs and is looked after there, so the charity and this organisation is very close to my heart.”

The Flutterby Fund is a non-profit Charity that aims to relieve the needs of children with physical or mental disabilities from low income families in the UK. This is achieved by the provision of funding for therapy provided by Sophia’s House, and equipment that will improve quality of life. rom low income families in the UK, this is achieved by the provision of funding for high quality therapy provided by Sophia’s House Clinic, and equipment that will improve quality of life.

Tim Jobling, Trustee at the Barker-Mill Foundation says: “We feel proud to have kick-started the donations towards the Pilgrimage but even more proud of Patrick and his team for completing the trek! What a challenge.

“The money they’ve manage to raise for the Flutterby Fund will help them to continue to help special needs children with the support and equipment they need but cannot afford. Well done!”

To find out more about the Flutterby Fund visit https://www.facebook.com/flutterbyfund.org.uk or to make a donation visit www.paypal-donations.co.uk – Flutterby Fund Charity

£100,000 has been donated to the Nuffield Theatre in Highfield, Southampton by the Barker-Mill Foundation (BMF) to help fund their future growth plans.

The funding from BMF will enable the Nuffield to enhance and expand the available space and improve the technical facilities available, improving the existing opportunities open to the local community.

Nuffield Youth Theatre is currently running at full capacity, but through the donation, an increase in the available space and facilities means that more youth groups will be created.  Each group will be able to involve more young people which will then provide natural opportunities for sharing work and developing group performance and presentation skills.

Tim Jobling, trustee at the Barker-Mill Foundation, said: “The Nuffield brings so much to the local community, not just in terms of the interesting performances to watch, but also great opportunities for local adults and children to get involved in the arts.

“The donation is very much deserved and we’re pleased to have the opportunity to give something back in order to recognise their commitment to the arts and local community.  Their ambitious plans will bring a new lease of life to cultural arts in the City of Southampton.”

Nuffield are hoping to offer an increased range of opportunities for the general public to become involved in such as workshops, working with local schools and an enhanced programme of work experience and internships.

James Gough, Administrative Director & Deputy CEO at Nuffield Theatre said: ‘We’re extremely pleased and grateful for this generous donation from BMF. We are so excited to expand the work we already do for the local community and to reach out to more people.

“With an increase in space and improved technical facilities, we can achieve so much more here at the Nuffield. Through the donation there is opportunity to work with a wider  range of artists  which will encourage some really remarkable companies to perform here in Southampton.

“It’s a really exciting time for the Nuffield and for theatre goers in the local area.”

Winchester based charity, Fixers, has been given a helping hand by the Barker-Mill Foundation (BMF) in the form of a donation of £13,335.

This will fund three unique young people’s Fixer projects and provide 21 young people with the opportunity to become a Fixer, tackling the issues that matter the most to them. How they choose to do this is up to them, there is just one condition – their ‘Fix’ must benefit at least one other person.

Tim Jobling, trustee at the Barker-Mill Foundation, said: “Fixers truly deserve this funding as the work they do is really benefitting the young people of today.

“The young are the future, and it’s a great opportunity for them to gain many transferable skills that will help them in future employment, whilst also reaching out to others who may need some guidance. It’s encouraging to see young people tackling hard hitting issues. The passion behind their projects is evident.”

Each Fixer project costs £4,445, covering all aspects of the project from recruitment and mentoring to communications support and the young person’s audience engagement. There is a strong focus on digital, print and broadcast media to ensure the message behind the Fixers project is heard as far and wide as possible. Becoming a Fixer allows the issues behind this message to be tackled and fixed.

For example, one young Southampton resident once involved in crime, drink and drugs worked with Fixers to create a hard-hitting drama which encourages other young people to turn their lives around. They are now employed by the youth offending team in Southampton to get young people off the streets, out of crime and off drugs.

Jeneen Thomsen Fixers Corporate Partnership Lead says: “We’re really pleased the Barker- Mill Foundation has come on board to help Fixers and those involved carry on the great work we do here in the South. We’ve seen so many young people do incredible things with their projects and we just want to carry on being able to deliver the great work we do. It’s a generous donation that’ll really benefit many young people in Hampshire”

There are currently 16,306 Fixers working on multiple projects across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland helping thousands of young people from all over the UK.

The countdown has begun for a team of three local daredevil amateur walkers who have challenged themselves to a 12 day pilgrimage to Rome in aid of the Flutterby Fund.

Patrick Trant, Chairman of Trant engineering 66, Tom Finley, ex banker 66 and Bond Writer, Andy Ray, 54 will set off from Pisa on 01 September 2015 to embark on their journey through the Alps to Rome, following the famous Via Francigena route.

The threesome will cover a staggering 200 miles over their trek in a bid to smash their £40,000 fundraising target for the charity – an organisation that provides funding for therapy and equipment for special needs children from low income families.

Each day, the group will cover 16.5 miles on foot through the rural landscapes and terrain before they reach Rome on 15^th September and hopefully achieve their target sum.  This has already been kick-started with a generous £5,000 donation from the Barker-Mill foundation

The initial contribution has sparked further interest from local business and organisations that has enabled the team to raise a further £3,000 for their efforts.

Patrick Trant says: “We are all very excited to start our adventure in aid of such a great charity. The Barker-Mill Foundation have provided a great platform for us to encourage further donations with their contribution, and we hope to continue raising funds in the coming months to reach our target.

“We are fundraising in aid of the Flutterby Fund as they are providing important funding for Sophia’s House, a Solent based clinic that offers therapies for Special needs children. My niece requires special needs and is looked after there, so the charity and this organisation is something that is very close to my heart.

“With £9,000 raised so far, we hope to reach the £40,000 target by mid-July so are calling out for more donations now to help make a difference to a really wonderful cause. We are all really looking forward to the challenge and welcoming friends and family to join us throughout various legs of the trek.”

The Flutterby Fund is a non-profit Charity that aims to relieve the needs of children with physical or mental disabilities from low income families in the UK. This is achieved by the provision of funding for therapy provided by Sophia’s House, and equipment that will improve quality of life. rom low income families in the UK, this is achieved by the provision of funding for high quality therapy provided by Sophia’s House Clinic, and equipment that will improve quality of life.

Tim Jobling, Trustee at the Barker-Mill Foundation says: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to make a donation for a great local charity and a very impressive fundraising activity. The pilgrimage to Rome is a fantastic challenge and we are backing Patrick and his team all the way.

“The money raised makes all the difference in providing special needs children with the support and equipment they need but cannot afford so we are hoping that, with the help from further donations, they can reach their target in good time.”

There has already been interest from local businesses including PT contractors, Access Engineering, R&M Electrical and HCE (Hampshire Catering Equipment) to name a few, and the team are encouraging more contributions to reach their goal in the coming months.

To find out more about the Flutterby Fund visit https://www.facebook.com/flutterbyfund.org.uk or to make a donation visit www.paypal-donations.co.uk – Flutterby Fund Charity