Funded
St Wilfrid's Hospice
Apartment Owners Seaton and Joy Small from Allingham Lodge in Eastbourne successfully nominated local charity St Wilfrid’s Hospice for a Churchill Foundation Grant of £2,000 in memory of their friend Dennis Martin. The donation pays for a new recliner chair to be placed in one of the hospice’s bedrooms, enabling patients to relax away from their bed in the most comfortable way possible, and even move outside to enjoy nature and peace at a difficult time in their life.
Seaton said: “I’m so pleased the Churchill Foundation has helped us support such an excellent local charity in memory of our good friend and neighbour Dennis. I was most impressed with the hospice’s services and support when Dennis became terminally ill last year. He was under the hospice’s care for three weeks and was treated with the utmost respect and dignity. He was comfortable and sharing jokes with nurses until his last days. Whilst at the hospice Dennis communicated with myself and other members of the Allingham Lodge community for clothes and essentials, even a few beers, all of which were safely delivered to him. Although he was a rather private person he was well liked by everyone at the Lodge and he is sadly missed. I’m very proud that we can honour his memory in this way.”
Funded
Fern’s Story
Fern is a cheeky 8-year old living in Dorset, who loves soft toy animals and anything orange! At three years old she suffered a seizure which led to a diagnosis of Alexander disease, a life limiting brain disease.
At 7-years old Fern became very poorly, getting vertigo, headaches and dystonia (painful muscle spasms in her neck and back), which meant that Fern lost her ability to walk independently nor can she swallow, so she is fed via a tube.
Her family started trialling a Mollii suit, an electrical therapy suit used for rehabilitation and through stimulation improves movement, function and control, and reduces her pain levels during physiotherapy.
“Prior to using the suit, Fern would wake every hour through the night. However, she is now able to sleep all the way through, which is a tremendous improvement.”
Fern’s condition is degenerative, and this suit can be programmed as her condition changes. Sadly this suit was not available on the NHS, and carried a price tag of £4,100. After an employee at Churchill Retirement Living appealed to the Foundation after Fern’s family managed to raise £1,344 at a charity fashion show, the Churchill Foundation donated the remaining £2,756 required so that Fern could receive her own Mollii suit.
Swim Bournemouth
Swimming team Swim Bournemouth received a much needed funding boost thanks to a £2,000 donation from the Churchill Foundation, helping to keep the team afloat after a difficult year so it can continue to support young athletes in their quest to compete at the highest level.
Swim Bournemouth is a competitive swimming team affiliated with Swim England. It has a staff of highly skilled professional coaches, operating out of some of the finest facilities in Dorset including the Littledown Centre in Bournemouth. It offers opportunities for swimmers of all ages and levels of development, from the six-year-old to the aspiring Olympic medalist.
Its members include 14-year-old Paralympic hopeful Zack Sturgess from Bearwood, who has already won four gold medals at a national level in his swimming career to date.
Swim Bournemouth’s Head Coach Matt Heathcock said: “I would like to thank the Churchill Foundation for this very generous donation. It means that our team of coaches can carry on doing the work we love for our members and will help these young athletes on their continued journey in this great sport. This has been a tough year for us all and these funds will help us on our way to training fit, healthy kids and future champions.”
Supported charities
Funded
Oakhaven Hospice
Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington received a welcome donation from Churchill Retirement Living in memory of colleague Geoff Southwell, a popular member of the housebuilder’s Plant Services team who sadly died in 2020 after a brave battle with cancer.
The charity received a £5,000 donation from Churchill’s own charity, the Churchill Foundation, as well as £2,500 raised by close colleague Nicola Willis, who set up a justgiving page to encourage donations in Geoff’s memory. The combined total of £7,500 will go directly to the hospice, where he was exceptionally well cared for during his illness.
Churchill’s Plant Services Operations Manager Mark Church said: “The team and I are very proud to have made this donation to Oakhaven Hospice in Geoff’s memory. Geoff was an integral member of our Plant Services team, with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry. He is greatly missed not only by members of his immediate team but throughout the company and by our external suppliers.”