Heart of England Mencap has received a £5,000 grant to fund a volunteer co-ordinator to help customers find and access volunteering opportunities within the local community.
The donation has been provided by the Santander Foundation, which offers Discovery Grants to UK registered charities for projects that help disadvantaged people.
Heart of England Mencap supports local people with learning disabilities through a wide range of services such as Supported Living, residential care, at-home care for those unable to travel, short breaks, respite and a range of day activities. Those from across Stratford, Shipston, Studley, Warwick, Leamington, Evesham and Malvern benefit from tailored services to suit each individual’s needs.
The grant from Santander will fund the appointment of a specialist volunteer co-ordinator, who will source suitable volunteering positions for the charity’s customers and oversee their placements, providing huge benefits for all involved.
Di Yeoman, Media and Marketing Manager at Heart of England Mencap, said: “The benefits of volunteering are enormous, both to the individual, their family and friends and the community and we believe that our customers should have the opportunity to volunteer too. Finding a good volunteering role can reduce stress, help find new friends, learn new skills and give a huge sense of purpose. Giving to others clearly gives people’s mental and physical health a boost.”
Emma Ford, Branch Manager at Santander’s Stratford Upon Avon branch, said: “The Santander Foundation makes hundreds of donations every year to good causes throughout the UK. We are committed to playing a key part in the community and we are delighted to be supporting Heart of England Mencap and hope the donation makes a real difference to local people.”
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Notes to Editors:
Media Contact
Leonora Burtenshaw at Santander
Email: leonora.burtenshaw@santander.co.uk Tel: 020 7756 4543
Clare Fitzsimmons at Park Lane PR on behalf of Heart of England Mencap
Tel: 01789 488701 Mob: 07836 293848 Email: clare@parklanepr.co.uk
About Heart of England Mencap:
Heart of England Mencap is a registered charity affiliated to the national charity Mencap. It provides a wide range of services across Warwickshire and Worcestershire, supporting those with learning disabilities.
The charity provides services across Stratford, Shipston, Studley, Warwick, Leamington, Evesham and Malvern. These services include supported living, residential care, outreach care, short breaks and respite and a range of day activities across the region.
For further information please go to www.heartofenglandmencap.org.uk
About the Santander Foundation:
The Santander Foundation is at the heart of the Bank’s community activities, providing grants to small charities and social enterprises working with disadvantaged people to fund skills, knowledge and innovation projects across the UK. Discovery Grants of up to £5,000 are available to support three types of activity:
- Explorer: improving people’s knowledge
- Transformer: supporting skills and experience
- Changemaker: innovative solutions to social challenges
Over the last five years, the Santander Foundation has provided £26 million in funding to 13,914 UK charities through Discovery Grants and Staff Matched Donations. For more information please visit: www.santanderfoundation.org.uk
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. It has brought real competition to the UK, through its innovative products for retail customers and relationship banking model for UK SMEs. At 31 December 2017, the bank serves around 14 million active customers with c19,500 employees and operates through 806 branches (which includes 61 university branches) and 64 regional Corporate Business Centres. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.