Match Fund cash grabbed in seven days
Alex Gore • Published 24 Dec 2011 17:00
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BERKSHIRE charities and voluntary groups have grabbed themselves an incredible 20% slice of a £125,000 match funding pot.
Online donations website Localgiving.com has matched £125,000 of pledges in just seven days, with around £53,000 being raised for nearly 40 Berkshire groups in the process.
The Chronicle and its Berkshire Media Group sister newspapers teamed up with Berkshire Community Foundation to make sure worthy causes in the county benefited from the Christmas Match Fund Campaign.
It follows our own Berkshire Match Fund Appeal in September, which also raised more than £50,000.
Foundation chief executive, Andrew Middleton, said: "We can be justifiably proud.
"It is £53,000 this time and that's more than £100,000 for Berkshire charities in the past few months alone.
"There are some really tough stories out there, a lot of these groups are losing money left, right and centre.
"This is a different way of doing things and there is a clear future in it. It is amazing, people have rallied round to create this huge amount of money.
"I hope it heralds a change in fortunes for these groups."
Matched donations include £5,977 for the MS Therapy Centre in Oxford Road, £3,912 for Dingley Family and Specialist Early Years Centre, which has branches in Wokingham, Reading and Newbury, £1,300 for Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Trust, £2,860 for Tilehurst Junior Youth Club and £490 for Swallowfield Community Responders.
Hurst Bowling Club, which has 54 members, has raised £5,625 and will use the money to improve its green and install some much needed steps.
Committee member and fundraiser, Ronnie Ashley, said: "What a Christmas present.
"As a club we have been struggling to raise the money to make these improvements but we can now get it done in time for the start of the season in April. It's been a godsend for us.
"You can't imagine how fantastic this is. Fundraising is not always top of our agenda, as wrinklies we just try to get from one venue to the next."
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 22 Dec 11
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