Charity Testimonials

From Sarah Snow, Development Officer, Rosie’s Rainbow Fund:

Rosie’s Rainbow Fund was delighted to receive a £5,000 grant from the Louis Baylis Trust for its home-based music therapy work with children with special needs. We mark our 10th year of operation this year and like many charities we are working hard to generate funds in increasingly difficult economic circumstances. Support such as this enables us to continue to look after families who are experiencing the overwhelming challenges of serious illness, disability and bereavement.

From Richard Poad, Chairman, Maidenhead Heritage Centre:

Maidenhead Heritage Centre became truly independent when the Louis Baylis Trust made its biggest ever grant to enable the purchase of a redundant pub in Park Street as the permanent home for the town's museum.   "Without the support of the Louis Baylis Trust we would never have been able to create the best small museums in the area," says Chairman Richard Poad. 

"Having a permanent home enabled us to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund and other funding bodies for capital grants, which enabled us to build a new visitor entrance last winter, and to install the superb 'Grandma Flew Spitfires!' exhibition with its fabulous

Kevin Snapes, Secretary, Pinkney’s Green Cricket Club:

The club is using the kind grant from the Baylis Trust to invest in an outfield mower designed to cut grass to very low levels (1-2mm) and hence be able to prepare a better quality outfield which leads to safer and better quality cricket. The return on that investment will be hours saved for our band of volunteers and allow additional matches to be hosted. This is a key piece of equipment included in our ECB ClubMark development plan to increase the use of our cricket pitches and outfield area as envisaged in our three year plan where we are endeavoring  to increase the number of colts (both boys and girls) as well as adults playing cricket and in tandem enter more teams into relevant leagues and cup competitions as well as provide a place the community and come and enjoy.

Hilary Bone, Service Manager, Bridge Trust Thames Valley:

The £3000 from the Louis Baylis Trust was towards the cost of re:charge's Family Support Worker, Hannah Lucas. Re:charge's Family Support Worker supports on average 80 different families a year with one to one parenting support and advice and a listening ear as well as providing a safe, fun environment for their children play safely alongside. She helps parents turn a negative outlook into a positive ending by helping them  look at their issues from a different perspective other than the one they are feeling, giving them more options to choose from.  Issues can be anything from parenting, relationships, drugs and alcohol, housing, financial to supporting them in returning to education, training or work with the aim of providing them with futures full of hope.

Karen Meade, Trustee, Windsor Horse Rangers:

We were thrilled to receive £1000 for field mats.  We have bought the mats and as soon as the fields dry out we will fit them.  At the moment our gateways are so muddy that children are getting physically stuck in the mud while trying to walk through.  The mats will make all the difference next winter by stopping the annual churning up of the heavily used areas.  Thank you so much for your support.

Christine O’Hare, Bureau Director:

Maidenhead Citizens Advice Bureau provides free and crucial advice to members of the local community facing a wide range of problems. 

Volunteer advisers offer impartial and confidential advice to clients confronted with difficult situations including eviction,unfair dismissal, serious illness, marriage breakdown, bereavement, unemployment, withdrawal of benefits and debt. Help is available, at the bureau in Maidenhead, at Dedworth (Wednesday AM) or by phone.  Bureau Director Chris O’Hare says ‘Maidenhead CAB is a small, independent charity, relying on donations, grants and project income to cover essential costs. We really appreciate the continued and very generous support of the Louis Baylis Trust, both financially and in giving us space for our monthly advice column. Without this support we could not provide the same service.’

Nicky Hutchinson, Donations Manager, Thames Valley Adventure Playground

Time spent at the Thames Valley Adventure Playground can be a crucial part of the family coping mechanism, making a huge difference to the lives of those providing what is often 24/7 care for a child with a special need.  Over 14,700 visits are now made each year, with people travelling from right across the South-east as there are so few places closer to home where they can have a chance to be themselves, where everyone is accepted, where everyone is equally valued, and where everyone can join in, regardless of their abilities. 

With as little as five per cent of what we need each year coming through local authority grants, the support of the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust has, for many years, played a crucially important part in helping to keep the adventure playground going:  it is a fantastic feeling to know that we have such superb backing from within the local community, and that people understand the importance of what goes on here, not just for our users with a disability, but for their families and carers as well.

Shellie Clark: PA to Headteacher/ Welfare and Child Protection Officer, Larchfield Primary and Nursery School:

On behalf of the children and staff here at Larchfield School, I would like to say a very big thank you for our cheque of £1402.65.

This sum will be added to our previous winnings and this money will be put towards a new stage and lighting in our school hall.

Fiona Devine, CEO and Co-Founder, Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service

We were so thrilled to receive our grant from the Louis Baylis Trust for many reasons.  Our Children’s Hospice is an initiative, specialist service, serving the most vulnerable within our community.  It is so wonderful to know that all the hard work and mammoth effort to get our build started is recognised and supported by the Baylis Trust and its Trustees,  I feel that the ethos of both charities has symmetry - serving the local community. 

When I think of the Baylis Trust, several things spring to mind, stalwarts of our community, championing local people.  A familiar and trusted element of our town, always there.

For us, as a small local charity, it gives confidence to other funders knowing that we have been supported by the Trust.  Also being a charity partner with the Maidenhead Advertiser has been the most rewarding experience and I can only say thank you for the wonderful warmth and generosity that they have shown us, our Capital Campaign “Together we can build it” would without doubt, not have been as successful.  

There is much still to do but knowing we have the wonderful support of Baylis Trust ensures the continued development and sustainability of Berkshire’s Children’s Hospice.

Jane Corry, Chief executive and artistic director, Norden Farm Centre for the Arts

The Louis Baylis Trust has been a magnificent supporter and great friend to Norden Farm for many years. The Trust has shown its support to our annual outreach events which aim to bring the local community together by working with local schools, community groups and members of the public.

Its funding allows us to present The Lantern Parade, an event which, with the Trust’s support, has grown year on year. Last year’s parade saw over 1,500 people illuminate the town centre with vivid lanterns and music.
With support to our Easter family arts festival, Jump In! we are able to offer free and subsidised access to arts activity allowing people to get involved and try something new.  The Jump In! Festival, and its components including town centre and schools workshops works with over 3,000 members of the local community each year.

The Trust provided essential help for Norden Farm to purchase its cinema equipment enabling the live screening of national theatre productions as well as other national and international live music events.

Over the years the Baylis Trust’s support has played an important role at ensuring the work which Norden Farm is creating is able to reach out to the local community, and for that we are hugely grateful.

Peter Haley, People to Places

People to Places is the local community transport organisation for the Royal Borough.  Established in 1989, the initial volunteers set us up as a charity to help people with mobility problems maintain their independence to live at home.  From the very beginning, the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust has been a stalwart supporter, playing an absolutely critical role in helping us to reach increasing numbers of people across the Royal Borough. 

The Trust very kindly supported us with our annual running costs in addition to which the Trust has provided us with grants to enable us to purchase minibuses and mobility scooters; the indispensable tools for our services! 

Support from the Trust has been a huge factor in keeping our wheels turning.  Last year we provided over 63,400 trips in our accessible minibuses plus a further 7,975 mobility scooter hires for people with all sorts of access and mobility issues.  This simply wouldn’t be possible without the substantial and generous support we get from the Trust; People to Places are incredibly grateful for this support.

Lisa Hunter, chairman, Maidenhead Festival

We cannot thank the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust enough for its continued support of Maidenhead Festival.  As the largest annual event in town that provides a completely free weekend of entertainment, fun and community togetherness we really would not be able to organise the festival without the generous support from the Trust.  We value their donation immensely as it enables us to give local charities and community groups a platform to showcase their work and fundraise at the same time.  It also enables us to promote the fantastic Maidenhead arts scene, giving local entertainers and performers an opportunity to hone their art in front of a live audience at the same time as gaining new fans and followers.  Maidenhead Festival is eternally grateful to the Trust.

Fiona Greenfield, Centre Director Relate Mid Thames and Buckinghamshire

We at Relate rely on funding from the Louis Baylis Trust to provide quality, professional counselling to people of all ages in East Berkshire and South Bucks. 

Relate Mid Thames & Buckinghamshire is a local registered charity, working with parents, children, couples and individuals to improve their personal relationships. The confidential nature of this support means we cannot share our many local success stories, photos of the happy families secure in their ability to talk things through and resolve conflict, children benefiting from highly skilled counselling that will help them throughout their lives, couples who stay together and those who part but on good terms, able to face their futures with confidence and sharing bringing up their children.

Although we request a fee from clients who are in a position to pay, many are not and the balance of the cost of delivering skilled, expert counselling and support has to be met from our funds. With no Government or national funding, we rely on support from the Louis Baylis Trust and last year we helped more than 1,700 people across our area.

As one of our counsellors says: “The kind of people who seek our help wouldn’t be able to get the same service elsewhere. For many of the couples we see, money is a serious issue. We don’t say ‘You can’t come because you can’t pay’.

Heather Clifton, publicity officer, Boyne Hill Boys and Girls FC

The Trust has been a fantastic supporter of Boyne Hill Boys and Girls FC for many years. As the club has expanded the Trust has provided grants to help purchase goalposts, football kit and maintenance equipment.

Things would have been much harder for the club without the Trust, whose support has enabled us to thrive.  We now have 200 players aged six to 16, training and playing league matches every week. We are very lucky to have such a community-spirited organisation on our doorstep.

Caroline Broadbent, fundraiser, 1st Maidenhead Sea Scout Group

Three years ago 1st Maidenhead Sea Scouts’ fundraising campaign was started with lots of enthusiasm and no previous experience or fundraising skills. After receiving a couple of donations we made our first successful application to The Louis Baylis Charitable Trust. By sending us a grant they were saying they believed in what our Sea Scout Group does for the young people in our community, our project was worthy of support and also their faith in our ability to achieve our vision of buying a boat. This vote of confidence was a great morale boost and enabled us to secure further donations as well funding part of our gig, 1st Endeavour. 

The next year we had raised half the money to buy a pontoon to have something to tie our boat to and the Trust donated the rest, enabling us to finish the project much sooner than expected. In May this year we found ourselves in sudden need of a new fire detection system. Their much appreciated continued support was again there for us with the funds which were so much needed being donated. The Louis Baylis Charitable Trust’s funding of our very small, very local charity has helped us achieve amazing progress in purchasing equipment we need to continue to provide the fantastic adventures and challenges to our local young people.

Steph James, Maidenhead town manager

Over the years the support from the Louis Baylis Trust has meant that many great events in Maidenhead are able to take place. Without the Trust events such as the Maidenhead Christmas Lights Switch-on and Maidenhead at the Movies would not have been possible. The Maidenhead Christmas Lights Switch-on is enjoyed by thousands of people each year who come to the town to see the lights and watch the fireworks display – none of this would be possible without the Trust.

Una Loughrey, chairman The Link Foundation

Since 2008, The Louis Baylis Trust has been one of the Link Foundation’s regular supporters and the charity has been very grateful for the many thousands of pounds donated by the Trust.

The Link Foundation helps local families who are struggling to provide basic essentials for their children and it’s great to see a local Trust assisting us with this aim.  The Louis Baylis Trust has helped the Link Foundation to provide beds, cots, prams, cookers, fridges and washing machines for many families in the community who, otherwise, would have to do without these basic essentials.  The Trust also helps our charity provide school uniforms for children attending local schools and, in some cases, food vouchers to help families who have found themselves in incredibly difficult circumstances.

Each Christmas, the Louis Baylis Trust gives the Link Foundation a much needed boost in funds to help with our Christmas Dinner Project as we aim to give as many disadvantaged families as possible a voucher to help them provide their children with a dinner on Christmas Day.  In some years, especially during 2009 and 2010, many companies who had previous supported the Link Foundation in the festive season, were unable to help because of the economic climate, however the Louis Baylis Trust were able to provide the Link Foundation with grants.

The people of Maidenhead should be very proud of what the Louis Baylis Trust has achieved over the years and I am delighted to be able to acknowledge the Link Foundation’s appreciation as one of its regular beneficiaries.

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