The Waendel Walkers' Club

The Number 1 Club in the British Walking Federation

As many of you know every year (based on the accounting year which is April to March) we make a donation to a selected charity based on a percentage of all walk fees for the whole year, plus 100% of the walk fees for the Christmas and New Year special walk events.

We are changing the process for selecting the charity in order to enable new charities to be considered and also to provide an element of democracy for our members to nominate and select the charity. We will be adding a few more charities that have already been nominated and the process will be that the committee will select a shortlist of two and the members will make the final choice between these two at the AGM. At the AGM the committee will also announce the proposed amount of the donation to the charity for the year just completed prior to presenting a cheque to the charity.

The choice of charity has always been challenging. The amount donated is usually of the order of £500 but can be higher or lower depending on walk turnout during the year. We try to select a charity that has local connections and that is small enough such that the above amount would make a real difference to them.

We currently have a list of six charities, all of which have been past beneficiaries of our donations. Charities can be added to this list by nomimation to the committee for consideration. Brief details of the current six charities are listed below, along with when they last received our donation:

Headway

Headway is the UK-wide charity that works to improve life to those affected by brain injury by providing vital support and information services. The charity also lobbies for better support and resources to be made available to people affected by brain injury and works to raise awareness of brain injury and the devastating effects it can have. A network of Headway groups and branches across the UK and Channel Islands provides a wide range of services including rehabilitation programmes, carer support, social re-integration, community outreach and respite care to survivors and families in their own communities.

More details of Headway can be found at www.headway.org.uk

The local branch of Headway was our nominated charity for the year 2017 to 2018 and again for the year 2023 to 2024

Thomas' Fund

Thomas’ Fund is a charity founded in 2007 that provides music therapy in Northamptonshire for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses or a disability which, for medical reason, means they are too ill to attend school for extended periods.

This charity was set up in memory of Thomas Smith by his parents. Thomas died at the age of 10 from a life-limiting neuro-degenerative condition in 2004. He lived a short life, unable to attend school all year round, but thanks to his family, his life was packed with fun - a big part of which came through music.

More details of Thomas' Fund can be found at www.thomassfund.org.uk

Thomas' Fund was our nominated charity for the year 2018 to 2019

The Andi Bull Cancer Trust

Andi Bull was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in September 2006, He fought long and hard for the next four years and sadly lost his battle in November 2010. Andi himself formed the trust in June 2010 when he was told that there was no more effective treatment available to him.

The aim of the trust is to help divert young people's minds from cancer treatment and provide a link between the isolation of hospital and the outside world. The trust works closely with local hospitals in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire to identify the needs of young people between the ages of 13 and 25 and has provided facilities such as board games, electronic equipment, magazine subscriptions and similar individual awards.

More details of the Andi Bull Cancer Trust can be found at www.andibull.org.uk

The Andi Bull Cancer Trust was our nominated charity for the year 2019 to 2020,

We have recently been notified that the charity's activities are being reduced and they have suggested to us that in the future we may wish to donate to other local equally deserving charities. We understand that the charity is still operational however.

Cransley Hospice

Cransley Hospice provides care for patients with a life-limiting illness who need the specialist help of hospice care. This care takes in all aspects of the person i.e. physical and mental heath, spiritual and social care (holistic care) and is available in the hospice building (inpatient unit) and at home. All services are provided at no cost to the patients or their families.

The inpatient ward at Cransley Hospice has 9 beds and is supported by a team of Nurses, Doctors and other Health Care Professionals who are experts in palliative care – caring for someone who is no longer able to have a treatment to cure them.

More details of Cransley Hospice can be found at www.cransleyhospice.org.uk

Cransley Hospice was our nominated charity for the year 2020 to 2021, extended to 2022 due to the pandemic.

Read Easy Wellingborough

Read Easy Wellingborough is a local group, affiliated to the national charity Read Easy, who must raise their own funds locally to operate. They offer free, one-to-one reading coaching to any adult who wants to learn to read or to improve their reading. At present, they have more than twenty coaches and around eighteen readers. Our donation has made a massive difference to a small, local charity, enabling it to buy more books and resources such as whiteboards, magnetic letters, dyslexia strips – all things that help coaches deliver the coaching.

One reader said, who has completed the course, being able to read has given them so much more confidence and made them a much happier person.

Read Easy Wellingborough shares being the nominated charity for the year 2022 to 2023.

Changing Faces Northampton

Changing Faces provides life-changing mental health, wellbeing and skin camouflage services. They work to transform understanding and acceptance of visible difference, and campaign to reduce prejudice and discrimination.

Nearly one in five people in the UK self-identify as having a visible difference or disfigurement, and research shows that they are often vulnerable to isolation, loneliness, social anxiety and low self-esteem.

Changing Faces shares being the nominated charity for the year 2022 to 2023.