Category: News

The Barker-Mill Foundation has awarded funding to several charities based in the New Forest, further strengthening its position as a key local charitable organisation. Age Concern New Forest, New Forest Live at Home, Home-Start New Forest, and the 3^rd New Forest North Scout Group have all been awarded funding to help them meet their charitable aims.

Age Concern New Forest has been provided £2,000 to support the charity in its mission to provide help to older people in the New Forest by offering services including information and advice, befriending, lunch clubs, and computer clubs. The charity, which has been established since 1989, works to ensure that all elderly people in the New Forest can experience a high quality-of-life, and can live independently for as long as possible.

New Forest Live at Home is a community-based scheme which works to reduce loneliness and isolation among older people. The scheme has been awarded £1,000 by the Barker-Mill Foundation, which will contribute towards the support of new groups for older people in Totton. This money will go towards start-up costs, helping to establish groups which are sustainable long-term.

Home-Start Hampshire, which the Foundation has supported significantly in the past, has been awarded a further £1,300 to support a family for a year. The charity works to support the work of local authorities and families by supporting families experiencing challenges such as poverty, mental and emotional health difficulties, social isolation or parenting challenges. The charity provides essential help to families in difficult situations, and endeavours to reach them at the most crucial points, particularly in terms of early childhood development.

Christine Chapman, Business Development Director for Home-Start Hampshire said: “We work with many families in the New Forest area and have many more families waiting for assistance so we’re very grateful for the generosity of the Barker-Mill Foundation, which enables us to continue this valuable work.”

Continuing the Foundation’s long-standing relationship with the 3^rd New Forest North Scout Group, £2,000 of funding has been awarded to the Group, which will go towards much-needed facility repairs and upgrades. The Group provides a valuable place for young people to spend their time, as well as working throughout the local community with people of all ages.

Tim Jobling, Trustee of the Barker-Mill Foundation, said: “At the Barker-Mill Foundation, we’re proud to support local charities and be active members of the New Forest community. The funding that we provide to local charities is essential for their valuable work, and it’s a privilege to help support a number of vulnerable groups through these charities. We’re confident that these charities will use the funding efficiently and have a big impact on communities and individuals throughout the New Forest, and we look forward to seeing the outcomes of their hard work.”

New Milton, in Hampshire, enjoyed a spectacular Christmas Festival and Parade this year thanks to a generous £1000 donation from the Barker-Mill Foundation. The 15^th annual Festival hosted on 30^th November saw visitors enjoy entertainment including the parade which saw Mother and Father Christmas arriving in their sleigh, busy craft stalls, a French Market, local food, fairground rides and entertainment from the fabulous Bollywood Dancers on the main stage.

The Festival and Parade were declared an outstanding success with Christmas fun and shopping for all the family. The switch on of the New Milton Christmas lights rounded off a fantastic day. The New Milton Town Partnership extended their huge thanks to the Barker-Mill Foundation for their generous support.

The New Milton Town Partnership was formed in 2004 as a result of the Town Plan to work on thirty community projects which were identified to improve the future economy and vibrancy of the town. The funding of £2000 was required to provide the main stage, the most popular part of the Festival, where local acts and artists perform to the gathered crowd. The funding was also required for hire of the stage, technicians, equipment, travel expenses and health and safety.

The Barker-Mill Foundation has very kindly donated £2000 towards The Friends of Hazel Wood School’s appeal to purchase 30 new iPads to support the children with their learning. Hazel Wood Infant School is located in Totton and has approximately 240 children between the ages of four and seven.   The Friends of Hazel Wood are a PTA association whose aims are to enhance the education of the pupils by providing a range of activities and purchasing high quality facilities and equipment for the school.

The iPads provide an essential learning resource for the children as they offer a wealth of educational resources which can be used within a school based setting.

Ali Willis, Chair of the Friends of Hazel Wood, commented: “We are immensely grateful to the Barker-Mill Foundation for their very generous donation towards our £10,000 target which the Friends of Hazel Wood have successfully raised. Throughout the last school year, we’ve held all sorts of fundraisers like the Fun Run, Christmas Fayre, Mother’s Day Gift Stall, Easter Egg Hunt and Disco. The teachers also raised money by running the Romsey Relay Marathon. The £2000 received from the Barker-Mill Foundation has been a tremendous boost to reaching our goal. The children are delighted with the iPads and really enthusiastic about learning with them.”

The Executive Head Teacher said “On behalf of the school, we would like to thank the Barker-Mill Foundation for their generous donation which has enabled our children to have access to up to date technology and apps to support their learning.”

Tim Jobling, Barker-Mill Trustee, said: “Children today grow up in an age which is reliant on technology so it is vital that they are able to learn and develop the IT skills needed in their future lives from an early age. The Barker Mill Foundation is delighted to have made this possible with the donation towards purchasing these iPads. I hope it will enable the school to continue to advance the educational opportunities of the children.”

 The Breast Cancer Haven, Wessex will be able to fund the post of Information and Support Officer until December 2020 thanks to a generous donation of £24,000 from the Barker Mill Foundation. Breast Cancer Haven Wessex has supported over 1500 women through its Titchfield centre since 2015.

The purpose of the Information and Support Officer is to provide essential information and emotional support to those affected by breast cancer. The donation by the Barker Mill Foundation ensures that there will be someone in the role at the Titchfield centre for the next 12 months to provide a single point of contact for essential and practical information and advice.

Charlene Smith, Head of Institutional Giving at Breast Cancer Haven was thrilled to receive news of the donation: “We are eternally grateful to the Barker Mill foundation’s continuing support. Their latest donation will make such a difference to the visitors who use our Titchfield centre. A breast cancer diagnosis, the treatment and recovery can be hugely daunting, not just for the affected individual but the whole family.

“The challenges faced are gruelling, emotionally, physically and financially. At Breast Cancer Haven, Wessex we hope to alleviate some of the anxiety and concern and help each individual navigate their circumstances with tailored support, providing the right information and advice at every stage of their treatment and beyond. The funding for this role will make a significant difference to all our visitors, women and men, who are diagnosed with breast cancer, however complex their needs.”

The role of the Information and Support Officer is also a key link between Breast Cancer Haven, Wessex and external medical practitioners and the wider medical community across the region. By building contacts and relationships that can facilitate the development of the service, the charity can raise awareness and create outreach opportunities which facilitates their aim to reach more of those affected by breast cancer and brings their essential programme of support out in to the communities in the region.

Tim Jobling, Trustee of BMF said: “We have long been advocates of the work of Breast Cancer Haven, Wessex, which is vital to those experiencing what will most likely be one of the toughest times of their life. The Barker Mill Foundation is delighted to once again be able to fund the role of Information and Support Officer, which is pivotal to ensure the support to those in need is given by the charity.”

To find out more about Breast Cancer Haven visit: https://www.breastcancerhaven.org.uk/

The Barker-Mill Foundation has made a second donation to Totton & Eling Youth FC to aid the popular youth football club to expand and grow to offer more local children opportunities to play football in a safe and friendly environment.

The £1,500 donation has enabled the club to purchase new equipment and kit and to hire the facilities needed to support training and matches. The funds have also gone towards keeping the ever-growing youth section compliant with the FA Charter Standard which the club has recently been awarded.

The youth section of the club has grown significantly over the last three years and now has ten teams spanning from the U7 to U18 age groups. With a majority of these new teams being formed out of the club’s Hampshire approved Tots programme aimed at three to six year olds.

Mark Jones, Manager of Totton & Eling Youth FC said: “The support we have received from the Barker-Mill Foundation is invaluable and enables the club to continue its work in the local community whilst keeping membership fees at a good level.”

Tim Jobling, Trustee at the Barker-Mill Foundation said: “It’s great to hear how Totton & Eling Youth FC have been expanding, enabling more youngsters from the local area to enjoy the outdoors and keep active by participating in the sport. We were delighted to provide further funding to support this growth.”

The Barker-Mill Foundation has made a donation totalling £4500 to The Acorn Community Pre-School in Totton for the school to extend and enhance their outside learning areas. The donation will also be used to improve the use of their online educational assessment tool to support their pupil’s learning and development. Acorns Community Pre-School has been providing childcare for children from two years to school age in Totton since 1987.

The welcome funds will be used by the school to replace the leaky shed which houses their outside resources including bikes, gardening equipment and games. The sunshade needs replacing, and a new all-weather shelter will allow children to play and learn outside during all weathers.

The donation will also replace four mini iPads which are used by the staff to record observations relating to every child’s learning and development. They will also be able to access the schools online Educational Assessment tool which is used to tailor support for individual children’s learning goals.

Liz Gaida, Acorn Community Pre-School’s Manager comments: “The donation from Barker-Mill is a fantastic boost to the work we do here with our children. They enjoy a wide range of experiences to support their early learning goals and the outdoor area is a vital part of that. The activities like soft play, mud kitchen and the growing area all offer great ways to encourage learning. We have limited funds to pay for developing and improving our facilities and the area was suffering from wear and tear so was in much need of a makeover. The £4500 donation will make a huge difference to helping us continue, extend and enhance our interesting, stimulating and varied safe outdoor learning areas and improve the use of our online Educational Assessment tool.”

As Liz Gaida highlighted, the benefits of the donation go beyond replacing worn out facilities. The donation will support Acorn’s aim to continue to provide a friendly, happy and supportive place for those within their local community and support their current and future pupils.

Tim Jobling, Barker-Mill Trustee, said: “Acorns Community Pre-School is clearly an asset to its local community and we are delighted to make this donation to enable the school to continue and improve the creative ways in which they support the children’s first experience of education.”

The Barker-Mill Foundation continues to support charities and individuals across Hampshire with over £4 million donations made to a huge variety of projects, big and small, in all areas of the county.

Applications from a range of projects in the New Forest have benefitted from total donations of nearly £900,000 from Scout groups like 14^th New Forest East Scouts which received funds towards vital work refurbishing the scout hut to award winning workshop programme SPUD (Space, Placemaking and Urban Design) to Furzey Gardens Charitable Trust was delighted to receive £40,000 towards its garden training for the disabled initiative.

Nursling based community and charitable organisations have, over the years, seen donations of over £250,000 go to the various good causes they champion. Nursling Primary School was able to create their multi-purpose outdoor classroom for the pupils and the £95,348 given to the Mill Monument Restoration has enabled refurbishment of the monument as well as archaeological exploration work as well as helped their core funding.

All over Hampshire organisations have been able to fulfil their wishes thanks to the generosity of the Barker Mill Foundation including, on the Waterside, where recipients as diverse as Applemore College, Marchwood Orchestra and Waterside Sports and Social Club have received over £130,000.  To the West of the county the Romsey area has seen donations totalling £122,197 to groups like Romsey Riding for the Disabled and the Romsey Abbey Business Development Group.

Southampton, as a major centre has, not surprisingly, been one of the greatest beneficiaries with donations reaching £1,139,584 for projects big and small. Major recipients, like the world respected John Hansard Gallery in Southampton have received a £100,000 donation to support a three-year project that will see a series of pioneering commissions for the Digital Array. While at the other end of the spectrum, Southampton Society for the Blind, Millbrook Rugby Football Club and many scout groups number among the more grass roots organisations supported by the Barker Mill Foundation.

Tim Jobling, Barker-Mill Trustee commented: “The Barker Mill foundation is a keen supporter of all manner of charitable organisations and community groups across the breadth of the New Forest and Hampshire and we are very proud to be able to support such a wide variety of people, whether through grass roots community groups or major public projects. Key to the Foundation is to enable people to achieve their fundraising goals. None of the organisations we support work in isolation, so often the ripple effect can be felt far and wide by many people, whose lives are improved as a result.”

The Barker Mill Foundation has donated £100,000 to The Murray Parish Trust (MPT) towards its £5.5million iMRI suite appeal. The iMRI Suite Appeal is The Murray Parish Trust’s latest challenge which is to fund a revolutionary intra-operative MRI (iMRI) Suite at Southampton Children’s Hospital. The iMRI suite will make Southampton Children’s Hospital a next generation centre for paediatric neurosurgery and pioneering research, which will advance the treatment and care of children across the region and beyond.

Barker Mill Foundation has been a loyal supporter of The Murray Parish Trust for almost five years, having previously donated £10,000 to extend the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Southampton University Hospital, a highly specialised unit providing acute paediatric care for critically ill children from across the whole of the South of England. BMF also match-funded an impressive £40,000 towards #2millionsteps, the £2million appeal to build a brand-new Paediatric Emergency and Trauma Department at the University Hospital Southampton.

The Murray Parish Trust, a Hampshire based charity, was set up in 2014 by actors Sarah Parish and James Murray to thank those that gave them the precious time they had with their late daughter Ella-Jayne who suffered from a congenital heart defect. Following two highly successful fundraising appeals for PICU and #2millionsteps, MPT has embarked on the iMRI suite appeal.

Sarah Parish and James Murray commented: “Tim Jobling and The Barker Mill foundation are exemplary when it comes to trusts and grants, and how much of a positive impact they can have on charities. They focus less on bureaucracy and much more on what’s important – making a real difference to essential causes for the South of England.”

Tim Jobling, Trustee at the Barker-Mill Foundation, said: “The work that The Murray Parish Trust do for the University Hospital Southampton and Southampton Children’s Hospital is inspiring. Sarah, James and the team never stop striving to raise the funds for greater and better care for critically ill children across the region. The charity has transformed the lifesaving care that Southampton Hospital can give to the wider community. The Barker Mill Foundation cannot think of a more worthwhile cause to have given our ongoing support.”

To find out more about The Murray Parish Trust’s iMRI appeal and to pledge your support, visit: www.themurrayparishtrust.com/iMRI-Suite-Appeal/