Helping young people to be active members of a community and enhancing their health and fitness are the key goals of the Whixley and District Cricket Club. Richard Watson, Chair of Trustees, who has seen the community-led sports club grow over the years, sees it as an integral part of the community’s future and the money raised through Localgiving is a crucial support to sustain it. “Like all charities, Whixley Cricket Club depends on donations and with over £11,000 raised through Localgiving we are now able to further expand our work and positive impact on the community. Localgiving has allowed us to appeal to a wider range of donors; and the opportunity to participate in match funding provides impetus in our fundraising programmes as we encourage supporters to realise our vision for the club. It’s a win-win situation where the community directly benefits from the investment they put into it. I have always been involved in community activities and have seen several of these local organisations cease to exist. We are determined to never let this happen, because without the club, rural life in Whixley would lose one of its remaining treasures. Seeing countless young people from a range of backgrounds engage with each other in a friendly and competitive sporting environment, through which they’ve developed into mature and responsible community members, gives me and our team of leaders, deep satisfaction. One of our members even qualified as a cricket coach and has now has his own business providing training sessions to schools and holiday clubs. Whixley CC has continued to thrive due to the enthusiasm and commitment of its members. We are bound together in sustaining a thriving community that contributes to everyone’s wellbeing. I think this is worth valuing, supporting, and working for.” Learn more about Whixley CC on their Localgiving page

Before the charity began in 1995, bereaved children were being referred to mental health services for support unnecessarily. Penhaligon’s Friends started running groups, memory days and offering advice to parents and carers and is the only children’s bereavement charity within Cornwall. Without them, the responsibility would fall on health, education and social care whose services are already stretched. Over the years their services have grown to offer support through groups, 1-1 and schools, helping 596 children and young people last year. “We offer support at no cost to our families and offer transport to make it accessible to all.” Hoping to raise the full £2,000 of matched funding available in the Charity Begins in Cornwall campaign, Julie Parker, manager of Penhaligon’s Friends explains how they would use the money. “We would use the funds to continue to support our children, young people and families ensuring there isn’t a delay in our services. The support that we offer can make a significant difference to the way a child manages their grief.” Peter's story “We were able to support Peter, age 11, when his mum and sister were killed in a car crash, he was also a passenger in the car. Peter broke both his legs in the crash. Peter had some family and 1-1 support in the early days to help him come to terms with the loss, and then a few years later was able to come to a memory day with his Dad. He went on to attend our teens support group and he is now a 17 year old young man, with an apprenticeship in a local garage. Peter and his Dad wanted to acknowledge the support we had offered them and completed a local sponsored walk to raise over £1000 for us. Peter was then selected to take part in BBC Children in Need’s Rickshaw Challenge in November 2013, cycling 500 miles!” One of the biggest challenges the charity faces is raising awareness of their cause. Through the Localgiving.com campaign, Penhaligon’s Friends are hoping to create bigger profile for themselves as the only charity of its kind in Cornwall and raise money which goes directly to those it is intended for. “We provide local support throughout the whole of the county and our services are mainly led by trained volunteers. Our employed staff are funded through grants so any donations go directly to supporting bereaved Cornish families.” For more information about Penhaligon’s Friends, please go to their Localgiving webpage.

Today is World Environmental Day - a day for encouraging awareness and action for the enviroment. Sadly, people are consuming more resources than the planet can provide meaning before long we would need three planet Earth's to sustain the way we live. Even small changes in your community can have a large effect in reducing the threat of climate change on the World. Last year we spoke to community group Sustainable Hayfield, whose objective is to increase awareness of climate change issues in their local area. They kindly shared some everyday tips to help communities cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% before 2050, which is the UK government’s target. The tips are easily and cheaply executed in the home and also in an office – which will help you reduce your bills and your carbon footprint at the same time. Cath Moss, the groups manager explains, “We live in a lovely part of a fascinating planet, but we use too many resources. Change is inevitable, and the sooner we act the more choice we will have to shape our own future and lower the burden of change forced upon our children. Everybody can do their bit to help make a positive impact” 30% of our emissions result from heating and lighting in our homes Poorly insulated roofs and walls can account for 60% of heat loss in houses. Most households can get their lofts properly insulated for free by their energy provider. Fix radiator reflectors behind each radiator and add thermostatic valves – unobtrusive and cheap. Draughts account for 12% of all heat loss from dwellings. Draught excluders cost very little but are effective. Considering solar panels? A good source of advice is www.energysavingtrust.org.uk 40% of our emissions are generated by food production methods Avoid air-freighted products where possible. A tonne of Middle Eastern strawberries transported by air will account for 300 times more CO2 emissions than locally grown, seasonal strawberries, which also taste much better. Consider the balance in your diet between meat and non-meat foods. Animal foods are very energy intensive to produce, fruit and vegetables much less so. Reducing the proportion of meat/fish in your diet could reduce your food carbon footprint by up to 40%. Ensure you do not waste – or let your children waste – good food. Currently, over half the uneaten food disposed of by households is perfectly edible. Save waste/money by looking at 2 week menus, recipes, portion plans and more at Love Food Hate Waste (www.lovefoodhatewaste.com). Make your own lunch for work instead of buying over packaged food. Suggest introducing a ‘Bring your own lunch day’ to help get others involved. Growing your own fruit and vegetable reduces all the energy and waste which normally goes into commercially grown food Buy a couple of point-of-lay chickens (£4-£5 each). They need very little space, very low maintenance, and will happily feed on the food waste of an average family, supplemented by a bit of scatter corn. Do you have a garden shed which is not used very often? Cover up the window(s) and grow mushrooms where they won’t interfere with storage.   Want to learn more about what you can do to lower your carbon footprint? Visit Sustainable Hayfield’s Localgiving page.

This month our 'Cause of the Month' has been climate change and we’ve asked our environmental groups how they reduce their carbon footprint and raise environmental awareness. More Trees for BANES have shared with us their Tree Adoption Agency which is a great scheme to encourage planting thousands of trees across Bath and North East Somerset. Their work is funded by public donations and small grants and they rely solely on the generosity of their volunteers. The idea for the project came to Adam, a member of the group when he was home gardening. “I kept finding hazel saplings popping up in inappropriate places - no doubt left there by a squirrel that either has a memory issue, or perhaps has met it’s maker. I popped them all in pots, knowing that I’d be able to find them a home through More Trees BANES.” Adam soon realised that this would have been happening in gardens across the region, so began encouraging others to do the same. People can collect any unwanted saplings in pots, and drop them in Adam’s front garden or have the volunteers come and dig them up. Amidst increased awareness of climate change and how to tackle it, this project proves vital as trees absorb carbon dioxide and contribute to the slowing down of this process. Deforestation has contributed greatly to climate change in the releasing of CO2. Would you like to help their cause? The group are looking for mainly native varieties or trees and Beech; unfortunately, they cannot currently accept Ash or Sycamore. So if you live in BANES and have unwanted saplings, or would be interested in giving one a home, please get in touch with the group. They are currently raising money to set up a modest tree nursery to grow more trees from seeds. Visit their Localgiving page here to read more about what they do and how to get in touch.

Roaming Penzance is a community-led group in Penzance, a safe social space where anyone who finds themselves homeless, or disadvantaged in some way, is regarded as equal and able to be themselves. Laura Wild, Roaming CIC Director and facilitator of the group, talks about Roaming’s creative activities that provide a focus for people in rebuilding their confidence and self-esteem. “In our Thursday group we create a regular space where people are able to relax and share art activities as well as baking bread, cooking and eating a healthy meal together. Some people find us by word of mouth, most are referred by St. Petroc’s Society in whose premises we meet. St.Petroc’s provide Outreach and Resettlement Services throughout Cornwall. We have lively discussions as a group over lunch about life, art and our environment and how best to value these things. We plan together which art processes, writing or cooking we wish to share together. Occasional field trips allow us to explore and experiment more widely and visiting artists give us new perspectives on art as well as culture in general. Twice a year we hold exhibitions of our work so the wider Penzance community can see and talk with us about what we do. We have found this helps to narrow gaps in understanding between people with different lifestyles. Penzance is one of the most deprived parishes in England and recently local support services were cut. The activities that we provide would be otherwise unaffordable to our members. We hope that the “Charity begins in Cornwall” Match fund from Localgiving will help us to raise more awareness for our group and crucial funds to be able to continue. We are passionate about the difference we are able to make for the community and happy with the great feedback we’ve received.” Read messages from members and supporters of Roaming Penzance: “I am very grateful for the warm reception I received every Thursday within the group at Roaming Penzance. The stress, and I must say hardship, I experienced whilst homeless was regularly broken up, giving me a days respite on those Thursdays. Laura would, and still does if the need arises, greet me with a cup of coffee or tea from her limited resources - then I would spent few hours spent in a very relaxed atmosphere painting or water coloring or simply reading a magazine.” Former member of Roaming CIC “Roaming cuts across all kinds of old, inhibiting categories—especially what is and isn’t “art”,what is and isn’t “research,” what is and isn’t “good” or “true” or “valuable.”We all want to learn something new, about ourselves, one another, and the conditions we share.” Nancy Roth – Director of Roaming CIC “The ‘Roaming’ Art Group has been a great success thus far, as evidenced by the recent exhibition. Artwork produced by those attending the group has been displayed at Breadline. I spoke to some of the artists who were present at their exhibition, and it was clear to me that this exhibition was quite a big event in their lives, which had given them a sense of achievement and self-worth. It was touching.” Dr Heidi Burke, Cornwall Health for Homeless “Roaming Penzance gives people the chance to begin to build some structure into their lives. They have the chance to try things, discover new skills, be part of a group where they feel welcomed, included, and valued for their talents not their label. These things are positive and very important when people are faced with uncertainty and lacking confidence as they begin to move on in their lives.” Debbie Croucher, Development Coordinator, Transformation Cornwall “I am so much in favour of these sorts of things that attempt to address the root causes rather than merely providing a pill to try and do something to reduce the effects; it’s much more time consuming but so much better for all concerned, so I do congratulate and thank you all for what you are doing.” Colonel ET Bolitho OBE, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall To find out more about Roaming CIC and to support them, visit their website on Localgiving. Read more about the ‘Charity begins in Cornwall’ match fund here.

Over the past three decades Saint Petroc’s Society, a Cornish charity founded by the Bishop of St Germans in 1986, has helped thousands of homeless people, all with their own individual stories and challenges. Corinna Langford, Community Relations Manager, explains why the work of the organisation is so important to this county that has the second highest number of rough sleepers in the UK. And how the donations raised through Localgiving’s recent Match fund will help them to continue supporting people in very difficult times. “Our charity works with some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded individuals in our society and as such makes an enormous difference to those people. Homelessness can happen to anyone and during these recent austere times, we have seen a large number of people who have lost their jobs and then their homes as a result. Homeless people are career professionals, armed forces personnel, young people, people suffering relationship breakdowns, fleeing violence, people suffering mental ill-health – all of them are real people with aspirations! A while ago we helped a 38 year old man who had spent a significant part of his childhood in care and had had a less than pleasant experience. He spent his latter teen years and on into adult hood searching for somewhere secure to call home. When St Petroc’s found him, he was living in a tent and suffering with the flu. We took him in, gave him a warm bed and a roof over his head. Most importantly, he was given security and stability, something he had never experienced. He was supported with issues such as mental ill-health and a drug addiction that had started as his way of coping with life and his traumatic childhood experiences that haunted him. With the right support he eventually moved into his own accommodation, found work and has continued to inspire others. There is nothing better than being able to make a positive difference in your community But like most charities, St Petroc’s has faced austere times and threats to funding which has been particularly challenging given the ever increasing number of homeless people in need of help. Without our organisation there would be no outreach service to find and support those sleeping rough, 45 bedspaces would vanish along with hundreds of collective years professional experience of the staff team who are absolutely amazing and extremely talented.”  If you want to find out more about Saint Petroc’s Society,or support them with a donation, visit their webpage on Localgiving.

Since 1999, Lizard C.H.I.L.D Trust has aimed to provide Community Help Improving Learning and Development (C.H.I.L.D) for children up to 12 years old. The organisation has grown in popularity each year, currently involving 134 children who are able to join regular sessions teaching them from an early age the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Sports4Tots needs funds Sport4Tots, their most successful project, desperately needs funding to continue running, funds that the group are hoping to raise during Localgiving’s Charity Begins in Cornwall campaign. “Unfortunately the Trust cannot sustain this much-needed and loved-project alone. We get some donations from parents however as we live in an area of high unemployment and poverty, we are struggling to meet our target”, explains Jody Finbow, volunteer fundraiser at the Lizard C.H.I.L.D Trust. “If we don’t receive enough funds, we need to stop the project, which will see both the Trust and it’s beneficiaries lose out on an essential and integral service provision. The match fund campaign will make a massive difference to those who want to donate but aren’t able to give as much as they would like. Sports4tots is a 30 week programme over three terms that introduces children under 5 years to exercise through sport and play. These sessions teach children from an early age the importance of a healthy lifestyle as well as teamwork and help them to build their confidence and social skills to prepare them for the next stage of their learning journey. In some cases we have used the Sports4tots session specifically to work with children who have challenging behaviour. This has resulted in making a huge difference to the children’s progress, allowing them to build friendships and carry out tasks easier than before. This is something that may come easier to others but this is an enormous development to them. What we are in need of now are donations to keep this project alive for our community, giving our children the chance of a healthier and happy start in life.”