Community Grant Awards
As we all know, the last couple of years have been a real challenge for fundraising. However, despite all the obstacles, last year we still managed to raise an amazing £210,000.
This enabled us to continue to make donations in February, through our End of Year Awards, supporting charities local to our vehicle plant in Derbyshire, as well as our Engine Plant at Deeside in North Wales.
Some of the Charities we Supported
Wales Air Ambulance
From February to October 2021, Wales Air Ambulance flew 175 missions in North Wales. 37% of those missions were for medical reasons, 63% due to trauma. Funded entirely by donations, this vital service needs £8m each year to continue flying to people’s aid across the North Wales region.
In February 2020, the Trust donated £4,979 to fund 5 air ambulance missions, covering the cost of fuel, maintenance, wear and tear and depreciation.
Annie Lawrie, Grant and Trust Fundraiser for Wales Air Ambulance, said “We believe everyone in Wales deserves fast, critical care wherever and whenever they need us. We are so grateful to the Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust for this donation, which has helped us deliver our lifesaving service across North Wales.”
Burton & District Mind
Affiliated to Mind, the leading mental health charity in England & Wales, Burton & District Mind aim to provide access to good quality mental health advice, guidance and meaningful support when needed within the community.
Funded by the Toyota Manufacturing Charitable Trust and hosted at the Trent and Dove Kingfisher Community Allotment, an 8 week Ecotherapy project offered the opportunity to engage in gardening activities, whilst growing a range of well cared for and nourishing vegetables. Eleven clients attended eight sessions and enjoyed getting their fingers dirty and harvesting their own food.
Keri Lawrence, Development and Sustainability Officer said “Burton and District Mind are extremely grateful for the generous donation to run this fantastic project. The funding meant we had a place for some of the most vulnerable people in our community to meet and learn new gardening skills and more about keeping themselves well. For some, it was the only reason they had for leaving the house during the Covid-19 restrictions and was a life line for being able to connect with others and enjoy the summer”.
Longer term, it is hoped that the project will lead to more volunteers supporting similar projects whilst putting their newly acquired gardening skills into practice.
Derbyshire Blood Bikes
Derbyshire Blood Bikes provide a free 24/7 medical courier service to the Royal Derby Hospital and Chesterfield Hospital. They continue to have the trust and support of both our major hospitals, saving them considerable sums of money.
In 2020, they made over 8,300 journeys, over 60% to out-of-county locations, saving over £100,000 on transport costs and helping in the treatment of thousands of patients.
We are proud to support the Derbyshire Blood Bikes and are delighted to support their purchase of a BMW F900XR, new generation medium weight twin cylinder motorbike with a donation of £5,000.
Keep up the good work!
Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance
Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance receive no government funding and their life saving missions are fuelled purely by donations.
In 2020, we were proud to support the purchase of two Capnograph and Pulse Oximeters. Currently, clinical crews on both the helicopter and cars carry older units.
Karl Bexon, Airbase Manager for the emergency service, said: “This equipment is extremely valuable to our doctors and critical care paramedics to assess and treat patients.”
“The capnograph measures the level of carbon dioxide in the respiratory gases and offers reliable feedback about the severity of a patient’s condition and how they respond to treatment. It is especially necessary if the patient has to be anaesthetised".
“The pulse oximeter displays the percentage of blood that is loaded with oxygen, which is of critical importance in pre-hospital care. This equipment is also essential to our team when monitoring patients that are trapped. Previous versions of this equipment had served us well, but due to their constant use, we were in need of replacements.”
Canine Partners - Amazing Dogs, Transforming Lives
Canine Partners is a UK charity transforming the lives of people living with disabilities by training assistance dogs. Their amazing dogs are trained to meet the needs of individuals with even the most complex physical disabilities. They currently help adults aged 18 and over (both civilians and former service personnel) who have a physical disability or condition that affects their daily life and limits their independence.
In 2020, the Charitable Trust was proud to finance much needed equipment to help kit out their wonderful new Midlands Kennel and Dog Welfare Centre. Funds helped purchase a washing machine to launder their dog beds laundry in house, helping to save costs. In addition, 8 kidney shaped dog beds, which the dogs love because they naturally fit to their bodies when they want to curl up, and 11 raised dog beds were purchased. As we all know, having a comfy bed can make all the difference!
Sara Read, Trust & Grants Officer said “the £2,000 donation towards the completion of our wonderful new Midlands facility will house assistance dogs in training for years to come. We look forward to creating life-transforming partnerships between our specially trained dogs and the hundreds of people who are waiting to start living with all the benefits they bring. We are grateful to the Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust for helping us to achieve this.”
Look Good Feel Better
Look Good Feel Better is dedicated to improving the quality of life and self-esteem of people undergoing cancer treatment. The programme offers complimentary group and individual sessions that teach beauty techniques to help people with cancer to face their diagnosis with greater confidence.
Despite Covid restrictions, their vital work continues through a range of virtual workshops. The online experience offers live instruction and tips for dealing with appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. Advice on skincare and makeup, haircare, nail care, women’s body confidence and gentle chair-based exercises, including pilates, tai chi, yoga, meditation and breath work are available.
Following a donation of £3,000 from the Trust earlier this year, funding will support workshops at the Royal Derby Hospital and the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Having recently returned to face-to-face workshops in Derby, LGFB Volunteer, Lu Wright commented: “It’s great to be back, the ladies loved every minute, they chatted, laughed, made new friends and felt safe in our new layout, feeling proud at Royal Derby Hospital”.
Let’s hope this fantastic work can also recommence at Chester soon!
me&dee
me & dee has a simple mission - to ensure families going through difficult and uncertain times are gifted with memories they can treasure, never losing sight of what truly matters. Every family they support has a family member who is nearing the end of their life.
As well as offering memory making breaks, this amazing charity offer personal memory boxes. No two boxes are the same and are filled with a range of items, including the forest fairy keepsake. A memory elephant, with a voice recorder, allows lasting messages to be left is also included, as is room for families to add their own treasures.
The Trust is proud to support the purchase of 80 Memory Boxes for families to treasure and to make memories that will last a life time.
Maria Hanson MBE Founder/CEO said ‘These memory gifts make such a difference to our families, adding to what is often a last holiday together, giving the families memories to treasure. We cannot thank Toyota enough for helping us to make a difference”.
Circus Starr
Circus Starr is a circus with a purpose. Their mission is to transform, enrich and inspire the lives of children and families across the UK who need it most. Free tickets are given to disadvantaged, disabled or vulnerable children and their families so they can leave their worries behind and escape to the big top circus for a few hours of fun and entertainment. Following a donation of £4,360 from the Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust, 260 children from the Derbyshire and Deeside areas will experience the thrill and magic of a live performance.
Ady Smallman from the Deeside Engine plant took his family to the Wrexham performance following a donation from the Trust. Diagnosed with Worster Drought syndrome at three weeks old, ten year old William absolutely loved the big top.
The magical art of circus performance certainly made many happy memories, not only for William, but for the whole family.
The 2022 Award
Should you be interested in applying for an award from our 2022 fundraising activity, please re-visit our website at the beginning of October when the application period will open.
Successful applications will receive funding in February 2023.
Community Grant Recipients 2021
