David Holt
STATEMENT FROM DAVID HOLT, CHAIRMAN OF THE WPH CHARITABLE TRUST
It has been a privilege to have been the Chairman of the WPH Charitable Trust for the last two years.
During this time we have awarded around 235 grants totalling £856,000 to charities and worthy causes – the largest of which was a single donation for £78,000.
This has only been possible with the support of the enthusiastic board of trustees divided equally between medical and non-medical people with a range of skills.
My greatest pleasure these past two years has been our success in attracting more applications from individuals who have urgent medical needs. These include a level access shower for a disabled gentleman, a stairlift for another disabled gentleman, allowing him to remain in his own home, sensory toys and contributions to sensory assessments for children.
Similarly, we have given to many causes which help to encourage social inclusion. With our help, The Resource Centre for the Blind in Coventry was able to build a new IT suite. St Peter’s Centre, also in Coventry, installed a new kitchen specifically designed with disabled users in mind. The Warwickshire-wide Actively Influencing Mental Health Services (AIMHS) taught people with mental health issues, how to cook healthy foods on a limited budget, and CROW Recycling, in Coventry, was able to continue in its work to provide opportunities for young people and adults with learning difficulties who would otherwise find it difficult to find employment.
We have been delighted to continue our support of the Warwickshire Air Ambulance and of local hospices, all of which provide an invaluable service supporting countless numbers of people in the county and their families.
And once again we recently awarded money to the relatively new group Time Out which in turn was able to provide respite for family and care workers supporting vulnerable adults.
A great many of our grants over the past two years have been made possible with our improved liaison with the Local Authority Social Care Services including Heart and other local community groups, as well as applications generated by our informative website.
I am delighted that a great many of our applications over the past two years have come from first-time applicants.
Applicants such as the Warwickshire and Solihull Blood Bikes whose work we learned of for the first time during a presentation by volunteer Martin Young at a Sunday morning church service in Ashow.
We know there is so much excellent work being undertaken in Coventry and Warwickshire every single day to help ease the lives of people living with sickness or injury. While over the years we have come into contact with a number of groups and individuals for the first time, we know there are a great many more out there seeking assistance from organisations such as ours who may not yet have heard of us.
As well as our own efforts in promoting the WPH Charitable Trust we rely on our beneficiaries to help spread the word.
I believe that we have been able to make life-changing differences countless people and we are of course keen for this to continue.
Peter Handslip, Consultant Respiratory Physician, takes over as Chairman at the AGM in April.
