Who We Give To

LS-TEN is the largest indoor skate park in Leeds and houses a small independent school that specialises in supporting young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, as well as running a vast range of youth clubs and lessons in skateboarding, roller skating and BMX. The charity said: “It is hard to measure the incredible difference this project has made to our organisation. The £3,500 grant allowed us to take two cohorts of young people to different skate parks and give them a brand new skateboard...We were able to have discussions with them about skateboarding careers and how you can make a career out of something they love.”

Aiming to help more LGBTQ+ seniors keep well, have fun and stay connected, this charity had a number of successful groups in Leeds but could see the need to branch out wider and required funding to make this happen. A £3,000 grant from the Trust gave Out Together the boost it needed to do more marketing and start to establish the project across West Yorkshire, providing vital support networks to combat social exclusion, depression and poor mental and physical mental health in older age.

St Stephen’s Church has been serving the diverse community of West Bowling in Bradford for over 160 years, most recently joining with Shine (West Bowling) in providing services such as a Pop-Up Pantry, advice on budgeting and benefits, parenting support and a variety of services to help with physical and mental health. The Sir George Martin Trust aims to be as flexible as possible with its core cost and capital funding, providing support where it is needed most, especially for 'hard to fund projects'. The Trust gave St. Stephen’s £3,000 to complete a much needed new toilet block within the church.

This Kirklees charity works to tackle isolation and develop social and horticulture skills by providing opportunities to meet people in a relaxed, outdoor environment. They support over 500 people a year at sessions run in Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Batley. Growing Works said: “As a small charity we spend the majority of our time and resources delivering our services and supporting those who attend which leaves little room for reviewing processes, strengthening operating practices and finding ways to develop. The Sir George Martin Trust’s £3,000 supported these crucial back-office functions, enabling us to spend time strengthening and streamlining our administration and reporting processes, as well as allowing us the time to explore the development potential of our main site.”

The Trust has supported this Todmorden, Calderdale charity which is fully volunteer run for the past three years, helping local people with disabilities to enjoy the sport of cycling in the great outdoors. The £2,000 grant went towards the purchase of five new pilot bikes which are attached to a modified recumbent bike (places the rider in a laid-back reclining position) which can be propelled by leg or arm.

The Trust gave £2,500 to this Wakefield-based charity which holds creative activities for local adults with learning disabilities. £1,899 of the funds contributed to core staffing costs for their summer holiday activities and trips, and the remaining funds went towards CoActive’s annual insurance costs. The charity said: “The grant was very timely in enabling us to complete the 22/23 year having met our budget requirements and not carrying forward or needing to use our very modest reserves... The summer programme is essential for maintaining member confidence in the group - it reduced isolation and connected 25 member to other resources in the community.”