OCF’s Chief Executive and President were delighted to attend the service in Windsor, along with hundreds of representatives from communities in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Organiser The Oxford Foundation has recently set up a named fund with OCF to channel any fundraising.
Sarah Taylor this week took over from Tom Birch Reynardson as Oxfordshire’s High Sheriff, a year-long ceremonial and community role. During her shrieval year Sarah will be working with OCF to support and fundraise for people in the county who have caring roles.
We were saddened recently to hear that Eileen Cavalier, founder of the London College of Beauty Therapy and a friend of community foundations, passed away recently. Eileen spoke at our debate in November at the Oxford Union, making the case for the beauty industry’s philanthropic activity.
As a finale to his year as High Sheriff, Tom Birch Reynardson has invited former Chief Secretary of the Treasury Jonathan Aitken to give a talk at the Said Business School. Convicted of perjury and imprisoned in 1999, he will share an insider’s understanding of why such a huge percentage of offenders return to jail.
We celebrate our 21st birthday in 2016. As OCF comes of age, we want to build strong collaborations with partners who will be able to help us make an even bigger difference to Oxfordshire’s most vulnerable. Our event at the historic Broughton Castle will be the chance to hear from us and from eminent philosopher A.C.Grayling about the role of philanthropy in Oxfordshire today.
The High Sheriff hosted an event in Oxford Crown Court last night to celebrate a programme that introduces young people to the world of the courts. The project is administered through a charitable fund held and managed by OCF.
As flooding continues to affect communities in Scotland and the North of England, a UK-wide appeal has been launched to support flood victims. Coordinated by umbrella body UK Community Foundations (UKCF), the appeal will benefit from match funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Community foundations in Europe have been working together to react to the refugee crisis, with a pan-European collaboration and a new UK-based charitable fund established to support frontline care and longer-term integration into our communities.
Crowdfunding initiative The Funding Network will be holding its next event at the Old Fire Station in Oxford on 5th May 2016, and is now looking for nominations for local charitable projects to pitch for £4,000 in funding to an audience of donors.
OCF’s corporate engagement initiative now boasts 30 members, including Allen Associates, Withy King, Unipart, Bicester Village and Finders Keepers – and now First Line IT. One of the group’s first projects will be to audit the existing community activities of its members as a benchmark for future achievements.