This year’s High Sheriff of Oxfordshire Sarah Taylor is on a mission to support the people she describes as “unsung heroes” – those who are dedicated to caring for family or friends who are ill. She has so far raised nearly £74,000, of which the majority will be distributed amongst charities supporting Oxfordshire carers.
OCF is supporting Homes for Oxford in the search for a site for innovative affordable housing. The alliance of community housing projects put in a bid to develop the Wolvercote paper mill site, which was unsuccessful, but the group plans to build on the learning and investment for future projects.
Charities and community groups in Oxfordshire have received a helping hand this month after The Midcounties Co-operative enabled groups to access grants totalling £17,030 via their fund with Oxfordshire Community Foundation. New applications will be sought in August.
Yellow Submarine founder Toby Staveley has created a new online platform for small local charities to share knowledge, build consortia, and gain combined impact and PR. So far 168 groups have joined Locl Oxfordshire, with more members sought.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work done in their own communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of The Queen’s coronation.
Former High Sheriff of Oxfordshire Tom Birch Reynardson has raised over £20,000 for an innovative project run by local charity Aspire Oxford, which will reduce re-offending rates across Oxfordshire.
OCF is delighted to be managing a charitable fund on behalf of Homes for Oxford, which is seeking pledges, donations and other philanthropic support to help them obtain a site to build permanently affordable homes in Oxford.
OCF is proud to be supporting the 7th Oxford Mela, which is an annual one-day festival in East Oxford, presenting multicultural activities for a secular society to reach different communities of Oxford. The Mela will take place on Saturday 21st May at Rose Hill Community Centre.
Lady Stephanie North has been a trustee of Oxfordshire Community Foundation since 2003, and as Chair of the Grants Panel has been a key figure in giving away £5.3 million to 1,700 different local charities and community groups. She is replaced as Grants Chair by Laura Chapman.
A wide range of projects supported by OCF’s Sovereign Housing grant programme came together on Saturday to share their achievements with the Sovereign grants panel. The panel is made up of residents from the housing association’s properties in Oxfordshire, with grants being administered by the community foundation.