This year’s events will fund 25 worthwhile and diverse charity projects across the world
Industry charity The Light Fund has raised an impressive £125,000 this year which is to be put to very good use funding 25 different charity projects in 2024, helping men, women and children across the world.
“We can’t thank everyone enough for their generosity and support for The Light Fund this year, meaning we have raised over £125,000 for charities,” said Trevor Jones, chairman of charity which was co-founded by PG directors Jakki Brown and Ian Hyder together with like-minded folk from the greeting card and licensing industries back in 2004.
“This means we are delighted to confirm that we are able to fund 25 very worthwhile charity projects which will go ahead in 2024.”
And Jakki added: “It’s wonderful that through the raffles at The Retas, The Henries and generous donations from those in the industry, including over £8,000 from Belly Button Designs only last week as a result of sales of its Christmas cards, we are able to fund such a great diversity of charity projects, many of which were put forward by those in the greeting card community”.
Funding a helpline for cancer sufferers, providing an assistance dog for an autistic child, covering the costs of a roadshow to raise awareness of prostate cancer, paying for a chicken farm for a village in Kenya, an incubator for premature babies in a UK hospital, a wheelchair for a disabled child and information support for those with Crohn’s and Colitis are just some of the ways the charity’s 2023 total will be used.
Submissions were invited from any UK-registered charities, and The Light Fund committee members and other major supporters then voted individually for which charity projects they would most like to see funded.
The organisation’s committee and voters met on Tuesday evening, 5 December, at which it was announced which charity projects are being funded by this year’s donations as a result of the voting.
As a result of the 2023 fundraising, this means The Light Fund has now raised over £2.2million and will have helped 170 different charities over the last 19 years since its inception.
The beneficiary charities for 2023 are Acorns Children’s Hospice, Birth Trauma Association, Bone Cancer Research Trust, Bowel Cancer UK, The Brain Tumour Charity, Brain Tumour Support, Breast Cancer Now, Bromley Brighter Beginnings, CALM, Challenge Africa, Crohn’s & Colitis, Dogs for Good, Maggie’s, Motor Neurone Disease Association, MS-UK, New Life Special Care Babies, Orchid, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, Shelterbox, The Sick Children’s Trust, UK Men’s Sheds Association, Whizz-Kidz, Winston’s Wish and Young Minds with the full details of the projects below.
With next year being the 20th anniversary of The Light Fund, plans are underway to mark the milestone with the first fundraising event being the Northern Quiz on 21 March at Hotel Football in Manchester, organised by the charity’s northern committee. You can find out more about The Light Fund by clicking here.
The Light Fund 2024 Projects
Acorns Children’s Hospice – £5,000
The grant will cover five full days of palliative care for life-limited and life-threatened children staying at Acorns Children’s Hospices in Selly Oak, Walsall and Worcester. Five days of care will benefit five children and approximately 15 of their family members.
Birth Trauma Association – £4,800
Many people affected by a traumatic birth can find it difficult to access traditional support systems. This grant will allow the charity’s support to extend to local face-to-face groups run by trained members of its peer support team. Attending mother-and-baby groups can trigger reminders of the birth and, very often, people with postnatal PTSD find that others do not understand the psychological impact of traumatic birth.
Bone Cancer Research Trust – £5,100
Primary bone cancer is a rare and brutal disease. Based on patients’ feedback the charity has developed Patient Support Boxes containing information specific to the exact primary bone cancer the patient has been diagnosed with. The Light Fund will enable 300 Patient Support Boxes to be sent out.
Bowel Cancer UK – £5,123
Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer. The charity’s Ask The Nurse service provides high-quality information and support. This grant will cover the costs of running this service for 45 days.
The Brain Tumour Charity – £5,000
To provide 175 Brainy Bags for children diagnosed with a brain tumour to provide comfort and act as a distraction during long hospital stays. Each bag also includes details of the support and information offered throughout their brain tumour journey. This project will complement the paediatric information booklets which The Light Fund funded this year, encouraging parents to order the paediatric information packs at the same time as they order a Brainy Bag.
Brain Tumour Support – £3,932
Brain Tumour Support and the neuro oncology team at Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust, have an Early Intervention pilot scheme to provide patients diagnosed with a brain tumour earlier access to support through an automatic referral to Brain Tumour Support. The project will benefit all patients who have received a brain tumour diagnosis as well as their families and carers.
Breast Cancer Now – £5,000
This donation is for continued support for the charity’s specialist helpline and Ask Our Nurses service. These are both free support services for anyone affected by breast cancer. Breast cancer can be hard to make sense of, whether it be going through treatment, worries about breast health, or supporting a loved one.
Bromley Brighter Beginnings – £5,000
This grant will provide funding for the charity’s Bed For Every Child campaign. Every child is entitled to a bed of their own – a comfortable, functional bed with clean, warm bedding that increases the chance of a better night’s sleep which can, in turn, lead to improved concentration and performance at school. It costs £300 to provide a single bed with in-built storage, delivery and installation, and bedding for a child, and this donation will provide approximately 17 children with a bed of their very own.
CALM – £5,000
To assist funding for CALM’s national life-saving helpline service, available 365 days a year from 5pm to midnight, via phone, webchat and WhatsApp. The helpline offers people the chance to have a free, confidential, and anonymous conversation with an experienced professional who can help people find hope, a reason to stay, and gain the tools they need to make positive long-term changes, saving lives every single day.
Challenge Africa – £5,000
To pay for the building of a poultry farm next to Uzima School for orphans in Kenya. The current farm sustainably funds education for 125 vulnerable children, particularly girls who would be unable to attend school otherwise. Egg and chicken sales pay for teachers, school chairs and desks, exercise books and clothing and shoes for orphans. Eggs also provide protein for the children. This bigger chicken farm with 300 chickens will grow the school, enabling it to provide primary education and care to at least 26 more orphans per year. The school also hosts training classes for at-risk young women in the evenings, funded by chicken sales. The funds will also pay for a solar panel on the farm roof will mean the women could learn under proper lighting rather than using torches.
Crohn’s & Colitis – £5,000
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) does not discriminate. Crohn’s and Colitis affect people of all ages. The grant will contribute towards the costs of running the charity’s digital and printed Patient Information Service, in 2024 that informs, supports, and empowers those living with Crohn’s and Colitis, and their concerned parents, carers, and loved ones.
Dogs For Good – £5,151
The funding to facilitate creating an assistance dog partnership that will benefit an autistic child on the charity’s waiting list. The autism assistance dog partnerships support children aged three to 16. Everyday activities are frightening and confusing for an autistic child which results in the child displaying behaviours such as meltdowns or bolting and running off. This grant will enable the training and partnering of an assistance dog to support an autistic child.
Maggie’s – £5,000
To assist in providing a wide range of benefits to women with cancer, including financial support, advice, grants and to run Eating Well workshops at Maggie’s, West London.
Motor Neurone Disease Association – £5,000
A diagnosis of MND is devastating. The donation will provide more than 65 counselling sessions for children and young people who have been affected by a family member receiving a diagnosis of MND.
MS-UK – £5,000
To provide 36 online MS information sessions in 2024, which aims to support 1,400 people. These are delivered over Zoom so people with MS do not need to travel. The subjects covered are those suggested by the MS community and are wide ranging, from how to manage symptoms such as fatigue or spasticity, to self-help options around diet and lifestyle changes, through to mental health and acceptance.
New Life Special Care Babies – £5,000
To pay for a specialist hot cot for premature babies in a UK hospital. This much-needed equipment will save young lives and will join the 20-plus hot cots already funded by The Light Fund.
Orchid – £5,000
Orchid continues to deliver awareness activities which help people learn about the risk factors, signs and symptoms of prostate, testicular and penile cancer, and the need for, and benefits of, the earliest possible diagnosis. The Light Fund donation will facilitate a Male Cancer Information Roadshow in a busy community location, in either Sunderland or the London Borough of Newham as well as helping fund the annual Male Cancer Awareness Week in September 2024.
Pancreatic Cancer UK – £5,040
Run by a team of experienced nurses, the Pancreatic Cancer UK’s Nurse Support Line acts as a lifeline, providing specialist information and emotional support for anyone affected by pancreatic cancer. It costs the charity £90 to provide each newly-diagnosed patient with their own personalised package of support, which includes two hours with a specialist nurse and personalised follow-up information, two virtual pancreatic cancer support sessions, several publications and access to the online forum and website information. The Light Fund’s grant will enable the charity to support 56 newly-diagnosed patients in 2024.
Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity – £4,500
To provide over 200 hours of autism and neurodiversity training for 30 Roald Dahl Nurse Specialists across the UK. The charity estimates these nurses will directly support at least 750 neurodiverse children, as well as their families.
Shelterbox – £5,000
The Light Fund’s donation can provide around 6,000 people (men, women and children) across 20 villages worldwide with tents, thermal blankets, solar lights, and kitchen sets that may have lost their homes through natural disaster or war.
The Sick Children’s Trust – £5,000
This grant will be used for the charity’s urgent project to re-carpet the stairs and landings at Guilford Street House, the home from home for Great Ormond Street Hospital which supports around 350 families with a seriously ill child every year.
UK Men’s Sheds Association – £5,000
This grant will enable to production of three new video presentations – likely to focus on mental health, prostate cancer and arthritis – that will improve the health and wellbeing of Shedders as well as communicate the needs of its members to external, influential organisations. It will also demonstrate the importance of supporting the Men’s Sheds charity with its ability to reach older men; traditionally a very difficult demographic to engage.
Whizz-Kidz – £5,000
This grant will be used to provide young wheelchair users on the charity’s waiting list with vital, bespoke mobility equipment.
Winston’s Wish – £5,000
Nearly a million people aged up to 25 in the UK may have experienced the death of a parent, brother, or sister – that’s around 5% of the 0-25 population. This grant will help the charity carry on providing its Live Chat Service to grieving children and young people wherever they are or whatever their circumstances.
Young Minds – £5,000
The grant will provide support within a wider project to increase the capacity and efficacy of its Parents’ Helpline. This is a free, confidential service that helps 15,000 families every year. This donation will cover costs such as travel and the facilitation of workshops and focus groups with parents for the outreach and partnerships work planned for 2024.
Discretionary Grants given during 2023
DEC Turkey Syria Earthquake Appeal – £5,000
To provide emergency aid to those affected by the huge earthquake in that region in February 2023.
Macmillan Cancer – £1,500
To contribute to the charity’s valuable work in supporting terminally-ill cancer patients.
MIND – £1,500
To contribute to the charity’s services, providing advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
The GA Benevolent Society – £1,400
To contribute to the help provided to individuals within the giftware, jewellery, surface engineering, travel goods and fashion accessories industries.
Rainy Day Trust – £1,270
To contribute to the help provided to people who have worked in the UK’s home improvement and enhancement industry.
Lancashire Hospitals Teaching Charity – £5,000
To contribute to the charity’s Neurosurgery Fund.
