The latest projects we have helped fund so far in 2022...

Go Beyond (formerly CHICKS)
Supporting 14 very disadvantaged Devon children between 8 and 15 years, to have a week’s break away from home where their circumstances are less than good. Evidence suggests that these breaks help children cope with their life circumstances.
 
Exeter Scrapstore 
Open to anyone supporting children and young people in education, play and creative activities. NCT helped with a contribution towards the failing roof covering.
www.exeterscrapstore.co.uk
 
Sir Francis Chichester
Final of a three year grant towards enabling 25 young people from Devon to attend a Skills for Life personal development course run by Outward Bound.
www.outwardbound.org.uk/sir-francis-chichester-trust
 
Marine Academy Primary School 
Running extra-curricular activities which are no longer available in school budgets for up to 60 disadvantaged children.
 
Island Trust
We have supported Island Trust running Ocean Discoverability sailing voyages for young people with a range of difficulties.  These young people come from special schools in Plymouth and within Devon. 165 young people ranging in age from 10-17 years.
www.theislandtrust.org.uk
 
InFocus
Our support goes towards this charity developing a Skills Hub for 80-160 young people from 16-25 years.  The Hub will offer students many opportunities to try out activities and skills based learning.
infocus-charity.org.uk
 
Action East Devon Headlight project
We are helping AED in their Headlight project which supports children and young people in East Devon through peer support, mentoring and guidance. Headlight will run weekly support groups in Axminster for 25 young people between the ages of 13-24 years.
actioneastdevon.org.uk
 
King Edward V1 Community College 
KEVICC work with approximately 90-100 SEND disadvantaged and CIC students. They will be in collaboration with the Tribe programme run by On the Hill redeveloping the peace garden as a safe space for their students.
www.kingedwardvi.devon.sch.uk
 
Lampard School
"Here at Lampard Community School, we are so excited to get started on building our outdoor classroom! With funding from The Northbrook Community trust our amazing young people, all of whom have communication and interaction difficulties and complex learning needs, will have a space where they can feel safe and supported outside, keep their emotions regulated through contact with nature, and have the opportunity to improve their social communication skills in a calming, natural environment. Thank you so much for your generosity!"

Live Music Now
Many pupils have been adversely affected by the pandemic, whether through missing school or their usual routine or through changes in personal or family circumstances. The school was keen to explore how music could support pupils with their confidence, helping them to work together effectively and to find a creative outlet for their feelings. They wanted to link this with their existing Thrive intervention programme, and to support Thrive practitioners amongst the staff to use more music. With funding through the Northbrook Community Trust, Live Music Now was able to set up a term-long music project with these aims.
www.livemusicnow.org.uk/thriving-through-music-at-combe-pafford-school-torquay

RAMM
showcase.rammuseum.org.uk/showcase/frame-of-mind
 
On the Hill
The Northbrook Community Trust helped fund the erection of a barn.

Double Elephant Print Workshop run workshops for marginalised groups of children at Wynstream Primary School, Exeter. They intend to work with all 368 pupils aged 5-11 years.
 
Exeter Community Initiatives
True North is a pilot mentoring and diversionary activity project for young males aged 10-14 in and around Exeter who have been witness to, victims of, or perpetrators of abuse within the family home.  In this case the number of young males supported will be 25.
www.eci.org.uk
 
Cygnet Training Theatre 
Run performing arts workshops in the most deprived areas of Exeter. They work with Wellbeing Exeter and community enablers to identify need, to ensure that their workshops target those groups who would benefit most from the workshops. The aim is to help 400 young people between 11-18 years.
cygnettheatre.co.uk

​We are very aware that there are many children in Devon with mental health issues. As a grant making organisation it has given us great pleasure to be able to help out with those organisations who have applied for funding to help the children in question. Our latest funded projects were:
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• DYS Space Limited (Space Youth Services) - to set up weekly youth club sessions in Tiverton for young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
• We had our first request from North Devon with Lampard School Barnstaple a vibrant over-subscribed special school wanting help with Phase 3 funding to develop an enclosed outdoor learning space for children.
• Ernesettle Community School Plymouth whom we have supported previously asked for funding towards exercise equipment to help encourage their children in exploratory, physical, social and imaginative play outdoors.
• On the Hill, Lower Ashton is another project previously supported.  We have given them a further grant for their TRIBE residential programme for less academically able children from St Peter’s School Exeter.  In this case youngsters from Years 7-10 live in tents, learning to cook and cope as well as doing some conventional education.
• A new grantee for us is Julian House, Exeter a charity that supports vulnerable and at risk individuals, requesting funding for a project to provide 12 trainer tenancies directed at homeless young people in Exeter.
• We have also given a grant to Esteem Team Exmouth who offer free successful services such as education packages, enabling, mentoring, life skills, cooking and coaching sessions etc towards their work with children with mental health issues.
• The RAMM Development Trust Exeter were given a grant for their project Frame of Mind which will explore how guided therapeutic interaction with museum objects could help reduce some of the stress experienced by young people post the Covid 19 pandemic. 
• The Tree Project, Plymouth were awarded a grant towards providing wellbeing sessions for 6 care experienced children.
• The Mare and Foal Sanctuary Newton Abbot had funding towards helping 12 young people taking part in an equine assisted learning programme. 
• Live Music Now previously supported, want to work with young people at Combe Pafford School Torbay through professional musicians working closely with Thrive staff to integrate music into the existing Thrive programme at the school.
• bibic Changing Lives Although bibic are based in Somerset, we have helped fund a three year project which aims to help 69 children with learning disabilities and developmental difficulties. These children come from schools in Exeter, Newton Abbot, Barnstaple and Plymouth.

Providing Play Therapy support through First Light South West in Plymouth, to children and young people with learning difficulties who have been victims of sexual violence. This project run over three years will help 90 children rebuild their lives.
 
In Exeter we have given funding to two organisations, The Northcott Theatre for a project working with 20 children from Whipton Barton Primary school who are defined as in Need or at risk or becoming so. Double Elephant Print Workshop in partnership with East Devon AONB towards their project helping children with disabilities develop new creative skills through nature.
 
In Ashprington, we have given funding to The Sharpham Trust in partnership with King Edward VI Community College Totnes towards developing a Mindful in Nature project. The aim is to help 36 young people over the course of a year from key stage 3, 4 and 5.  Many of the young people have been experiencing mental health concerns.
 
Funding has been granted to Tiverton based BOUNCE! Brighter Futures Foundation towards child therapists working with creative arts helping circa 250 children directly and 600 indirectly with mental health issues.
 
Enabling Ivybridge based Moorvision who support visually impaired children and young people, to take a group of these children on an adventure activity weekend at Skern Lodge in Appledore.
 
Shebbear School Support Group, Beaworthy to develop an outside area to provide physical and sensory stimulation for 30  children aged 4 – 6 who have lost out on many days of schooling during the pandemic.

Amongst the most recent grants were funding to provide weekly extra-curricular sessions for children with special needs at the Marine Academy in Plymouth and towards providing music therapy for 500 children at Ernesettle Primary School, also in the city. Okehampton Community Dance Project have been given funding for dance sessions for 84 children to help with mental and physical wellbeing.

WESC Foundation has recently opened a new adapted kitchen for students with vision impairment and complex needs, thanks to a generous donation from the Northbrook Community Trust.

The grant has meant that young people at the Exeter charity are now able to access height adjustable worktops, cooker-tops and kitchen sinks in their shared accommodation. The new facilities mean that more of the young residents – who all attend the charity’s specialist College – can now develop essential independent living skills that will stand them in good stead for later life. It’s also a practical space used for socialising and preparing and eating food in a busy home from home.

Visit their website for a full report...

Sirona is offering several new courses this year for people interested in finding out more about equine-assisted learning and therapy at Sirona. These include ‘Mindfulness and Horses’ which incorporates some of the mindfulness techniques they use at Sirona as well as a week long ‘Equidramatherapy’ summer course where art and drama activities are included alongside learning with the horses and proved highly popular with young people last year.
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Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship hold open days from time to time where members of the horse and human team will be on hand to meet the public and answer any questions. For more information please visit their website.
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