What is a grant making charity, and how do we work?
We get a lot of questions from the community about what we now do as a charity and how our grants work, so we thought it was time to explain.
A grant making charity is a not-for-profit organisation that distributes funds to other organisations, rather than delivering services directly itself. That's exactly what we do: we partner with incredible charities and organisations running (or just beginning) amazing initiatives that benefit the health and wellbeing of our community in Tarporley and the surrounding areas. These initiatives help address genuine gaps and needs closer to home.
This model exists to enable smaller charities and projects to access funding they might not otherwise be able to raise all themselves.
What do we do now?
Since 2021, when responsibility for delivering clinical services at Tarporley War Memorial Hospital transferred from us to the Countess of Chester, we've operated as an independent grant-giving charity. Our focus now is on funding and supporting other organisations and projects that deliver services and address the gaps and needs in our community of Tarporley and the surrounding areas.
Our funding comes from our community - regular donors, legacies, and now the rent from the hospital building itself, which is leased to the Countess of Chester Hospital and used as their rural hub to continue delivering vital clinical services here. We're also incredibly lucky to have the Vintage Charity Shop as a direct fundraising tool too - every purchase or donation to the shop helps ensure our work can continue, and that we keep prioritising the health and wellbeing of our community.
How do we decide who to fund?
The grants we offer are designed to support charitable organisations that align with our core charitable aims:
- The advancement of health, including physical health, mental wellbeing, community health initiatives, preventative support, or anything that helps people live healthier lives
- Supporting people in need - particularly those affected by age, ill health, or disability
Following research within our community, we’re also keen to prioritise projects that align with our key focus areas:
- Mental wellbeing support
- Health screenings and early intervention
- Dementia support, and support for carers
- Fitness, wellbeing and healthy lifestyle initiatives
These themes help us stay focused on directing funding where we know it can make the biggest difference.
What kinds of projects and organisations do we support?
Since we started issuing grants in 2024, the projects we've funded have supported well over 800 individuals and their families. This year, we're proud to have funded even more fantastic, much-needed projects across Tarporley and the surrounding areas, and we hope to build longer-term partnerships with many of them in future.
- Let's Farm CIC- offering people with learning difficulties the opportunity to take part in farming life and learn new skills.
- End of Life Partnership - delivering Namaste sensory care for dementia support (kindly supported by Tarporley 41 Club)
- The Aaron Dixon Memorial Fund, CRY - delivering life-saving heart screening for young people (kindly supported by Tarporley 41 Club)
- Support in Sound Project - a 10-week community music therapy and research programme for people with dementia.
- Down Syndrome Cheshire - supporting individuals and their families with life skills, digital confidence and community engagement.
- 'Which Way Forward', Agricultural Chaplaincy- delivering mental health workshops for local farmers, increasing stress awareness and coping strategies.
- Youth Mental Health Project, Enigma Wellness - supporting youth mental health, including managing exam anxiety and helping parents/carers support young people through anxiety.
- Digital Confidence for Carers, OPAL - supporting unpaid carers aged 60+ to access and use digital health tools.
- Whitegate Community Group - supporting individuals with SEN, social isolation and anxiety to develop life skills, build confidence and gain experience in a gentle, supportive environment (kindly supported by Tarporley 41 Club).
Find out more about our grant partners here.
Why does this model matter to the community?
Our charity has a rich and wonderful history with the hospital. Rather than closing the hospital doors completely following Covid, we were able to ensure the continuation of clinical services through the Countess of Chester, a decision that allowed us to focus our energy on raising much-needed funds for other vital charitable services and projects in the area.
This has given us a far wider impact than we could have achieved alone. By funding other charities, we help them continue their incredible work, multiplying our reach and serving a much broader range of people across our community.
How you can get involved
There are lots of ways to be part of this story:
