GBCT’s latest newsletter is now available. You can read it below or download it, with full pictures, in PDF here.
Prime Minister ‘Opens’ GBCT AED
In June, The George Bairstow Charitable Trust were delighted to attend the official opening of the new community access AED at the Moneyrow Green Memorial Hall (Holyport) alongside Theresa May MP, local residents and other supporters of the project.
A grant from GBCT helped provide funding and the AED displays a plaque in memory of George, who was a regular visitor to the village.
Trustee Matthew Leopold (centre) said a few words about the GBCT to the assembled group, and was joined by Katie Bairstow (centre left), Ian Cressey (right) and Faye Wilson-Cressey (left).
- Updates from Grant Recipients
The East Anglian Air Ambulance’s (EAAA) GBCT supported CPR training programme has, as of October 2018, trained 530 people! In April GBCT made a grant of £870 to support the purchase of training manikins so that the EAAA could extend its staff and volunteer training programme, which was previously supported by GBCT, to members of the public. This is a great achievement and we’re proud to be a part of efforts to increase the number of people in our communities who are potential life savers.
We’re pleased to hear that the Bemerton Heath Bike Hub is off to a strong start, following its launch in September 2017. You may recall that GBCT’s grant enabled the purchase of the cabin needed to house the hub. To date, the project has engaged four young people from the local secondary school who attend the weekly bike club, plus a broader group who use the facility to work with the Hub Manager Simon on a 1-2-1 basis through referrals from local agencies such as the probation services, mental health teams and one of the project’s Trustees who mentors a number of young people. In addition, some of the pupils referred by a local secondary school have also been doing their Duke of Edinburgh awards with the team and one has stayed on as a volunteer. The project hopes to build on its early success and continue to engage more young people over the long-term.
We were also delighted to hear from Revitalise that the £1460 grant we provided last year has enabled 20 young volunteers (aged 16 to 25) to take part in their respite holiday programme for disabled people. The volunteers worked with Revitalise staff to enable the guests to experience independence, opportunity and choice, whilst enabling careers to have a break. Of the volunteers, 87% said their experience had improved their self confidence and 79% said their experience had encouraged them to take a more active part in their home community. One volunteer described it ‘as a life changing experience’.
Ulverston Inshore Rescue recently featured in a BBC news article about the response to the Windermere Ferry fire. The team were one of a number of organisations who responded to the incident, no doubt making good use of their GBCT support response vehicle.
Lastly, GBCT has also been doing some outreach work in ‘thanks’ for a grant it received. Trustee Ian Cressey ran an AED familiarisation session with work colleagues at ExxonMobil using the AED training equipment funded by ExxonMobil’s Volunteer Programme.
The development of skills is being supported by a GBCT grant to e:merge, a Bradford based charity that is running a Role Model Leader programme. A GBCT grant of £4400 will support a current e:merge volunteer, Megan Lamb, as an intern on the programme. The project aims to give each ‘Role Model Leader’ a year’s full-time experience as a youth worker, attaining a Level 2 (or higher) qualification in youth work plus support with taking future career steps. They are supported by a weekly in house training session with a line manager and mentoring from within the e:merge team of experienced youth workers. Through the experience they will be able to improve their leadership skills, confidence and employment opportunities. The Role Model Leaders are involved in street based sports to engage other young people in the community, along with group work on a range of topics including staying in education.
The Trustees have been impressed with the outcomes for the 10 young people on Criminon’s skills based distance learning programme for offenders and ex-offenders, which was supported by a previous GBCT grant. A further grant of £1714 has been made to support another ten young people over the coming year.
Volunteering amongst young people and the development of skills is being supported by a GBCT grant for the London Wildlife Trust’s Wild Action Programme, an eight week practical conservation volunteering programme. A grant of £2500 will fund the travel, tools, equipment, lunch, clothing and personal protective equipment for approximately 50 young people.
The programme supports an approach in which the natural environment is not seen in isolation, but as an essential component ‘at the heart of outdoor experience, of adventure, of learning, of creativity, and of wellbeing.’ The volunteers will join cohorts of up to 10 young people on a skills development programme structured over 8 weeks, through which they will undertake practical outdoor conservation, work towards a John Muir Award, and complete accredited media training.
The provision of emergency aid in communities continues to be supported by numerous GBCT grants. In addition to our support of the EAAA (see left) for first aid training, GBCT has also made a grant of £630 to St Andrew’s School Leatherhead to enable the school to purchase an AED trainer and first aid training equipment. Faye Wilson-Cressey is a Geography Teacher at the School and, inspired by the Holyport AED unveiling that she attended, the school is pressing ahead with plans to purchase two AEDs and the GBCT grant will enable staff and students to participate in familiarisation sessions.
GBCT has also been providing further support to charitable emergency service organisations. A grant of £1485 has been made to Bucks Search and Rescue to support the purchase of a new digital radio network for use during emergency search and rescue operations. Similar to Surrey Search and Rescue, who GBCT previously supported, the Bucks team is part of the UK’s Lowland Rescue Service and assist the police in finding and helping vulnerable missing people.
London’s Air Ambulance (LAA) is to benefit from a £2000 GBCT grant to cover the cost of purchasing a new advanced training manikin. Scenario based training using manikins is an essential part of the learning and development for clinicians. The LAA estimate that over a year up to 400 students, medics and healthcare professionals will benefit from this equipment, both from its own staff and via its Institute of Pre-Hospital Care. A number of George’s friends have either benefited from this or similar training, so with this first hand knowledge the Trustees are pleased to support the LAAs initiative.
One of two new GBCT supported AEDs will be available to Exmoor Search and Rescue aboard their fourth emergency vehicle, thanks to an £850 grant. Members of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, as well as the Peninsula Mountain and Cave Rescue Association, they serve large parts of Devon and Somerset. The second AED will be available to the public in the village of Hovingham in North Yorkshire, supported by a grant of £750. Overall, this takes the number of GBCT supported AEDs to eleven.
GBCT relies upon the generous donations of its supporters and the Trustees would, once again, like to thank all of GBCT’s donors.
A huge well done to George’s cousin Kit McCrystal for completing the Edinburgh Marathon in aid of GBCT in May. Kit completed a challenging Edinburgh course (there’s quite a few hills in Edinburgh!) and has raised over £3600 for GBCT, a tremendous achievement. Thank you Kit!
We would also like to say thank you to the customers of the Old Post Office Tavern in Brompton for their on-going support of GBCT, most recently a £100 donation from the Vale of York Lodge Advancement (pictured right—Maria receiving the donation from Tavern Proprietor Neil).
If you’re raising funds for GBCT please let us know. We’d love to be able to say thank you and support you via our social media pages.
The GBCT was set up in March 2014 in memory of George Bairstow and exists so that the difference George made to people’s lives can continue. George was committed to charitable work and lived his life to help others. He died in November 2013 in a car accident, returning home from a volunteer duty with St John Ambulance on Bonfire Night.
The GBCT’s goal is to empower communities to make a difference by providing grants in support of:
- The provision of emergency aid
- Volunteering among young people
- The enhancement of skills among young people
- Keeping in contact with GBCT
Visit our website at www.gbct.org.uk or email us at info@gbct.org.uk
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Copyright © 2018 George Bairstow Charitable Trust. All rights reserved. George Bairstow Charitable Trust (GBCT), a charity registered in England and Wales (1155769).