Welcome to our latest Charitable Trust update
Introduction
In our last edition, we introduced you to the Charitable Trust and highlighted some of our key work and achievements as part of our Charitable Giving Strategy.
Our current Charitable Giving Strategy comes to an end this year and the Trust team are working on the new strategy. As we look ahead, this process has given us the opportunity to reflect on the work we've done and the lessons we've learned along the way The updated strategy will be launched in 2026, and we look forward to sharing its key themes and priorities with you in the next edition.
Last year, the Charitable Trust won the Outstanding Grant Funder award at the Voluntary Sector North West Funding and Commissioning Awards in November
When speaking about us, the judges said “The Eric Wright Charitable Trust exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding grant funder Their commitment to empowering grassroots and medium-sized organisations, their focus on tackling inequalities, and their ability to adapt to emerging challenges have made a profound difference to communities ”
This is a significant achievement for the Trust as it reflects the work and support we’ve provided to different charities over the years and the difference we’ve made to people’s lives and communities.
We kicked off 2025 with a celebration as Trustee, Alison Wright, was invited to the official opening of a sensory room at the Royal Manchester Children’s hospital In 2024, the Trust supported the hospital with funding to refurbish this space
The refurbished space is used to offer patients and their families somewhere calming to go, away from the medicalised ward and includes calming lights and visuals, soft textures and fun resources for patients to use
Meet your 2024 and 2025 Trust Chairs 2
Meet Hugh MacDonald - Trustee (Chair 2025)
My association with the Eric Wright Group extends back over a period more than 25 years and I feel very privileged to have been a Trustee of the Charitable Trust for just over 16 years.
My vision as Chair is to continue building on the success that we’ve had as a Trust and keep adding value as we move forward into 2025 and beyond
My extensive knowledge of the Group has built up over the years and this combined with my years of experience in the wider
real estate finance sector allows me to draw on a wealth of experience, expertise and practical knowledge that I can put to good use to continue to help shape the Trust and its activities.
We have the most amazing Trustee team who between them contribute a huge range of experience, sector expertise, professionalism and value add at the various meetings that take place throughout each year. We are all driven by a common purpose and enjoy very open and honest dialogue between all the team members to ensure that the Trust’s affairs are managed and conducted with the utmost integrity and appropriate foresight.
Meet Michele Collier - Trustee (Chair 2024)
After a 30-year career with the Eric Wright Group, I took on the role of Trustee with the Eric Wright Charitable Trust in 2019 and position of Chair for the year in 2024
I am thoroughly enjoying my role and working alongside a diverse and interesting board of Trustees I find it hugely rewarding to see the positive results achieved by the many and varied charities supported by donations from the Trust
It’s been humbling to meet so many people working in the charitable sector and to see their dedication to improving the lives of those who may otherwise struggle to obtain the support that they need.
Understanding the vision of those working in the sector has been invaluable in helping us as Trustees to plan and shape the future direction of the Trust to ensure that it continues to make a significant difference to a great many people.
We
Council for Voluntary Service organisations
The Trust works with several registered charity types and one type of organisation that we work with is Council for Voluntary Service. Through our work with these charities, we’re able to give funding to the smaller grassroot community organisations that we typically couldn’t reach through our core grants programme.
Council for Voluntary Services are registered charities who on the Trust’s behalf administer small pots of funding to local groups in their area They encourage, support and develop the voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations and support local people to have a real influence over the places and communities in which they live
We work with nine Council for Voluntary Services across the North West and are currently funding a pilot programme to extend the support to groups across the whole of Lancashire
Spotlight on MACC
MACC is the Council for Voluntary Service for Manchester, and we have a ‘large fund’ with the organisation for them to administer thirty-six, £5,000 grants to groups across 10 Greater Manchester Boroughs
This programme is now in its second year and the funding helps to sustain the existing activities of medium-sized organisations that support people most affected by the cost of living crisis.
An organisation that has been recently funded through this programme is ‘The Little Green Sock Project’, who aim to tackle child poverty in Trafford, providing essential clothing, footwear, toys and books to families in crisis.
Another organisation funded through this programme is the Salford Unemployed & Community Resource Centre who support disadvantaged people including those affected by illness and disability with legal advice and representation in the areas of employment law, welfare rights and debt advice.
Our work with Elderly Charities
In 2024, the Trust awarded £200,000 to elderly charities on our Major and Community Grants programme.
The charities on these programmes have been invited by the Trustees to receive grants from the Trust and range from small charities to larger charities that we have built strong and trusting relationships with over the period that they have been on the programme. All the charities on the Major and Community Grant programme align to the seven sectors that the Trust supports.
The elderly charities that are funded by us focus on supporting elderly people who need it the most Many elderly people are living in poverty and find themselves without the care and support they desperately need.
Through the charities, these people can access advice about welfare and benefits, attend activity sessions to help with their health and combatting loneliness and even be part of a befriending service
Regenerage (formally Age Concern Central Lancashire) - Pat’s story
Having moved to Spain with my partner for over 10 years and building an active life and good social group, I suddenly found myself on my own with nothing but a suitcase I had to return to the UK and move in my with daughter for six months, but I decided to relocate back to Lostock Hall in the hope that I could rebuild my life
“My daughter lives a few hours away, which meant I didn’t have regular support or contact with her Despite my best efforts to go to the local bowling club to meet people I found I was feeling lonelier and started to drink. I needed reassurance, company and a reason to get out of bed I lost a lot of weight and fell into depression
“I went to the Regenerage activity centre and spoke to one team member explaining my circumstances and was encouraged to come the following Monday morning to join the art group - I didn’t have much interest in art, but it was an excuse to join in. I enjoyed chatting to the others and having a laugh gave me the confidence to go back to Keep Fit
“I have my good days and bad days and sometimes cannot get out of bed but knowing that Keep Fit is on and that there are other groups available to join in really helps me I was worrying and do still worry what will happen to me, but it is nice seeing warm and friendly people when I walk in who take me for what I am ”
Spotlight on Mental Health
In 2024, the Trust awarded £277,000 to Mental Health charities on the Major and Community Grants programme
The Mental Health charities on the programme empower people to understand their condition and the choices available to them through one to one sessions, counselling, support groups and wellbeing courses.
Mind Charity: Molly’s Story
I was 19 years old when my mum left our family home, leaving me to take care of my younger siblings and all household responsibilities I had to leave college and became isolated, overwhelmed by the mammoth responsibilities that had landed at my feet and unable to cope
I turned to Rochdale and District Mind, where I started working with a wellbeing coordinator who gave me the support I desperately needed as my mental health was seriously struggling.
Working together with a wellbeing coordinator, we focused on coping strategies and articulating my feelings which helped us to establish a plan which included resource provisions, mindfulness development, self-care practices and local support groups.
I began to feel more empowered and capable, I never thought I’d be able to handle this level of responsibility. I regained control with the confidence to take on part-time work to support the family until I’m in a position to go back to full time education.
There are three ways employees can get involved:
Match Funding
Charities of the Year
Whether you run, walk, cycle or skydive, if you are fundraising for a registered charity, as a member of staff you are eligible to apply for match funding from the Trust. If you’d like to find out more about match funding, please contact Scott Latta
In 2024, employees raised over £20k with all fundraising being successfully match funded by the Trust. Have a read over some of their stories below…
Martin Randles, Motor Neurone Disease
In March 2024 I ran the Chester 10k followed by the Manchester Great Run half marathon in May 2024. I completed the run to raise money in memory of my friend, Mike, who 10 years ago sadly passed away at the age of 40 with Motor Neurone Disease.
Kefyn Miles, Help for Heroes
I decided that I wanted to complete a challenge for a good cause and what better charity than help for heroes I have a lot of friends and family who are ex forces and thought this would be a good starting point. This year I will be looking to do a 10k run and then hopefully on to a half marathon next year fingers crossed Rebecca Gleave, Cancer Research UK
One of my good friends had been diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal lung cancer back in 2021 and I wanted to raise some money on his behalf I’ve never been a runner and wanted to challenge myself, so I threw my name in the ballot for the Great North Run 2024 only to get in!
I completed many training runs in the lead up and finished in 2 hours 35 minutes Thanks to the match funding from the Charitable Trust, I managed to raise £2,670.
Volunteering
Callum White, Muscular Dystrophy
I raised £1,750 for Muscular Dystrophy UK by taking part in the London Marathon 2024. I first learned about the charity through work and had the pleasure of building a wonderful relationship with their team in the lead-up to the event.
They are a small charity full of lovely, compassionate people doing incredible work for society, and I’m proud to have supported their mission
Natalie Newsham, Alzheimer’s Society
I took part in an Elf Day Bake Sale as some of my close family members have been deeply impacted by a form of Dementia I do the events to not only raise funds, which is important in supporting people living with the disease and vital research, but to hopefully create more awareness in general and most importantly to provide an opportunity for people just have a chat and enjoy themselves
Volunteering days
Every year, colleagues are given a volunteering day to use with a charity of their choice
Thank you to all of our staff this year who have supported a charity on the Trust’s programme, and to all colleagues who also used their volunteering day to support their individual charities.
Bolton Deaf Society, Milly’s Smiles, Wigan Youth Zone and St Catherine’s Hospice were amongst the charities that our staff chose to support
If you would like to know more about volunteering opportunities and how you can use your volunteering day, come and speak to Scott Latta
Charity of the Year
In 2024, you picked your divisional charity of the year and across the Group we awarded £25,000 each to eight charities. Throughout the year, you have been getting involved in different ways to support your chosen charity. The Trust will be providing £25,000 to each division’s chosen charity again in 2025
Have a read below about some of the charitable activities our teams have taken part in:
Age UK Lancashire
In 2024 the Applethwaite team chose Age UK Lancashire as their charity of the year. In addition to the cheque donation, Site Manager Aysa Hardy, volunteered to provide materials and labour to plaster and paint inside their Garstang shop and completed gutter cleaning at their Burnley Branch.
Janine Dawson, the Head of Retail has passed on her thanks, saying “I’m so grateful for all your support. You have been amazing! You have done a great job, and we are delighted. You have saved the organisation a substantial amount of money, which all supports us in being able to support the older people in Lancashire who need us.”
Pendleside Hospice
In Summer, our Facilities Management team organised a footgolf tournament at Euxton Park Golf Centre. The tournament was made up of Facilities Management colleagues and supply chain partners.
Their supply chain donated to a JustGiving page set up in order to participate on the day and a raffle was also held to raise additional funds for the hospice
Alongside this, the team organised the Pendleside Pub Walk in July, with a number of colleagues attending the Pendleside Pub Walk event The event was a 10 mile walk dropping into pubs on the route
Funds raised from both events totalled £3,081.
Our 2025 Charities of the Year
We are delighted to be able to announce our Charities of the Year for 2025.
The chosen charities are North West based and will each be gifted £25,000 and we would like to thank colleagues for their suggestions and votes
They are
Group: St Catherine's Hospice
Construction: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals
Charity (Baby Beat Appeal)
Civil Engineering: Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Water: British Heart Foundation
Maple Grove Developments: Bone Cancer
Research Trust - Fitzy's Fund
Applethwaite: Derian House Children's Hospice
Partnerships: Muscular Dystrophy UK
Facilities Management: Scotty's Little Soldiers
Water Park Lakeland Adventure Centre
Owned by the Trust since 1998, Water Park Lakeland Adventure Centre is a residential outdoor education and activity centre on the shore of Coniston Water in the Lake District. It supports young people in their development and financially subsidises visits for those who would otherwise be unable to attend Water Park works with schools and organisations providing courses to build confidence, teamwork, and life skills
Since opening more than 120,000 young people have visited Water Park, and in 2024 we welcomed 10,454 people from 104 schools and community groups
The Water Park had a successful year in 2024, despite facing challenges with securing weekend bookings We achieved an impressive 92% of bookings from our targeted "niche clients" and increased participation in our progressive adventure courses by an additional 4% compared to 2023. This brings us closer to our longterm goal of reaching 50% by 2033
Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) reached a record-breaking 9 98, the highest we've ever recorded, which will be tough to surpass in future years. We've also received a wealth of positive feedback, with many customers noting how their visits to the Water Park enriched their students' lives, creating a lasting positive impact both in school and at home
Looking ahead, we are excited to continue developing our progressive adventure y for 2025 - windsurfing!
Eric Wright Learning Foundation
The Trust subsidise the Eric Wright Learning Foundation, which aims to inspire young people to be the best they can be
Using education and positive learning experiences that reflect a real work environment, the learning foundation aims to create opportunities for meaningful careers through our relationships within industry.
Key stats...
career ambassadors have attended events since 2022
170+ 7,757 1,361 4,500
work experience days completed since 2021
14-16 year old students have attended to acquire vocational qualifications
16-19 year old students have received support from industry experts
student engagement sessions have been completed since 2022 70,528
donated to vocational training and support to students across the North of the UK £500,000
In February we hosted our first World of Work Experience (WOWEX) 2025 cohort
The group was made up of 14 students from Preston College, Runshaw College, Burnley College, Winstanley College, Hutton Grammar School and Sixth Form, Hulme Grammar School, St Michael's Church of England High School Chorley, Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy, St Aidens High School, Hope Academy and Cardinal Newman College Preston.
With the students spending their week immersed in our different divisional operations, experiencing challenges and tasks such as planning, bid writing, design management, quantity surveying, site management, programme planning, risk registers and assessments and engineering.
Thank you for taking time to read our latest Charitable Trust update - our charitable trust team are:
Emma Goldthorpe, Head of Finance and Governance
Amy Griffiths, Grants Manager
Rebecca May, Grants Coordinator
If you have any feedback or questions about this update or questions about the Charitable Trust, please contact Rebecca May
Please note that this document is for internal use only
Amy, Emma and Rebecca