CLA CHARITABLE TRUST

KIM JOHN CLA SOUTH WEST COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

kim.john@cla.org.uk 01249 700200

Rewarding by nature

Annie Hall centre, named in honour of Umbrella’s former chairperson oftrustees Trainees at Ouseburn FarmCharity

CLA CHARITABLE TRUST

Two charities have T h iti h benefi ted from grants awarded by the CLA Charitable Trust to fund a new nature area and allotment, as well as farm workshops

n 2021, the CLA Charitable Trust

Ihas awarded more than £90,000 to projects across England and Wales that promote and provide educational opportunities about the benefi ts of the countryside.

Umbrella

Established in 1986, the Derbybased charity Umbrella enables disabled children and young adults to enjoy exciting and stimulating activities that encourage the development of skills while also being fun. Th e charity took over the Annie Hall centre, named in honour of Umbrella’s former chairperson of trustees Annie Hall, who died in 2019. It is embarking on a renovation project to transform the dilapidated hall into a fully accessible centre for disabled children and young adults.

Trustee and volunteer Wayne Cook says: “As well as the renovation of the centre itself, we’re extremely grateful to the generosity of the CLA Charitable Trust for granting funding to help us create our large outdoor nature area and allotment.”

Umbrella intends to use the £3,000 grant to give children and young adults the chance to access nature and spend more time outside. Th e charity also intends to use the new nature area and allotment as a social enterprise, providing the young adults with work experience and selling the produce grown in the allotment to the community.

Ouseburn Farm charity

Newcastle-based city farm Ouseburn Farm describes itself as a place for growing plants, animals and people. It was established in 1976, when parents from Byker took over a plot of land on the site, wanting their children to have access to nature, grow their own food and take care of animals. Today, the charity is a care farm with a placement programme for adults with learning disabilities, diffi culties and autistic spectrum disorder.

Th e farm has been awarded £4,000 to run farm workshops. Manager Hugh Stolliday says: “Th is is such an important contribution to our work. We want to offer the best service we can to our clients.

“Th e working farm we have here plays an important role in combating the isolation felt by these vulnerable adults - particularly after the past 18 months, when isolation had been exacerbated by the pandemic.”

CLA Charitable Trust Chair Bridget Biddell says: “To be able to support the extraordinary work of these charities feels so worthwhile. Both of these projects fall squarely within the aims of our charity; to help nurture and educate young adults with learning disabilities or diffi culties, in and through farming or horticulture.

“We are delighted to supp ort both the creation of the allotment within the new community centre at Umbrella and contribute to the cost of workshops for young adults held by Ouseburn Farm Charity.”

Trusteeand

FIND OUT MORE

Funded almost entirely by CLA member subscription donations, the Trust supports charitable organisations that access the benefi ts of the countryside to pursue the health and wellbeing of people and provide opportunities for education about the countryside. Visit cla.org.uk/ about-cla/charitable-trust.