Mature Times - Charities & Organisations

£130m grant scheme opens to small local voluntary and community groups

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:39:54 +0100

The Government declared its £130 million "Grassroots Grants" scheme open for business last week - and is urging small local voluntary and community groups to come forward and "get their hands" on essential funding. Whether you are a local club needing new kit, coaching new volunteers or simply giving the village hall a fresh lick of paint, Grassroots Grants aim to make a real difference to the work of any small and local community groups with annual incomes below £20,000.

The Bugle’s Call

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:39:39 +0100

A Mature Times reader, too young to fight for his country, is making his emotional contribution to the Poppy Appeal - in song.

Hearing Concern celebrates 60 years

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:59:11 +0100

Hearing Concern is a small national charity run by both full time staff and volunteers which helps the hard of hearing and deafened people whose main method of communication is speech. This year they celebrate their 60th anniversary and are hoping to involve as many people and organisations as possible to join them in hosting tea parties across the UK to raise their profile - and hopefully funds.

The tiny kitten with too many toes

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:37:47 +0100

There’s not an awful lot of Rex the ginger kitten. But in one department he is in a league of his own… with 23 toes – five more than normal. The pint-sized puss was born with extra digits on each paw, a genetic condition inherited from his mother. Known as polydactyl cats, both Rex and his mum Precious have 23 toes – six and seven on their front paws and five on each back paw.

BLESMA celebrates 75 years of support for veterans

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:31:53 +0100

The British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association (BLESMA) has celebrated its 75th anniversary. BLESMA, which began as an idea among wounded soldiers living in Glasgow in 1920 who were struggling to survive in the so-called “land fit for heroes”, was formed as a national charity in 1932.

Be a brick - and help the Chelsea Pensioners!

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:36:44 +0100

The Chelsea Pensioners have launched a "Buy a Brick" campaign as part of their wider Appeal to help raise funds for a new infirmary at the historic Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Chelsea Pensioners open their doors

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:25:39 +0100

For the first time in its 300 year history, The Royal Hospital Chelsea opened its doors to television cameras as part of a documentary series of eight television programmes entitled ‘Once a Soldier’. The deeply moving episodes have already begun - so don't miss the subsequent ones.

Retired civil servants put the fun back into volunteering

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 13:42:24 +0000

Just what do retired civil servants get up to in their spare time? A new series of website video clips has the answers. It's all part of a web-based campaign by The Civil Service Retirement Fellowship (CSRF) to recruit more volunteers to help them carry out the huge amount of voluntary work that the charity undertakes every year.

FreshTies update - putting "community" back into society

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 17:09:28 +0000

Following the last article, I have had great responses from Mature Times readers, and am really grateful for these. They’ve influenced FreshTies policy, offered help with raising funds, ideas for the website to words of support in what I’m trying to achieve.
And best of all, as I always had in mind, it is already about people shaping
how FreshTies moves forwards.

Jumping to help disabled

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 13:53:33 +0100

WheelPower, a charity providing opportunities for people with disabilities are looking for volunteers with a sense of adventure who are seeking the ultimate thrill - a sponsored parachute jump.

New home for abandoned dogs

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 12:14:48 +0100

Oswald, a resident pooch, nobly bit through a string of sausages to mark the official opening of special new kennels for up to 30 dogs at Dogs Trust in Snetterton in Norfolk. The construction of the new kennel block for Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, was made possible by a generous legacy.

Blue Cross Medal for London's animal heroes

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 11:13:50 +0100

The Blue Cross is reinstating The Blue Cross Medal for one year only to mark the centenary of the country’s oldest continually running animal hospital.

Concertina: making music to brighten lives

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 14:43:30 +0100

Since 2004, Concertina has been quietly playing away in the background, making grants to charitable bodies which provide musical entertainment and related activities for the elderly.

This not only brightens up their lives, but also provides a therapeutic benefit to their health and well-being. They are especially keen to support smaller organisations which might otherwise find it difficult to gain funding.

Make a meal of it on World Mental Health Day

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 15:08:40 +0100

The Mental Health Foundation is urging families and friends to eat together more - as it can help towards our mental health.

Toc H – where WWI meets 2006

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 18:16:39 +0100

Toc H was born in the terrible strife of World War 1, in a house in a Belgian town named Poperinge, a few miles behind the front-line trenches. The house was called Talbot House - whose initials, in army telephone jargon, give Toc H its distinctive name – a name today renowned for its community work.