Help Local Causes With The Pound For Pound Campaign

Linking people that care with projects that help

The ‘Pound for Pound’ campaign is run by Ealing and Brentford Consolidated Charity (EBCC). For every £1 you give, the government’s Grassroots Challenge Fund will match your donation ‘pound for pound’. If you are a UK taxpayer you can transform your £1 gift into £1.28 by signing a simple Gift Aid form. This is matched by the government and so your £ becomes £2.56!

The government asked EBCC to manage the Grassroots Challenge Fund in Ealing because it has a good track record at identifying local causes that need support – linking people that care to causes that matter in Ealing.

‘Pound for Pound’ will help raise money for community projects in Ealing – helping to meet the needs of our local community, now and in the future.

Current projects being funded by EBCC include:

• Arts workshops for local people with learning disabilities
• A confidential helpline for young people in distress
• Healthy living programmes for Ealing’s older people to improve fitness and wellbeing
• A home-visiting service for older people to combat isolation

“This is a great opportunity to help projects that reach every corner of our community.” Steve Pound MP, Ealing North

If just one third of Ealing residents give EBCC £1 it could raise £100,000, which the government would double to £200,000! Think what a difference that could make!

EBCC has raised a considerable amount already but needs to raise a further £32,373 before 31 March 2010 and a further £120,000 before 31 March 2011 otherwise this opportunity will be lost forever!

You can help EBCC by…………………..

• Log on to EBCC’s web site and make a donation www.e-bcc.org.uk/pound for pound
• Organise fundraising events on behalf of EBCC – they have lots of ideas and can provide you with collection boxes, collection envelopes, T shirts and £ for £ leaflets. Contact Sue Payne or Maggie Pound on 020 8579 7411 or email susan.payne@e-bcc.org.uk
• Organise a sponsored event – EBCC can provide you with sponsorship forms
• Companies can encourage their staff to fundraise on EBCC’s behalf and might also want to consider matching what their staff raise………or make a company donation.
• Schools can organise events – school sponsorship forms are available and can be sent out to you. Contact Sue or Maggie

Background information on EBCC and Grassroots Grants

EBCC was established in 1904 although we can trace our history back to the 16th century when our founding benefactors left legacies to help those in need in Ealing and Old Brentford. Today, we continue to help local people and we do this in three main ways:

• provide grants for small local community projects
• provide sheltered housing for local older people
• provide 50 allotment sites in the borough of Ealing
• a social enterprise initiative to empower the most vulnerable local residents to work their way out of poverty.

The Grassroots Grants scheme is part of a £130 million national drive by the Government to support thousands of groups and projects, working to improve their local communities. The Grassroots Endowment Challenge fund must be endowed in order to meet the needs of the Ealing community both now and in the future.

December 16th, 2009