23 projects backed by The Light Fund

Money raised from 2017 activities will go to support variety of charities helping men, women and children.

The Light Fund will back 23 different charities with the money raised from its 2017 fundraising activities.

Almost £110,000 was raised by the industry charity throughout the year, with 23 projects helping men, women and children across the world getting the go ahead for support.

Trevor Jones, chairman of The Light Fund committee, commented: “It is brilliant how the UK licensing industry has come together this year to raise so much money.

“The Light Fund donations will now be spread across many worthwhile charitable projects making a real difference to people lives.”

The projects receiving donations from The Light Fund are as follows:

Alzheimer’s Society – to aid research to improve diagnosis of dementia
Baby Lifeline – to buy a bilirubinometer for the community midwifery department at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Bliss – to help fund volunteers, known as Bliss Champions, who are the link between parents, unit staff and Bliss services
The Brain Tumour Charity – to continue to provide the Brainy Bag to children faced with a brain tumour diagnosis in 2018
Bowel Cancer UK – to make a significant contribution to establishing the first Bowel Cancer UK/Royal College of Surgeons England Research Fellow
Challenge Africa – to build a training centre and toilets for communities around Lake Victoria in Kenya
Children’s Brain Tumour Charity – to support the Children’s Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium
The Children’s Trust – to fund a new specialised bath for Jasmine House that will benefit 12 profoundly disabled children
Children with Cancer UK – to part-fund research into Wilms’ tumour, a cancer of the kidney mostly affecting children under five
Dogs for Good – to part-fund an assistance dog’s training costs to benefit an autistic child on the waiting list for an assistance dog
Maggie’s – to fund the facilitation of four different support groups connected to female cancer charity Maggie’s West London
MIND – to fund a Local Minds arts-based project (through the Creative Therapies Grant Fund) to help people live with and recover from, at times, debilitating mental health problems
Motor Neurone Disease Association – funding for a pilot project to provide group or 1:1 support sessions for up to 40 children affected by a family member with MND
Multiple Sclerosis UK – to fund a Functional Electrical Stimulus bike; a specialised exercise bike that uses electric currents to stimulate nerves
New Horizon Youth Centre – to part-fund the Social Enterprise Project (SEP), a business training programme, to be delivered to NH clients and local unemployed young people, that will support clients to set up their own business
New Life Special Babies Unit – to fund a new hot cot for Queen’s College Hospital Nottingham
Orchid Trust – to fund awareness raising campaign for testicular, penile and prostate cancers
Railway Children – to help fund ‘open shelters’; open 24/7 on/near the platforms as a safe space within the community
Spread a Smile – to provide five separate monthly visits to seriously ill children and teenagers at The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel over a period of five months, by a variety of magicians, singers, fairies, face painters & art workshops
St. George’s Hospital Charity – to The Children’s Appeal aims to transform the health and wellbeing of children and young people
Variety the Children’s Charity – to fund a playhouse, interactive waterfall and LEGO base plates, to create a sensory space that would provide a calming and relaxed environment for the children after a day at school
WaterHarvest – to fund 14 family roof-rainwater systems to capture safer rainwater for drinking and ensure sustainable drinking water at home, improve children’s health, set girls free to attend school, and enable people to break the cycle of disadvantage
Whizz-Kidz – to provide a bespoke powered wheelchair for one young person