Four Shropshire charities receive £1,000 in funding following overwhelming public support
Four Shropshire charities have received £1,000 in donations from the latest round of funding from the Benefact Group.
All Saints Church, in Broseley; Cuan Wildlife Rescue, in Much Wenlock; Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust and the Orthopaedic Institute at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry have scooped the funding.
It comes after overwhelming support from people around the county who voted for the charities to benefit from the money.
Shropshire residents took to the Movement for Good: Benefact Group website in order to show their support to the local charities.
Bernie Jones, head of the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust said: "We were thrilled to hear the news that the Movement for Good had awarded our charity £1,000.
"In these post-pandemic, cost of living crisis times, this money is very welcome indeed. It will enable our restoration of two historically important narrowboats to take a big step closer to being completed.
"The money will actually be used to purchase the timber and other materials needed for our volunteers to replace the cabin’s floor, thereby completing the work on the first cabin.
"The boat can then be used to show members of the public just how the live-aboard families managed their working lives, thereby bringing an important part of our heritage back to life."
A spokesperson for The Orthopaedic Institute said: “The Orthopaedic Institute Charity are absolutely thrilled to have been chosen to receive one of the £1,000 Movement for Good Awards.
"As charities continue to struggle to raise funds following the pandemic, we are now faced with the cost-of-living crisis.
"This will undoubtedly have a big impact on how people consider contributing to charities in the future. Every penny really does count.
"Thank you so much to all who voted for their support. To know that so many recognise the amazing and vital work of our dedicated research department here at the hospital makes it even more special.
"The £1,000 will go towards a research study into the rare ‘Charcot Marie Tooth Disease’ (CMT).
"CMT is hereditary and affects the motor and sensory peripheral nerves connecting the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.
"Motor nerves carry messages from the brain and spinal cord to our muscles. Sensory nerves convert specific external stimuli, such as touch and pain, into signals that are sent back to the brain.
"CMT causes the motor and sensory nerves to become damaged and die leading to weakness and muscle wasting below the knees and in the hands. Symptoms usually appear in the first 10 years of life, although may occur much later.
"Although CMT 1A is usually inherited, it has been found in some individuals with healthy parents, representing a new mutation. Currently there is no cure.”
Mark Hews, chief executive of Benefact Group, thanked everyone in Shropshire who took the time to vote for the worthy causes.
“We would like to thank every single person who took the time to nominate a good cause as part of our Movement for Good Awards," he said.
"Benefact Group is the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK and has an ambition to be the biggest.
"Owned by a charity, all of its available profits go to good causes, and the more the group grows, the more the group can give.
"We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”
A further 120 £1,000 grants will be given away in December and £500,000 will also be given in larger grants later this year.
For more information about the awards and how to vote visit movementforgood.com
