Shropshire disability charity team celebrates receiving £40,000 grant
A Shropshire charity team has been awarded £40,000 towards the cost of refurbishing its accommodation for people with life-changing physical disabilities.
The Ethos Group runs three adapted bungalows in Oswestry where people are supported to live independently again after suffering an injury or illness which has resulted in them needing a wheelchair.
The £40,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation will be used to refurbish three bedrooms and communal areas in one of the properties, as part of an extensive ongoing programme of improvements to ensure all the accommodation is of the highest standard.
The news follows donations from several other trusts and foundations towards the overall improvement work.
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent grant-making charity based in London. It was founded in 1955 and has awarded more than £900m to more than 11,000 projects across the UK.
Ethos was informed of their grant by chief executive of the foundation, Paul Ramsbottom, who said: “This grant recognises the quality of the project and we hope that it not only acts as an endorsement of your activities but may also help secure additional funds from other sources.”
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Fae Dromgool, chief executive of Ethos Group, said: “This is excellent news for us and we are extremely grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for the grant – it will go a long way to achieving the goals we’ve set for our refurbishment.
“It will enable us to renovate the bedrooms and communal areas in one bungalow – and we may also be in a position to buy another turning bed. It’s all part of the wider project to refurbish areas in two properties costing more than £100,000 in total.
Fae explained that the charity’s specialist accommodation was currently under strict lockdown to protect clients from Covid-19 .
“It means we will not be able to start our refurbishment work until those are lifted. The safety of our clients and staff is paramount so that may take some time, but we now have funding in place to be able to start planning for the work,” she said.
She added that the charity had already received a number of donations towards the refurbishment project.
“We are humbled by everyone’s generosity – it really is very much appreciated. We are committed to providing the best environment for our clients who are facing up to some of the most difficult challenges of their life as well as the difficulties created by the coronavirus outbreak,” she said.
