West and South Yorkshire charities receive £9k boost from Community Fund initiative

Six charities from across West and South Yorkshire have received £9,000 as part of a generous donation from 5 Star Homebuilder, Barratt Developments Yorkshire West.

Look Good, Feel Better, Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, Scar Cover Up Freedom Fund (S.C.U.F.F.), Martin House, Team Daniel, and Unique Places each received a £1,500 donation from Barratt Developments Yorkshire West to help them continue to deliver much needed to support to those across the West and South Yorkshire regions and beyond.

Look Good, Feel Better work nationally to support and provide advice to those living with cancer. Recognising that cancer can have an individual effect, Look Good, Feel Better provides a range of free workshops that are specifically tailored to men, women and young adults. These workshops follow two main approaches, with courses designed to manage both the physical and mental effects of a cancer diagnosis.

The donation to Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity will help fund its ongoing commitment to improving services for both parents and children. The donation will cover the cost of life-saving medical equipment and help fund research, new facilities and comfortable and engaging environments for children to use during their time in hospital.

Established in 2018, Bradford based S.C.U.F.F. offers emotional and financial support to fund the costs of tattoos to cover self-harm scars for those that cannot afford a tattoo but want a sense of freedom from their past. The charity also offers free training courses, which are available both online and in-person, and will soon launch a 10-week therapeutic group workshop designed to help reduce the risks of self-harm and equip people with the tools to stop self-harming.

Martin House offers nine bedrooms free of charge for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses across North, West, East and South Yorkshire. During their time at the hospice, children and their families are able to take part in a range of activities, with facilities including the art room, music room, computer and play room, a multi-sensory room and an outdoor play area with water play area and wheelchair swing and roundabout, which is suitable for all children.

Team Daniel started in 2017 following the loss of Daniel, who took his own life as a result of the stress he was brought under by his GCSE exams. After working to support other charities including Martin House, TeamDaniel became a registered charity in 2020 and works to raise awareness of the prevalence of mental health issues in children and young people and raise money towards opening safe spaces in Leeds and London. TeamDaniel also works with schools, discussing stress and how it can escalate at significant times such as exam periods, and again signpost to support available.

Based in Halifax, Unique Ways offers support and guidance for parents and families with disabled children. The charity provides a range of services for parents and carers, from training courses and focus groups to discounts on family days out. The donation from Barratt Developments will give an extra boost to the small Halifax team, and help them to continue providing local families with much valued and needed support.

As the UKs leading Homebuilder, Barratt Developments Yorkshire West recognise that community and identity are key to making a house a home and are a business developed on the framework of building sustainably. A central aspect of this approach is the creation of positive places and better living.

Ian Ruthven, Managing Director of Barratt Developments Yorkshire West commented: “We are delighted to be able to support these six charities with our Community Fund. Each of the charities do so much to improve the lives and wellbeing of those across the Yorkshire region and we hope that this donation will allow them to continue to support as many people as possible.”

Barratt Developments Yorkshire West is now accepting nominations to its Community Fund for the months of January, February and March. Registered charities that would like to apply for support from the home builder are invited to email their applications to [email protected] by Friday 16th December.

For more information about Barratt Developments Yorkshire West please visit www.barratthomes.co.uk. For more information on David Wilson Homes Yorkshire West please visit www.dwh.co.uk