Vernon Charitable Foundation: Year in Review 2024

To mark our exciting centenary milestone in 2024, we were pleased to announce the creation of the Vernon Charitable Foundation, which has more than £100,000 in the fund to support local charities doing great work in Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The Vernon has a long history of supporting local organisations and causes through programmes like Community Stars, and the Foundation represents the next steps in our charitable giving. The Vernon Charitable Foundation is  represented by three Vernon Trustees, Ian Wilson, Tracey Wright and Andy Smith, and joined by four external Trustees who bring a wealth of charity sector experience: Mark Lee, Sue O'Brien, Lord Goddard and Paul Brearley. Our Foundation gave three rounds of grants in 2024, here's how we did...

Round 1 awardees

We're extremely proud to announce the first four recipients of grants from Vernon Charitable Foundation on our Centenary day:

1. Stockport Lads Club - £3,045.00
2. Cheadle Heath Community Association at the Rose Walker Community Centre and Friendly Fridays - £2,500.00
3. New Horizons Canal Boat- £2,500.00
4. Cafe Unity- £4,855.08

Round 2 awardees

We were super excited to announce the second round of grants for the Foundation in summer 2024:

Bare necessities Toiletry Bank - £4,500 

Denton West Community Association - £4,310.54 

St. Luke’s MOW COP Community Group - £2,500 

The Wellness Club - £2,500 

East Cheshire NHS Trust Charitable fund - £4,200 

Round 3 awardees

We were happy to award our third round of grants in autumn 2024:

Stockport Talking Newspaper Association - £4,757.42

Jump Space - 4,332.79

West Coast crash wheelchair rugby - £3,000.00

Round 4 awardees

Our fourth and final round of grants of the year were awarded in winter 2024:

1st Cheadle Hulme Scout Group - £3,592.58
1st Heaton Moor Scout Group -  £4,199.88
Anson Engine Museum - £2,500.00
A-Z Communities Inclusion - £1,100.00
Bridging the Gap (Manchester) -  £3,950.00
Millies Trust - £3,868.96
St Marks Church Bredbury - £2,500.00 

As we head into the new year, we plan to keep the new Vernon Charitable Foundation running alongside Community Stars. Keep your eyes peeled for exciting announcements in the new year to hear about applications and what is coming next.