Community Champions help fund outing for stroke club

The Phoenix Support Stroke Club, based in Horsham, made a bid for £495 to help fund outings for members of the club.

Ann Wilson, from the group made the winning bid to the fund. She said: “We have been established since 1979 to provide support and stimulation and to restore confidence in a caring and comfortable environment.

“To hire a coach that can accommodate more than one wheelchair at a time costs us £495 per day. This year we went to the Wey and Arun canal on two consecutive days which cost us £990 just for transport. It was worth every penny to enable 42 of our members to have a day out which they would otherwise not have been able to do as a group.

“We are now planning our next outing so need to raise funds for the transport. We raise money by doing raffles, applying for grants, from bequests and from general donations, so this grant will be huge boost to our members.”

Tom Wright, managing director for Persimmon Homes South East said the Community Champions initiative is a way of supporting people across every city, town and village where the company works.

He said: “We are so pleased to hand over this donation to the Phoenix Stroke Club. It was clear just how important this group is to its members and their families in restoring confidence and improving communication and mobility and it seemed fitting we did what we could to support them.”

The Persimmon Homes Community Champions fund has £2,000 each month to hand out to worthy causes to match their fundraising activities.

Tom added: “Persimmon Homes South East has had a fantastic response to its Community Champions scheme and it is always a difficult choice from so many worthy causes.

“If people were unsuccessful last month, we urge them to visit the Persimmon Homes website and to try again and hopefully they will become our next Community Champion.”

To nominate and to find out about the terms and conditions people can visit www.persimmonhomes.com/charity

Report contributed by Judith Sanders.