Our team of 75 staff, friends and families braved the heat to complete The Orwell Walk on Sunday 30 June.

 

The Walk offered a choice of 14, 19 and 25 miles, with routes which took you along public footpaths, wet/muddy beaches, thick woodland and uneven farmland. All together our team walked 1300 miles. Sponsorship continues to flow in, with significant offline donations to be added. Monies raised will go 75% to the Suffolk Community Foundation's Pound Gates and Sevatas Fund and 25% to the Ipswich East Rotary Club, the organiser of the event.

 

Steve Flory, President of Ipswich East Rotary Club, said: "It was a hugely successful day and very sociable. The weather was certainly on our side and it was so nice to see so many people from Ipswich and beyond taking part this year, our 37th year."

 

Stephen Singleton, Chief Executive of the Suffolk Community Foundation, said "We are hugely impressed and grateful for the efforts of the Pound Gates team at this weekend's Orwell Walk, and we congratulate them all for taking part in this landmark local event. It is wonderful to think that all their hard work will make a real difference to the lives of many local children and young people who will benefit from the Pound Gates and Sevatas Fund, which is managed here at the Foundation."

 

Kevin Collins said: "Whilst on Monday morning members of the team were feeling some soreness, it was a great way to celebrate our 25 years of business and to raise so much money towards our Fund. I am hugely grateful to all our walkers and for the wonderful encouragement and financial support we have had"

 

The Suffolk Foundation (now called Suffolk Community Foundation), established in 2005, is a charity dedicated to supporting local charities and community groups throughout Suffolk.

 

The Foundation works with individuals and businesses to channel monies to small local charities and good causes. We are creating our own charitable fund with The Suffolk Foundation and this will be named the Pound Gates and Sevatas Fund. We wish to use the Fund to support causes that benefit children and young people in need, helping them make the most of opportunities and overcoming the barriers to leading full and active lives. The Foundation will assist us in identifying appropriate causes of this type.

 

How does the Fund work?

• Monies raised by us are paid into the Pound Gates and Sevatas Fund.
• Small local charities apply to The Suffolk Foundation for a grant which needs to be for a specific amount of money for a specific project and has to be spent within a year. Average grants are £2,000 but can be as small as £500.
• The Grants Officer of The Suffolk Foundation meets with the Pound Gates and Sevatas Charity Committee to present potential projects to support and provide an assessment of each project. This is known as the Grants Panel.
• The Grants Panel decide which projects to support from the Fund and The Suffolk Foundation make the payments.
• Members of staff will have the opportunity to visit the good causes we are supporting and there will also be opportunities to help by volunteering time with them.

In summary, having this Fund allows us to support community projects that otherwise struggle to compete for funding with the larger better known charities. We are able to direct how our Fund money is spent and see the benefit of it.

Furthermore we can engage with the good causes through donating our time, as well as providing financial support.

 

For further information, please see www.suffolkfoundation.org.uk