CHARITIES
Here at Meridian we pride ourselves on supporting local charities, raising funds from the community piano located on the mall and also the annual Santa’s Grotto.
Since 2012, we have raised funds for the following charities:
Last year it was 30 years since Bernadette Cleary founded Rainbow Trust after the family of a dying child asked for her help. From supporting that first family, word quickly spread and Bernadette started travelling across the country, trying to help as many families as possible.
They provide bespoke support for families who have a child with a serious illness. They offer the whole family support, regardless of diagnosis and are there for as long as a family needs them.
Visit their website: rainbowtrust.org.uk
Over The Wall is a national UK children’s charity and a member of the international SeriousFun Children’s Network. They provide free of charge Therapeutic Recreation camps to help children with life-limiting illnesses and their families, reach beyond the perceived limitations of illness to rediscover a whole new world of possibilities. Through participation in a proven programme of fun-filled recreational and educational activities, their camps help promote inclusion whilst developing the confidence, self-esteem, coping strategies and peer relationships of all their campers.
They give children one glorious week of experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun and empowering, in a physically safe and medically sound environment.
Visit their website: www.otw.org.uk
The Oakley Waterman Caravan Foundation provides respite accommodation on two Haven campsites in England for children suffering from life threatening illnesses to have quality time with their families.
Visit their Facebook Page
Chestnut Tree House is the children’s hospice for East and West Sussex, Brighton and Hove and South East Hampshire and cares for 300 children and young adults from 0-19 years of age with progressive life-shortening conditions.
Vist their website: chestnut-tree-house.org.uk
At Rowans Hospice we honour life and offer hope by providing specialist end of life care of the highest quality. We guide patients and those closest to them through the journey of their illness, supporting them every step of the way.
Visit their website: rowanshospice.co.uk
Meridian have supported local Grandmother Rita McCoy from Havant, who sends boxes full of warm clothes and gifts to orphanages. With a network of knitters, Rita works hard to ensure they make enough hats, jumpers, and scarves to keep the children from rural Lesotho warm through the cold winter months.
The persistence of AIDS/HIV and the decrease of economic resources have devastated Lesotho and this situation is affecting children’s development. Despite the Kingdom’s effort, 3 out of 5 children live in difficult conditions and 25% of them are orphans. The combination of diseases, hunger, and deplorable economic situation is affecting children’s social security.
Visit their website: humanium.org
At The Rainbow Centre we inspire and support children with Cerebral Palsy and adults with a stroke, MS and Parkinson’s, adult Cerebral Palsy, Head Injury and their families.
Through a system of learning called Conductive Education we encourage and teach our children/participants to take an active role in their own development. Our children/participants learn new ways to become active and happy individuals who are proud of their own achievements and ready for life’s challenges.
We focus on what you CAN DO and inspire all children/participants reach their full potential.
Visit their website: rainbowcentre.org
World Bicycle Relief mobilizes people through The Power of Bicycles. We are committed to helping people conquer the challenge of distance, achieve independence and thrive.
Walking is the primary mode of transportation for many people in the developing world. Everyday tasks can quickly become a struggle against time and fatigue. Going to school, visiting the health clinic, and delivering goods to market are more challenging because of the barrier of distance.
World Bicycle Relief (WBR) builds and distributes specially-designed, locally assembled, rugged bicycles. With the experience and expertise gained over the last 10 years designing and delivering more than 400,000 Buffalo Bicycles, WBR has developed an efficient, innovative and scalable model to successfully address the great need for reliable, affordable transportation in rural areas of developing countries.
Visit their website: worldbicyclerelief.org
Beacon Food Bank
As a local part of God’s world-wide family of Christians, we have been present in Havant Borough since 1982.
Since 1996 the church has been based on the first floor of the Meridian Centre (a shopping centre in the centre of Havant). We also meet regularly in homes and other venues in the Borough.
Our regular congregation – from many backgrounds and from across the age range – has come to experience Christ personally, and desires that others too may know God’s forgiveness, joy and peace.
Visit their website: portsdowncc.org.uk
Creating Chaos is our registered charity (charity number 1176831), which works tirelessly to raise funds that go towards purchasing sensory and musical equipment, communication software, trips and days out for the people who use our service and anything else that will improve and enrich the support we are able to provide.
Creating Chaos is based at South Street in Havant. It not only acts as a great space for our performing arts programme to utilise for all their planning and costumes, but also serves to support the young people to learn employment and life skills through the running of the Boring to Beautiful upcycling shop. The shop sells a whole range of products created by the people who access Chaos day services, from upcycled furniture to artwork.
Visit their website: chaossupport.co.uk/creating-chaos
Cash for Kids is Bauer Radio’s network of local charities, which operate across 22 areas around the UK. Our mission is to respond to the needs of children in our communities, and we aspire to enable all children to live life to the full and achieve their individual potential.
Each Cash for Kids charity was established to channel the caring of the local community into the welfare of their own youngsters. We use the power of our radio brands to deliver initiatives for sick and underprivileged children in our communities, to benefit local children and give the most disadvantaged a better and brighter future.
Visit their website: cashforkids.uk.com
Portsmouth Hospitals Charity- supporting all Wards and Departments at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Portsmouth Hospitals Charity aims to serve the patients of Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust by providing additional facilities, education and equipment to both patients and staff .
The charity supports all of the wards and departments throughout the Trust, so from new borns to neurology, bones to brains, you can choose to support the particular area of the hospital that is close to your heart.
Visit their website: porthosp.nhs.uk
Havant and East Hants Mind work to promote good mental health within our locality. We seek to support and empower people to lead a full life as part of their local community.
To achieve these aims Mind:
- Promotes mental wellbeing within our community
- Works with mental health service users to promote recovery and to increase their influence over their own lives.
- Challenges discrimination and promote social inclusion.
- Works in partnership with other organisations.
- Campaigns and raises funds
- Involves service users with all aspects of our work
- Focuses on quality in service provision
Visit their website: easthantsmind.org
HAMESH men’s shed, situated in the centre of Havant ,is a place for like minded men to meet and share skills, stories and company, not to mention the laughs. We mainly work in wood but would welcome anyone who wanted to introduce any new activity. Please feel free to call in on us during our opening times.
Visit their website: hameshhavant.weebly.com
Beacon Food Bank is is a project of Beacon Church Havant and serves the communities of the Borough of Havant providing free food hampers for those in genuine need (on referral).
Visit their website: beaconchurchhavant.org.uk
The vision for Stella’s Voice began at the fall of communism, when the media was first allowed into Eastern Europe and began showing the dire conditions of the state-run orphan homes. In response to the desperate need, our teams started taking aid to these homes.
When we reached Moldova, the director of the first home we visited asked us, “Have you ever seen a baby freeze to death?” By mid-December, 16 children had frozen to death in their beds. Stella’s Voice began working to see that no child ever froze in that home again.
Visit their website: Stella’s Voice
Every day brings new challenges at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). Every day, about 600 children and young people from across the UK arrive for life-changing treatments.
Every day, young lives hang in the balance as patients, families and staff battle the most complex illnesses. Every day, the brightest minds come together to achieve pioneering medical breakthroughs that change the lives of thousands of children – and change the world.
Despite the greatest challenges a child can face, the hospital is a place where being sick does not always mean being sad. And it’s a place where you’ll find – today and every day – some of the bravest people you could ever meet.
Visit their website: gosh.org
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