Well over 50 charities operating close to Estates in Berkshire, London and Scotland have been awarded grant funding by the Englefield Charitable Trust, to continue their hard work helping adults, children, the elderly and the environment.

The grants, totalling almost £150,000, continue the Trust’s commitment to supporting local causes, which it has been doing since it was founded by Sir William Benyon in 1968.

One of the charities to receive funding in March was Autism Berkshire, which runs a Walk & Talk outdoor activity group for autistic adults, the only one of its kind in the county.

The charity said research had shown just 29% of autistic people aged 16 to 64 were in paid work and many faced serious social isolation as a result.

Helen Harris, an Autism Development Worker at the charity explained, “We created Walk & Talk in 2022, after requests from autistic adults for daytime activities to complement our evening social groups in Maidenhead and Reading.

“The staff who accompany the group, talk with each walker to check how they are and to offer to advice. The walks also provide a chance for staff to see if members need the help of the Berkshire Adult Autism Support Service, a service which Autism Berkshire provides on behalf of the NHS, or to recommend other specialist services.”

Helen added, “The grant from the Englefield Charitable Trust will help make sure we can continue providing Walk & Talk for another year and encourage more autistic adults to join.”

Catherine Haig, Sir William Benyon’s daughter, who now chairs the Englefield Charitable Trust, said the Trust was very happy to make the award to Autism Berkshire’s Walk & Talk activity group.

“Its aim of bringing autistic adults together, taking part in activities out and about in the countryside, seemed such a simple and practical way of countering social isolation and improving mental and physical health,” she said. “We wish them all the best and hope that it might become a model for other support groups around the country.”

Another charity that has earned support by the Trust is the Clean Rivers Trust.  The charity, founded in 1990 to research and demonstrate sustainable solutions to river pollution, receives £4,000 for work to identify and remedy pollution in rivers – including from sewage, old mine workings and closed landfill sites.  The grant is ringfenced for use in Berkshire.

Professor Harvey Wood of the Trust said: “Our interest in the rivers of Berkshire were first encouraged in the early 1990s when we were introduced to concerns for the river Kennet, these included reduced flows brought about by over abstraction from the local aquifers to supply drinking water used outside the catchment to poorly functioning sewage treatment works.

“Further issues were emanating from the rivers’ tributaries including the River Enborne which served a very rural catchment. The area is served by several small sewage treatment works which are sources of elevated phosphate levels and some chemicals such as Polybrominated diphenyl ethers that have allowed the river to fail its chemical status.”

The Red Balloon Project, which helps young people with therapeutic and educational support following incidents of bullying and trauma, and Smart Works Reading, which helps women on low incomes with job searching and interview preparation, are just some of the other charities which received funding from the Trust.  

For more information about the history and mission of the Englefield Charitable Trust, click here.