The Pepper Foundation announced as Breakspear Park’s first community fund winner of 2024

The Community Fund campaign launched last year to support Hertfordshire-based charities, not-for-profit groups and services amid the current cost-of-living crisis received an incredible response from the public and employees at Breakspear Park, who nominated local charities and voted for the winner.

The finalists were The Pepper Foundation, The Willow Foundation, and Home Start Hertfordshire. With over 300 votes, every charity was a worthy winner, but The Pepper Foundation pipped the others to the winning post.

Kiah Nicolas, Head of Fundraising at The Pepper Foundation, was presented with a cheque for £1,000 by the marketing manager at Breakspear Park, Dina Mistry. The money will be used to fund Hospice Care at Home across Buckingham and Hertfordshire for children with complex health needs or life-limiting conditions to help them stay within the comfort of their own homes whilst still receiving the care they need. The support they fund includes specialised nursing care, play sessions, play support, and family days out. The charity also includes siblings and relatives of children and adult patients to ensure that every family going through this hardship gets to experience well-needed joy and an opportunity to make memories.

On winning, Kiah said:

“We are overjoyed with this wonderful donation and would like to thank Breakspear Park and the many supporters who voted for us. Receiving £1000 means that we could provide up to 33 hours of specialised nursing care or even take many families on an amazing day out so they can make vital memories.

“A donation like this means so much to us here at Pepper, and we are extremely grateful. As a small local charity, every single donation counts immensely, so the opportunity to receive £1000 is very much appreciated. Thank you all so much!”

Breakspear Park is now asking the public to write in and nominate charities, projects, or causes they feel deserve to win the next £1,000 donation. Anything will be considered as long as it is not-for-profit and benefits the people of Hertfordshire.

Details of the top three nominations (as chosen by Breakspear Park’s management team) will be announced via its Facebook page, giving the public a chance to vote for the project or cause they feel it deserves the donation.

To nominate a Hertfordshire-based organisation, email [email protected], highlighting the type of project, charity, group or service, what the £1,000 will be used for, and contact details for the organisation. Write ‘unknown’ if you don’t know what the money will be used for. The closing date for nominations is 28.4.24, with the funds awarded in June 2024.

Dina Mistry, Marketing Manager at Breakspear Park, commented:

“We're happy to share that The Pepper Foundation is the first winner of our 2024 community fund. As a company, we feel it's important to help out in the area where we live and work. Because local charities and groups are having a tough time due to high living costs, we set up this fund to make a positive difference and assist those in need in Hertfordshire. We're proud to support The Pepper Foundation's work and can't wait to hear about more good causes through nominations.”