Music therapy charity's £50,000 windfall a big boost for scheme in Corby and Kettering

A music therapy charity that works across Northamptonshire with children and young people with life-limiting illnesses and disabilities has been awarded a funding boost of £50,000.

Northampton-based Thomas’s Fund is one of ten charities to receive the cash as part of Ecclesiastical Insurance’s Movement for Good awards.

The fund will allow the charity to launch its Kettering General Hospital, Pen Green Children’s Centre (Corby), and Community and Family Connections scheme - a project that will provide support, therapy and entertainment to some of the community’s most in need and isolated children and young people.

Esther Mitchell, lead music therapist at Thomas’s Fund, said: “Knowing that there were only ten grants available, I really didn’t think we had a great deal of a chance. We are absolutely overwhelmed and overjoyed that we got the funding, I cannot believe it.

“It has been a difficult year. When we first went into lockdown, we were absolutely determined that the families we work with would not be left without any support. This award enables the families we are supporting to have care in a particularly difficult period of time.

"A grant this size means we can focus on planning ahead and making sure our service is here for years to come.”

Thomas’s Fund provides music therapy for children and young people in Northamptonshire from birth to 19 with life-limiting illnesses, or life-threatening conditions, and/or a disability which, for medical reasons, means they are too ill to attend school, or an Early Years setting, for extended periods. It was selected to receive the cash from over 1,000 entries.

The awards, set up by specialist insurer Ecclesiastical, have seen a total of £1m given to charities across the UK this year.

Each of the £50,000 awards are designed to support the advancement of education, skills, arts, culture and heritage, as well as citizenship or community development.

Applications were assessed against four key areas; impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.

Mark Hews, group chief executive of Ecclesiastical, said: “Our Movement for Good awards have been met with an overwhelming response. A huge number of charities have submitted projects for the £50,000 grant and it’s clear that charitable organisations are in need of support now more than ever.

"We believe this financial boost will create long-lasting improvements for communities and support charity workers during what is an incredibly testing time for many.

"Ecclesiastical is a unique financial services group. Owned by a charity, our core purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society. Charitable giving is at the heart of our business and we are proud to be able to give all available profits to the good causes which are important to our customers.

"We know that £50,000 can make a huge difference to the life-changing work that charities do and we are looking forward to seeing how these awards will help make people’s lives better.”

The grant will enable Thomas’s Fund to provide two more days of music therapy sessions over two years starting in 2021. The charity also hopes to hold a family activity day next year for the Thomas's Fund families.

For further information on the Movement for Good awards and for a full list of the winning charities phase click here.

Thomas Smith died in 2004, aged 10, from a life-limiting neurodegenerative condition. He was unable to attend school all year round but enjoyed many activities especially music.

For information on Thomas's Fund click here.

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