Welcare – serving local churches

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Brief History & Mandate

The Hounslow Welcare Trust became a registered charity in 2010 and was established with the following aim:

The object of the Trust is the provision of grants to Church of England parishes within the Deanery and or London Borough of Hounslow to enable the promotion of charitable purposes for the benefit of the community as an expression of social concern.

The Trust welcomes applications for grants to support Christian mission and evangelism from Church of England parishes within the Hounslow Deanery and / or located in the London Borough of Hounslow.

See elsewhere on this page for stories of recent grants made.

The Trust will:

  • Be willing to fund ongoing costs for established projects as well as accepting applications from new ventures.
  • Aim to inspire new projects by publicising the success of those already funded, such as those shown here.

Interested in applying?

  1. Contact the Area Dean (who chairs the Trustees) or any other member of the Trustees for an informal conversation.
  2. Download the application form and return on time.
  3. Applications must be submitted by the first day of the month of the meeting at which it is to be considered.

RSF signature

Rev Richard Frank (Hounslow Area Dean and Chair of the Hounslow Welcare Trust)

September 2018

Trustees meet three or more times a year (generally around February, June and October) to:

  1. Oversee the fund.
  2. Consider new grant applications and decide on grants.
  3. Receive feedback on the effectiveness of supported projects.

The Trust is chaired (ex-officio) by the Area Dean of Hounslow, Rev Richard Frank.

Other trustees:

  • Mr Fred Michell (Lay Chair of Hounslow Deanery Synod)
  • Mr David Rowe (Lay member of Hounslow Deanery Synod representing All Souls, St Margarets-on-Thames)
  • Miss Dawn Rabin (Lay member of Hounslow Deanery Synod representing St Leonard’s Heston)
  • Mrs Rachel Maclure (Lay member of St John’s Church, Isleworth)
  • Rev Philip Smith (Vicar of St Mary’s, Bedfont)

The work of the Trustees is supported by the Trust’s Secretary & Treasurer, Mrs Helen Stephens.

all souls ivybridge logoAll Souls Ivybridge

The Ivybridge Estate was built during the 1970’s and is home to people from a wide range of nationalities including Somali and Asian Muslims. A high number of residents are single parents and / or unemployed and also in some cases, unable to speak English. The estate is within the parish of All Souls Church which employs a part-time community projects manager.

All Souls Ivybridge received a 3 year grant in 2012 which contributes towards the costs of various projects on the estate with some highlights below…

  • all souls ivybridge picA weekly Foodbank – 30 families were given Christmas Hampers this year – and weekly community drop-in
  • Weekly English classes run by a trained TEFL and Arab speaking teacher from the All Souls congregation. This provides a vital opportunity for social interaction for some of the women on the estate.
  • Other classes include computing and, a seated exercise class. Fi and her team of volunteers also organised a Messy Christmas for the first time which was well attended.

“The grant we received from Welcare has helped All Souls Church to develop and grow its ministry on the Ivybridge Estate, leading to greater support for vulnerable local families and individuals, stronger relationships with people from the ethnically diverse communities on the estate, and a sense of joy through local communities working together.”

Fi Budden, Community Projects Manager

The Shelter Project Hounslow

TSPH logoThe Shelter Project was first piloted in the winter months of 2012 and now provides shelter and support to homeless men during the harshest winter months of January to March. This year 10 churches took part in providing venues, meals and volunteers to support this work.

The project housed between 12-14 guests in 2016 and a few former guests who are now housed and in work came to volunteer at some of the shelters too. Volunteers come from other church denominations and also include non-church goers.

Here are just a couple of specific project costs incurred on a regular basis:

  • £45 provides a full evening meal for 14 men
  • £1500 helps provide mattresses and bedding for a whole winter

The Project now also employees a caseworker, who wanted to pass on her thanks:

Thank you for allowing us to continue with employing a professional caseworker, provide bus tickets, hot meals and showers, and so much more so thank you.

Beverley Ajayi, Caseworker

Isleworth Youth Project – All Saints

all saints youth pic 1All Saints, Isleworth were given a grant of £3000 (over 3 years) towards the support of their Youth Project to increase the engagement of young people at All Saints and beyond. This has included activities such as an Outreach Youth Club for 11-16s, lessons for ‘Moving on to Secondary Schools’ and pastoral support to young people and their families.

Here are just a few highlights from a December 2015 review of the work:

  • Increased numbers of young people participating in the running of church services (such as leading intercessions and prayers, serving tea & coffee)
  • Alternative Halloween
  • Young people making personal choices to attend church even when parents don’t come
  • Collaborative work with St John’s on a Sunday night Activ8 project
  • All Saints’ Youth joined St Paul’s Hounslow West for a sponsored event to raise awareness of child trafficking issues

form screenshotThe forms here are the latest and were last updated May 2016 and are valid for applications to the October 2016 meeting of the trustees.

Download the application form in .doc format (to fill in on a computer) or in .pdf format (to print off and fill in by hand).

The Trustees meet three times a year (in roughly October, February/March and June) to consider new grants applications, to monitor the effectiveness of past grants and to oversee the fund itself.

Applications must be sent to the Welcare Secretary (Mrs Helen Stephens) at the address shown in the application form to arrive no later than the Monday of the week before the trustees meet.

Conversations in advance of applying are encouraged.

The next meeting of the trustees is scheduled for October 2019.

Please use this form to feedback on past grants and provide an update to the Trustees.