Charities benefit from record amount raised at Swallowfield Show

Swallowfield Horticultural Society, organiser of the Swallowfield Show, is delighted to announce that its 2023 event has raised a record sum of £24,833 for local charities.

The two-day show, which is organised by volunteers who are members and friends of the Society, last year attracted an impressive 8,000 visitors over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The show, which is run for the benefit of the community, aims to provide high quality traditional family entertainment whilst raising money for local charities.

Donations have already been made to all the local charities selected to benefit from a share of the funds raised. The range of good causes receiving a welcome financial contribution from the 2023 Swallowfield Show is wide and varied and includes health related initiatives, horticultural therapies and animal welfare.

Last week the Society’s Chairman Graham Stanley met with Martin Butler, Community and Events Manager at the Royal Berks Charity, who was delighted to accept a contribution to the hospital’s Oasis Wellbeing Garden appeal.

Also pictured is Treasurer Carolyn Clark who met with the Viscount Bearsted of Farley Estate. Farley Estate very kindly allow the show to be hosted in Swallowfield Park in exchange for a donation to the Peter Samuel Charitable Trust which is chaired by Lord Bearsted.

Another charity to welcome both a donation and a visit from Carolyn last week was Beech Hill based Thrive which uses gardening to bring about positive changes in the lives of people living with disabilities or ill health or who are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable.

Headway Thames Valley, based in Henley-on-Thames, has also received a share of the funds raised. This charity helps adults of all ages in Berkshire and South Oxfordshire to live life after brain injury by providing those affected and their families with information, support and services. Paula Martin and Alice Collis, the Show’s Horticulture and Food & Drink Co-ordinators respectively, are pictured with Jamie Higgins, General Manager of Headway Thames Valley.

Members of the Society are planning to visit all the local charities in receipt of a donation in the coming weeks. The full list is:

Berkshire Animal Connection Centre https://animalconnectioncentre.org
Berkshire Search & Rescue Dogs https://www.bsard.org.uk
Daisy’s Dream https://www.daisysdream.org.uk
Happy Hedgehogs https://happyhedgehog.org.uk
Headway Thames Valley https://headwaythamesvalley.org.uk|
Heartstart Swallowfield https://www.heartstartswallowfield.co.uk
Home Start Wokingham https://www.home-start.org.uk/home-start-wokingham-district
Launchpad Reading https://launchpadreading.org.uk
Maidenhead Lions Land Train https://www.maidenheadlions.org.uk/lions-train
Peter Samuel Charitable Trust c/o Farley Estate
RBH Oasis Wellbeing Garden Appeal https://www.royalberkscharity.co.uk/oasisgarden/
SAFE https://www.safe-horses.co.uk
Saints Sled Dogs https://www.saintssleddogrescue.co.uk
Thrive https://www.thrive.org.uk/how-we-help/regional-centres-and-programmes/reading
In addition the Swallowfield Horticultural Society has made a donation to the following local organisations for kindly volunteering resources over the two day event:
Farley Hill School PTA
Shinfield Rangers Football Club Yateley School (Expedition Support)