The BBC has it’s Dragon’s Den and Eastleigh Lions have Devan’s Den! At our monthly gathering, we invited three shortlisted charities to pitch to our members, in a 10-minute presentation, to bid for three awards of £500, £300 or £200. The three successful applicants were selected from the ten organisations who had applied to us. The £1000 grant was formerly known as the Community Chest, but is now renamed the Devan Kandiah Community Award in honour of one of our illustrious past members.
In third place was the Chandler’s Ford Men’s Shed who submitted, as the other applicants, a written tender, which was taken into account when shortlisting. On the evening the chairman David Caddy told us about the origin of the Men’s Shed and some of the projects they have worked on. He explained how the facility enables men who are retired or on their own, to join together in tasks that give them an environment to chat and form new friendships.
In second place, Maria Tennent told us about the new facility for Age Concern in Eastleigh and the challenges they had faced. She outlined the different activities that take place at Age Concern giving the local community a base for these. One of their future plans involved reintroducing the lunch club, but although they had a new kitchen, the pots, pans, crockery and cutlery were in need of replacement. She explained how this would also benefit the wider community who use the Age Concern building.
Getting the £500 grant was Open Sight represented by Gemma McKnight assisted by Chris, Open Sight’s CEO. In her tender she wrote: “Open Sight supports blind and partially sighted people across Hampshire through advice, training, and local social groups. A £500 award would allow us to further support our Eastleigh social group, providing sessions that reduce isolation and build confidence. According to RNIB’s Sight Loss Data Tool, 9,805 people are registered blind or vision impaired in Hampshire. Many live locally in Eastleigh. This donation would directly support a welcoming space where people facing sight loss can connect, share experiences, and live more independently.”
If you would like to know more about these charities click their logos.
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