Support is needed for charitable trust

May 25 2006

THE Letisha and Charlene Education Awards is a pilot scheme for 12 months, but it is hoped to develop the scheme on an annual basis, under the administration of a charitable trust.

The aim would be to help a succession of students in need through college and into the world of work. To do that will require much further additional funding and support.

It is currently backed by the Birmingham Mail Charitable Trust and Aston Pride.

BMCT chairman Bob Ingram said: "We have a preference for assisting small, local, community groups with members who trustees must agree are in 'social and welfare need'.

"Such groups are invariably organised by small teams of dedicated volunteers and rarely have paid staff. Furthermore, they generally struggle to raise funds for a planned activity intended to benefit their members.

"It was against that backcloth that the Mail's own charity responded positively to this somewhat special and unique application from the families."

The Letisha and Charlene Education Award is the newest addition to a list of education projects being delivered by Aston Pride, the £54m New Deal for Communities (NDC) programme which was launched in 2001 and tasked with improving the area.

The NDC scheme has ploughed more than £2m into education services.

Projects have included state-of-the-art learning technologies for classrooms in all Aston Pride primary schools, a 50-place purpose built nursery for 0-5 year olds, plus a computer training scheme that has caught the attention of Micro-soft.

* If your company is interested in discussing sponsoring or supporting the proposed charitable trust, please email andy_richards@mrn.co.uk