Mayor's charities 2024/25
Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees
(CWR) aims to welcome refugees and asylum seekers as they arrive in Cheltenham and to continue to support them as they settle into new lives in the area. CWR carries out a wide range of activities to support asylum seekers housed in Cheltenham and refugee families from Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan and elsewhere who have been resettled in the area. They also campaign to promote public awareness of the issues affecting refugees, and to advocate for a fairer and more humane asylum system for those fleeing persecution to seek safety in the UK. CWR activities include a weekly hub supporting asylum seekers to get practical and social support, and a monthly Welcome Cafe for refugees and asylum seekers to enjoy food and community, English language classes, holiday activities for children, and regular football and photography groups, as well as awareness raising events in the wider community.
Friends of Sandford Parks
Friends of Sandford Parks (FOSP) is a community led, voluntary organisation, founded in 2014 to support and enhance the two Sandford Parks. CBC works with the FOSP team of volunteers to promote biodiversity and ensure that the community has an attractive open space close to the town centre. FOSP fundraising supports the community by providing equipment to promote health and well-being, to make the park a safe place for those who use it and to act in a custodial capacity where areas require attention. All assets which FOSP has added are free of charge to local users.
Aim Up
Aim Up is a charity that supports adults with disabilities, complex needs and mental health conditions. In 2021, 14 per cent of adults in Gloucestershire were registered with a disability that impacts their day-to-day livelihood. Aim Up provides person-centered supportive service to enable adults to live the life they want, the way they want. Currently, Aim Up is the only charity in the county that provides a range of supportive service that enable people with disabilities and complex needs to live an independent and fulfilling life, the way they want. The services that Aim Up offer are: Supported Living, Outreach, Domiciliary Care and a social enterprise - The Portland Guesthouse. As a result more people can achieve their ambitions and learn to live independently.
CCP (Caring for Communities and People)
CCP exists to prevent the causes, and reduce the effects, of homelessness, family breakdown and exclusion. With a head office in Cheltenham, we deliver services across the South West, supporting thousands of people each year to access:
- Safe, stable accommodation and a package of support to help them achieve a more independent future
- Tenancy-related support to avoid someone losing their home because of an underlying need
- Early intervention family support, to support the needs of the children and parents and help them to create and maintain an environment in which both can flourish
- Social and friendship groups to increase their mental and physical health and avoid, or come out, of loneliness and isolation
- Affordable food and other essentials through our Community Pantry