I Can

A contribution towards the costs of a new independent assessment centre in Nottingham for children with severe communication disabilities. Early assessment and targeted support can help children to overcome early language difficulties or receive appropriate support for their needs. The Centre will provide multi-disciplinary assessment by special educational needs teachers, speech and language therapists and educational psychologists.

Macular Disease Society

A grant to fund training in eccentric viewing techniques for older people with failing eyesight. Eccentric viewing and steady eye strategies maximise the use of peripheral vision and the training will teach individuals who suffer from macular disease to identify the exact location of their vision loss and to utilise the area of the retina that provides the clearest image.

£50,000 over two years

SENSE

To fund the salary of a coordinator in the eastern region for older people with acquired deafblindness . SENSE provides specialist services enabling deafblind people to live as independently as possible. The role of coordinator is part of a three year campaign to raise awareness, especially amongst service providers and professionals, of the needs of older people with sight and hearing difficulties.

£30,000

Bag Books

To fund the Story-Go-Round project providing storytelling packs for use in local libraries. Bag Books develops and produces multi-sensory packs, with sounds and smells and textures, for children with the most profound and complex disabilities. The project will provide 100 free multi-sensory packs to community libraries and teach library staff how to use them with severely disabled children.

£24,800 over three years

WheelPower – British Wheelchair Sport

To support the SportStart programme for recently paralysed individuals. WheelPower encourages the use of sport to aid rehabilitation and as a means of preventative healthcare leading to greater independence. About 1,200 people become paralysed due to an accident or illness each year and the programme aims to benefit 800 people by introducing them to the most suitable wheelchair sports.

£15,000

Vulnerable People

British Red Cross

ExtraCare Charitable Trust

To fund a new Responder emergency response vehicle for use in the UK after events such as floods, fires, major traffic incidents or terrorist attacks. The BRC provides crisis response to support the UK emergency services and vehicles are also used in community services to provide first aid cover.

To support a research project into a model of care for older people with dementia in sheltered housing. The charity provides sheltered accommodation and nursing care for older people with a range of ‘ExtraCare' activities. The research project will employ specialist staff in ten sheltered housing schemes as a pilot to develop and evaluate a model of care for older people with dementia.

£50,000

£15,000

To contribute to an advice service and fact sheets produced to support older people. Counsel and Care is a relatively small charity providing detailed information and advice for older people on housing, welfare, care and benefits together with a personal advocacy service.

To produce educational packs on the dangers of substance abuse for primary schools. Research shows that younger children are experimenting with solvent abuse and that those who use volatile substances when they are young are more susceptible to drug abuse in later life. The grant would pay for sample packs to be distributed free to 30,000 children.

To part-fund a research project to identify drug, alcohol and other substance abuse programmes that are effective and deserving of charitable support. NPC is a charity that carries out independent research in the charitable sector in order to advise donors as to where funds can be most effectively targeted.

To fund the roll-out of a partnering project for the Centrepoint Model with four local youth homelessness charities. The Freemasons' Grand Charity previously part-funded the initial pilot project in the north-east. The charity works with young homeless people providing support, training and advice as well as accommodation .

A grant towards a medical research project by Professor Wood at the Institute of Neurology , London to study the PINK1 gene which, when mutated, causes Parkinson's disease. About 120,000 people in the UK suffer from Parkinson's Disease.

To fund a medical research project at the Institute of Ophthalmology . Fight for Sight is dedicated to research into blindness and treatment of eye disease and the grant would pay for research into abnormal blood vessel growth investigating the factors that control macrophages in the retina. The research will be relevant for age-related macular disease and diabetic retinopathy.

To support a medical research project at Cambridge into the use of chondroitinase enzyme in the removal of scar tissue, which stop nerves from regrowing and reconnecting. The charity carries out research into treatments that will restore movement and sensation after paralysis caused by a broken neck or back as a result of traffic or sporting accidents or violent attacks.