Key Stakeholder Event shares fund’s vision for the future
Photo L to R: Marley Simpson, Jack Barnes and Richard Kennell, CEO SOFEA
A group of 60 key stakeholders gathered together at MEPC Milton Park on 10th November to hear about The Didcot Powerhouse Fund, a brand new and exciting donor advised fund for Didcot. A number are already founder donors or plan to pledge and help going forward which has been key to getting the project off the ground.
The most moving part of the evening was when Marley Simpson and Jack Barnes, interviewed by Richard Kennell, CEO of SOFEA gave compelling personal testimonies about their lives which included involvement in County Lines drugs in Didcot and feelings of hopelessness about what the future held for them. Jack starkly stated that he would either be in prison or dead without the support SOFEA has given him to turn his life around and both he and Marley are now working with other young people to ensure they don’t take a similar pathway into personal difficulty. Through organisations like SOFEA, The Didcot Powerhouse Fund wants to be able to help more people.
Key stakeholders present included speakers, MP for Didcot and Wantage, David Johnston; Mayor of Didcot Mocky Khan; Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Elizabeth Paris; Commercial Director of MEPC Milton Park, Philip Campbell; CEO of Diamond Light Source, Andrew Harrison; Chair of Didcot First, David Pryor; Site Operations Manager Suzanne Harvey, Ipsen Biopharm Ltd; and CEO of SOFEA & Director of Didcot First, Richard Kennell, accompanied by Marley Simpson and Jack Barnes. All gave powerful reasons why organisations should get involved in The Didcot Powerhouse Fund and donate to it to an audience comprising corporate, council and other stakeholders such as OxLEP.
Elizabeth Paris explained that as a Donor Advised Fund, The Didcot Powerhouse Fund will raise money from donors, grant bodies and philanthropists into a core fund. Annually, charities and organisations demonstrating their support for the wider Didcot Area of Influence and how they are partnering with similar bodies to serve the community, will be able to apply for funds from the Fund, to assist them with the great work they are doing. This also helps them continue their work into the future which is vital as many run on goodwill and volunteer support, delivering an important range of vital community services.
A Grant Panel, working closely with the fund administrator, Oxfordshire Community Foundation, will evaluate all the applications received for grants and decide where funding should go and how it can achieve the greatest impact locally. There will be a theme each year and for 2022 ithis will be ‘Supporting children, young people and families as we emerge from the pandemic.’
Donors can be confident their money will be directed to where there is most need in Didcot, guided by people who know where there are gaps in community support. It’s an easy way for local companies to give to charity in a highly effective way.