The St Edmunds Trust
Welcome to the St Edmunds Trust website www.stedmundstrust.co.uk
We give grants to charitable organisations involved in the care or treatment of sick or disabled people.
The area we cover is loosely defined by the borders of West Suffolk, and includes the towns of Bury St Edmunds, Mildenhall, Haverhill, Newmarket and Sudbury.
MAKING A SPLASH
A recent £7000 grant from the Trust has been awarded to a charity that introduces the freedom and excitement of sailing to those with physical, mental or sensory disabilities.
WASH Sailability based at Lackford Lakes has a small fleet of nine accessible dinghies, three one-person and now six two person boats designed for disabled sailors to operate. The St Edmunds Trust award has provided the new two-person Hansa 303, which means more clients can experience the joy of being out on the water.
A record 275 sailng sessions were delivered by mid-July this year, with the organisation steadily increasing the number of clients, and extending the range of disabilities accommodated. The organisers say they were particularly gratified recently when a blind teenager took to the water accompanied by his father who was trained by volunteers to be by his side.
The photograph to the left is of amputee and long-term client Cris, sailing the boat funded by the Trust. WASH Sailability
A New Chairman for the Trust
Following the retirement of Mary Pennock at the last St Edmunds Trust AGM, the role of chair has been taken by Alan Bedford.
Alan, a long-standing trustee, retired from the NHS ten years ago after 25 years as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in surgery of the lower limb, in particular the knee. During this period he chaired the department for 5 years and held various clinical roles overseeing the expansion of the unit.
Alan trained in surgery and subsequently orthopaedics at Westminster, the Middlesex and the Royal National Orthopaedic hospitals, before leaving for a rural life in Suffolk. He has long been a supporter of numerous charities in the area.
Alan says: "It is an honour and great pleasure to chair St Edmunds Trust. The Governors are committed to awarding monies raised by the sale of St Edmunds Hospital, where I worked for 25 years, to deserving groups in our community consistent with our stated aims."
Click here to see a complete list of recent recipients
