Advertisement Columban MissionariesColumban Missionaries Would you like to advertise on ICN? Click to learn more.

Plater Trust awards eight grants for social justice projects


Source: Plater Trust

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Chair of the Charles Plater Trust, announced the latest successful recipients of Plater Trust grants at its annual celebration held at the Cardinal Hume Centre in Westminster today, Thursday 20 February.

Among the projects awarded grants was the trust's first grant made to a project for victims of modern slavery. The Medaille Trust who were awarded £58,950 will convert redundant church premises and grounds to allow their clients to work create allotments whilst meeting their social, spiritual and emotional needs and play an active part in their communities as they move from victim to survivor.

Two other organisations: Father Hudson's/Brushstrokes, who received £51,167 in Sandwell and Bolton's Destitution Project who were given £25,000 for their work with asylum seekers and migrants, providing for basic needs as well as offering English language and advice services.

Soundabout in Berkshire gained a grant of £12,440, to work with children with disabilities on music making whilst St Wilfrid's in Sheffield received £49,87. They plan to work with external evaluators on a Theory of Change to improve the impact of their work.

Together for the Common Good who were awarded £50,000 will roll out their laity training and parish development programme across five dioceses.

The other two awards were for research based projects: the Art of Dying Well (£30,150) aims to deepen understanding amongst health practitioners, chaplains, hospice workers, carers and bereavement groups to help people prepare for a good death whilst the Margaret Beaufort Institute project (£24,756) is to develop theological and ethical resources and training for Catholic pastoral work in prisons in England and Wales.

The Cardinal praised the vision of his predecessor, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. "Cardinal Cormac first promoted the idea of a foundation to support education for the disadvantaged in succession to Plater College. Here, today, we announce a further eight grants to add to the 44 awarded over the last 11 years. The applications we receive are witness to the considerable and excellent work being done, usually unreported, at parish and local level to meet the needs of the poor, marginalised and vulnerable in our society. Today we celebrate all that you, past and new grant recipients, do. We hope that our contribution will enable you to reach even more of those in need."

The Trust received 32 applications for funding and said "these were mostly of the highest quality and only the limit on the amount available prevented more proposals from being supported."

The Trust provides grants out of the proceeds of its investments from the sale of the original Plater College. This year, the Trustees were able to allocate £300,000 to support eight projects. This brings the total number of projects supported by the Plater Trust to over 50 (and grants to more than £2 million) since its establishment in 2008.

Participants at the award ceremony were also be able to meet winners of previous grants as well as trustees and other organisations working with the Trust.

The Charles Plater Trust is a charitable organisation dedicated to advancing the work of Father Charles Plater and the Catholic Social Guild by promoting social justice through education. Established as the successor to the former Plater College, Oxford, which closed in 2006, the Trust makes grants to organisations throughout England and Wales in line with the original Plater vision. Grants are awarded which contribute to the development of lay leadership, bringing education and opportunity to the most marginalised, or developing innovative new applications of Catholic social thought.

Since the Trust was established, it has awarded grants of over £2 million to support 52 projects in the fields of social action and education for the disadvantaged.

For more information see: http://plater.org.uk/

Adverts

The Passionists

We offer publicity space for Catholic groups/organisations. See our advertising page if you would like more information.

We Need Your Support

ICN aims to provide speedy and accurate news coverage of all subjects of interest to Catholics and the wider Christian community. As our audience increases - so do our costs. We need your help to continue this work.

You can support our journalism by advertising with us or donating to ICN.

Mobile Menu Toggle Icon