At Chester Business Club we have a proud heritage of not only supporting the local business community, but we endeavour to show our continuing support for the wider community as a whole.
As part of our efforts, we support a wide range of good causes in both Chester and the wider area, including a number of outstanding charities.
Now more than ever it is essential that we pull together as a community and the charities below are doing some fantastic work, enabling those in need to get the support they may need when they need it most.
Claire House Children’s Hospice
When Claire House Hospice opened in December 1998, it did so with the ambition to help all seriously and terminally ill children get the support and treatment they need.
We are very proud of their growth as an organisation which has enabled them to go from supporting 10 families when they first opened their doors, to now being able to support over 400 families.
This amazing charity places a key focus on helping children who are very ill enjoy life to the full by facilitating amazing experiences for both the children and their families.
They also have a host of innovative facilities including a state of the art multi-sensory room, art room, hydrotherapy pool and jacuzzi as well as a separate wing complete with bar, sound system and Xbox for teenagers and young adults.
Samaritans
Did you know that every six seconds, Samaritans answer a call for help?
If ever a statistic showed the importance of an organisation, this may be it.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Samaritans, they are an organisation with the vision of reducing the number of people who die due to suicide.
Samaritans work in a wide range of sectors including, schools, prisons, workplaces and local communities, not only helping people during a crisis but also helping those to combat issues before they reach a crisis point.
The Chester and District Samaritans have played a key role in assisting those in need in our great city for more than 50 years and in 2019 the hard-working and dedicated team of volunteers answered 19,129 calls and over 7,400 emails from individuals who needed the assistance of this great team of people.
Save the Family
Save the Family are a Chester based charity which places family at the core of all they do.
By providing a team of mentors for those in need, Save the Family empowers each family member within a family unit to increase their independence, grow in confidence and achieve their full potential, enabling the family to become a cohesive unit that is ready for any challenges life has to throw at them.
The core values that are the driving force behind everything that Save the Family does are compassion, respect, empowerment, aspiration, trust and excellence.
Their service an invaluable one and they assist families in a multitude of ways, including providing residential accommodation for families that are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Hospice of the Good Shepherd
The origin of this fantastic charity harks back to two nurses discussing their work in helping to care for patients with cancer at a Chester Lions meeting in the early 1980s.
Since then they have developed into one of the essential hospice care providers in our area.
Striving for excellence is at the heart of everything they do and they base all their actions as a charity on ensuring compassion, dignity, respect and integrity remain their foundation.
Hospice of the Good Shepherd provides specialist palliative care and support for those with a terminal illness and their families at a time that is extremely difficult and challenging and in the past year, they have provided almost 300 in-patient stays and had over 1,000 Day Therapy attendances.
In total over 1,000 families benefited from the charity’s remarkable service in the past year alone.
Bridge Wellness Gardens
This Ellesmere Port based charity has one key aim, to make the world around them a happier place, and what better way to do that than through food.
Bridge Street Gardens provide a therapeutic and caring environment for those with learning disabilities and mental health issues, as well as offering training and mentoring opportunities for young people struggling to thrive in a standard academic environment.
They also provide invaluable support to the unemployed.
Chester Sports Association for People with a Disability
Sport is enjoyed by millions across the globe and those who live within the Chester area are no exception.
Chester Sports Association for People with a Disability, which was formed in the early 90s operates from Queen’s Park High School aims to assist those with a disability to enjoy a wide range of sports including football, basketball, cricket and many more.
This great organisation is also run by a dedicated team comprising of family members, volunteers and friends.
Retreat House Chester
Retreat House Chester is slightly different to many charitable organisations within our great city.
As the charity itself says, it is “rooted gently and deeply in Christian tradition”.
Whilst you may be forgiven for thinking that given the name, the charity is located in the Cheshire countryside, it is located in the middle of Chester itself, offering a refuge from the business and calamity of everyday life.
The charity is there to support those who seek a quiet place to retreat and reconnect with themselves or a place for those looking to explore reflective living and spirituality.
The Countess Charity
The Countess Charity plays a vital role in supporting The Countess of Chester Hospital, working with the local community as well as the local business community and other fundraisers to raise money for over 80 funds across the hospital in a bid to continuously improve and enhance patient care.
The organisation is one of more than 300 registered charities in the UK associated with NHS hospitals or organisations and together said charities contribute £400million each year to patient care and we are extremely proud of the work that they do to support our city’s hospital.
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
It’s well documented that wildlife and the environment are in danger at this moment in time unless we make drastic changes as the human race, however, without the work of inspiring charities like the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, we may be in a much worse position.
Together with a team of volunteers the charity works tirelessly to protect wildlife across Chester, Cheshire West, and Cheshire East, as well as Halton, Stockport, Warrington, Tameside, Trafford and Wirral.
They manage approximately 40 nature reserves, providing an essential sanctuary for wildlife across the county.
Adoption Matters
Adoption Matters was founded in 1947 and are a children’s charity and voluntary adoption agency that recruits, trains and supports those who aim to adopt.
Not only do they assist in the adoption process, but they also provide essential and invaluable support to adopted adults and their birth families and have done so for over 70 years and so far they have worked with over 850 families.
Their incredible work has helped ensure that many children’s needs and welfare have been given paramount importance, enabling the children they assist to grow up in a safe and secure environment with a loving family that can help them reach their full potential.
Chester Women’s Aid
Having originally been formed in 1976, Chester Women’s Aid has played an integral role within the Cestrian community ever since.
They provide essential support to women and families that experience domestic abuse in addition to ensuring said women and families have access to services they may also need.
The charity relies solely on volunteers who ensure the charity reaches those who need it most, in addition to assisting the organization with events, fundraising, and other activities which help support the charity.
The Neuro Therapy Centre
Neurological conditions can be some of the most debilitating.
From MS and Parkinsons to MND and ME and many others besides the aforementioned, The Neuro Therapy centre, located in Saltney on the outskirts of Chester, provides practical support and therapies to those with a neurological condition, helping them to manage their symptoms and get the support they may need.
Specialists at the centre help ensure that there is future after diagnoses by tailoring fitness, exercise and physiotherapy programmes to the specific needs of the individual who has been diagnosed with a neurological condition.
The charity also helps provide vital health and social care services for carers, which cannot be accessed through public services.
Conclusion
These charities are all exceptional in their own right and we are privileged to be able to support them in any way we can.
Now more than ever these charities and many more like them in our local area and beyond need our support, in order to ensure that everyone in our city and the wider community has access to the help and support they may need when they need it the most.