Casework

Registered Charity No. 248746.
Registered Office:
115-117 Kingston Road
Leatherhead
Surrey
KT22 7SU

Difficult times for the economy in general have impacted significantly on the number of applications to our Fund over the past year. Whilst the number of orphaned applications is not particularly affected by general trends, nevertheless we have begun support to a higher number of orphaned children than for several years. Eight new children qualified for our support in 2008, and assistance to seven of these began at the very end of the year, so the full financial impact of the regular quarterly grants they will receive is only now being felt in our 2009 budget. Our new beneficiaries include a little girl of eight who lost her mother, when she suffocated during an epileptic fit. A girl of 17 discovered her father, who had hanged himself in the family home. In another family children of six and three years of age have lost their mother following a sudden and unexpected infection contracted at work. Their father has had to give up his job as a nurseryman and is now struggling to start his own nursery business close to home where he can accommodate the needs of his young family more easily.

A girl of 11 and her 9 year old brother have lost their father to cancer, and a 29 year old landscape gardener died, leaving a son of just over a year and a daughter, born since her father’s death.

Whilst financial assistance cannot begin to replace a lost parent, we find that being able to ease money worries enables our families to cope better at such very difficult times.

Other children have moved on from our assistance, leaving school or university to take their places in a shrinking workplace. Fortunately, all are in work at the present time.

The number of orphaned children we assisted through 2008 was 27 and, as mentioned, the number of applications from needy children has been greatly increased. Our assistance here has been in the provision of school and winter clothing, beds, bedding, carpeting, school trips and equipment and school travel. Overall we have helped 93 children this year and 2009 is proving to be a year of even greater need as the recession bites.

The Constance Spry Fund

This Fund has assisted six children undertaking higher education during the course of 2008. They are studying Literature, Pharmaceuticals, Child Welfare, Animal Welfare, Carpentry and Horticulture.

We would, as always, send our sincere thanks to the flower arranging societies around the country who regularly support this fund.