2017 Donations Evening

On behalf of the WOODCOTE CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION, the Woodcote Rally Committee is pleased to announce that, following an extremely successful year, we can donate the amazing sum of £24,500 to local charities and good causes within Woodcote and neighbouring villages. This brings the total donations since the first Rally in 1964 to £481,000.

The Donations Evening was held in Woodcote Village Hall on Friday 24th November 2017. This event makes it all worthwhile for the Rally Committee and Association members as they see how all their voluntary efforts and hard work have paid off.

Awards

Following the introduction by Mr Nic Bartholomew (Woodcote Charitable Association), the awards were presented to the best in class exhibits at the Rally. Trophies were awarded to a range of vintage vehicles including cars, motor bikes, commercial vehicles, and, of course, steam engines.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

• The Ran Hawthorne Memorial Shield for large steam was awarded to Gary Reynolds of Didcot for his Aveling & Porter 8 ton built in 1924.
• The Castrol Research Cup was awarded to Les Porterfield of Goring for his 1962 Jaguar 3.8 Mk 2.
• The Dick Vernon Memorial Award for tractors went to John Knight of Tilehurst.

The complete list of Awards can be seen below.

Donations

Following a short interlude for refreshments, kindly provided by the Woodcote Village Hall Committee, members of the Woodcote Charitable Association Trustees went on to conduct the all-important part of the evening by presenting cheques to local charities and organisations.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

• Woodcote Village Hall will use their donation to help refurbish the function room.
• The Village Green Committee have installed new fencing on Folly Field.
• The Cabin Pre-School are replacing heaters and helping to fund an annual day out./li>
• OWL (Our Woodcote Library) will buy new books and support activities for youngsters.
• Mowforth House will provide Christmas Lunch for their residents at the Highwayman.
• Woodcote Pre-School will purchase sensory toys for their children.

The complete list can be seen below.

Sports/Activities

£1,000*	Woodcote Cricket Club	Mobile covers for the square
£600*	Woodcote Badminton Club	Help expand the club and keep fit
£300	Riding for the Disabled (Wyfold)	Electric bike to keep up with the carriage
£500	Woodcote/Stoke Row Football Club	New goal posts fund
£550*	RG8 Badminton Club, Woodcote	Keep badminton thriving
£500*	Almshouses Bowls Club (Goring Heath)	Levelling the bowling green
£1,000*	Thames Valley Tractor Club	New club tent
£500*	Reading Abbey Rugby Football Club	Towards fund raising for the new club house

Youth

£750*	1st Stoke Row Scout Group	Camping equipment
£1,000*	Goring Heath Scout and Guide Group	rRplace gas heaters and gas pipe
£1,250*	Oxfordshire ‘Wallingford’ Army Cadet Force	Support cadets on company weekends and camps

Local Community

£2,000	Woodcote Village Hall	Fully refurbish the function room
£750	Woodcote/Goring Medical Centre	New scales and taller chairs
£500	Woodcote Community Centre	Refurbishment of rooms for hire
£500	Woodcote Volunteers	Support the volunteers
£300	Checkendon and District Aid in Sickness	Towards Christmas gifts for the local community
£300	Woodcote Conservation Group
£750	Thames Valley Air Ambulance	Help keep the helicopter in the air and vehicles on the road
£500*	Thames Valley Police (Welfare Fund)
£550&	Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (Firefighters Charity)	support the welfare of fire fighters
£500*	Woodcote Youth Club	Towards an iPad
£500	Woodcote Village Green Committee	New fencing on the Folly Field
£500*	Henley & District Young Farmers	Support members
£500	OWL (Our Woodcote Library)	New books and support activities for youngsters

Seniors

£300

Mowforth House, Woodcote

Meal at the Highwayman

Juniors

£1,000*	Cabin Pre-School Group	Replacement heaters and towards annual family day out
£800*	Woodcote Pre-School Group	Purchasing sensory toys for the children
£500*	Friends of Woodcote Primary School	Improving the key stage 1 outdoor area
£550*	Checkendon Brownies	Supporting children with the cost of adventure holidays
£300*	Checkendon Adventure Playground	Revamping the adventure playground built in 1982

Education

£600	Langtree School, Woodcote	Fund for student led projects for the community
£600	Griffiths Higgs Educational Charity	To support the increased number of youngsters moving on in education
£500*	Stoke Row C of E Primary School	securing the boundary of the school

Churches

£500*

St Leonard’s, Woodcote

improving the structure of the building

Charities

£650	Sue Ryder Care, Nettlebed	Continued care for patients in end of life care
£500*	Marie Curie Cancer Care	Supporting patients
£500	Thames Valley LUPUS Group	Raise awareness of the disease
£300	Hearing Dogs for Deaf People	Towards training the dogs
£300	Guide Dogs for the Blind	To name a guide dog in memory of Rob Llewelyn
£500	Macular Society (Goring Group)	Funding medical research to hopefully find a cure in the future

(*) Those donations indicated with an asterisk reflect the assistance given by that organisation in the running of the 2017 Rally. The Rally Committee and the Woodcote Charitable Association wish to thank them for their support.

Over The Years

This is how some of the donations have totalled up over the years out of the £481,000 donated since 1964:

• £42,770 Woodcote Village Hall
• £20,030 Woodcote/Goring Medical Centre
• £15,965 Woodcote Village Green
• £14,540 Langtree School
• £12,175 Woodcote Youth Club
• £11,465 St Leonard’s Church