The PEM Charitable Trust have donated £1000 to Rowan, a local charity that provide a safe, creative and enriching environment where the arts are used as a tool to bring people together and tackle social exclusion for adults with learning disabilities.
Rowan is a charity based in Chesterton, Cambridge, which provides a day centre for adults with learning disabilities to socialise, develop skills and enjoy a range of workshops and classrooms, from woodwork to textiles and music.
Rowan applied for a grant as they were seeking funding to replace the deteriorating roof. For several years their roof had been leaking despite many patching attempts. The photo below actually shows their ingenious attempt to patch up a leak, with a tarpaulin and pipe system.
Photo from left to right: Isobel (student), Rachel, Amy, Rose (Fundraising Manager) and Dave (student)
Earlier this year they secured a grant from the Community Ownership Fund, but to access this grant they had to raise match funding of £36,000. PEM were delighted to contribute £1000 towards this.
Amy Hayden, ESG & Community Lead commented:
“Visiting Rowan was different to any other charity we’ve been to. This was because we were able to meet the service users and really see the charity at work and how incredible it is. We were welcomed with open arms and given a full tour of the facilities, each room was incredible and we saw the students in their workshops which ranged from textiles, to painting, to woodwork to music and more! We had the joy of meeting Dave who has been visiting the day centre since it began 40 years ago in 1984, he showed us his artwork and clapped and thanked us for the donation. The students are so excited about the roof project and it was really moving to see how much it meant to them.”
Rose Bloomfield, Fundraising and Events Manager at Rowan commented:
“We are so grateful to PEM for their donation towards our ‘Raise the Roof for Rowan’ campaign. We are delighted that work on our roof has now begun and is expected to be completed by the new year. Since 1984 Rowan has provided a safe, creative, and enriching environment where the arts are used as a tool to bring people together and tackle social exclusion. We are passionate about what we do and thanks to the support of our local community we can continue to make a real difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities in Cambridge.”
Rowan offer a variety of community classes too, and we would encourage you to check their website for details of these, plus their upcoming Christmas fair!
If you would like to apply your charity for a grant, please visit the PEM Charitable Trust page.