We’re proud to announce our charitable arm, the Minorfern Foundation, donated a total of £80,000 to local charities over the last two years.
The Minorfern Foundation was created in 2024 to support grassroots initiatives in our operating areas, and we’re thrilled to have supported 21 organisations so far.
And we’re not stopping there – we’re currently selecting the charities we’ll support in 2026/27, with the new list to be published shortly.
Please follow the hashtag #MinorfernFoundation on Facebook to keep up to date.
This year, 10 non-profits received grants of £3,800, alongside a £2,000 contribution to the Matthew Good Foundation.
All charities were chosen by our employees and reflect our values, covering four key themes: community and social support, education and youth development, improving health and wellbeing, and helping animals.
Pathways Homeless
This vital service for people experiencing homelessness is Chesterfield’s primary centre for those in housing crisis. They provide a wide range of support, including housing advice, specialist nursing, tenancy support, access to essential services like a dentist, peer mentors, and activities and provisions to improve wellbeing. The service helps around 880 people each year, with approximately 280 securing housing as a result.
Gussies Pantry
Gussies Pantry, part of Gussies Community in Chesterfield, supports local residents through various initiatives. These include a pantry shop for households facing food insecurity, a café for social meals, a jumble shop recycling items, and free youth activities during school holidays. They also host a yearly community gala and maintain local green spaces, powered by dedicated volunteers.
Elm Foundation
The Elm Foundation is a Safelives Accredited charity in Derbyshire dedicated to ending domestic abuse. Their trauma-informed services focus on prevention, crisis, and recovery, offering tailored support to adults, children, and families at risk.
They provide refuge accommodation, including spaces for women, men, and those with complex needs, alongside outreach support to help survivors rebuild their lives.
Their “Changes” programme supports perpetrators in recognising and changing abusive behaviours, while the “Making Positive Choices” initiative targets early intervention with young people. As part of the Women’s Aid network, they also offer CPD-accredited training to raise awareness and support professionals.
YMCA Barnsley
YMCA Barnsley is a long-standing local charity dedicated to empowering children, young people, and families. They provide safe spaces, engaging activities, and support to help young people belong, contribute, and thrive in their communities.
With over 1,300 children supported annually through more than 800 sessions across 10 programmes, they foster potential and community participation.
Additionally, they offer affordable facilities for other charities and use their resources to support the homeless and vulnerable.
Wildlings
Wildlings is more than a preschool; it’s a way of life that nurtures curiosity, creativity, and resilience. Through both hall-based and outdoor sessions in ancient woodlands, children lead their own learning while skilled educators provide gentle guidance. With a strong focus on play, exploration, and connection to nature, Wildlings fosters independence, confidence, and selfesteem.
Offering rich experiences like tool use, sensory play, and forest school activities, Wildlings prepares children for a lifetime of joyful learning.
Treetops Hospice
Treetops Hospice offers compassionate care for adults with life-limiting illnesses and their families across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Their services include end-of-life care, wellbeing programmes, and emotional support.
Additionally, the Children’s Therapy Centre provides vital counselling and play therapy for children coping with grief and loss in a safe, nurturing environment. Recently transformed on BBC’s DIY SOS, the centre strengthens Treetops’ mission to bring comfort, hope, and essential support to families during challenging times.
Footprints for Pollie
Just4Children is fundraising to support Pollie, a 13-year-old from Doncaster, born at just 24 weeks and weighing only 1lb 10oz. Despite a bleak prognosis at birth, including diagnoses of Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus, and Epilepsy, Pollie has defied expectations. She can eat, talk, and walk with a specialised frame.
To aid her recovery from upcoming major surgery and continue her progress, funds are needed for therapies like physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and movement therapy. These will help Pollie achieve her goal of living her best, most independent life.
Forever Stars
Forever Stars is an East Midlands charity supporting families who’ve experienced stillbirth, infant loss, and neonatal death. Founded by Michelle and Richard Daniels after the stillbirth of their daughter Emily in 2013, the charity aims to provide compassionate support and create dedicated spaces for bereaved families.
Services include Serenity Suites in hospitals, a remembrance garden, and a community hub offering resources and guidance. Forever Stars ensures families can honour their loss while finding hope and healing.
Ashbourne Animal Welfare
Founded in 1988, this charity operates The Ark Rescue and Rehoming Centre, dedicated to caring for unwanted and stray cats and dogs. Each animal receives loving care, necessary veterinary treatment, and neutering before adoption. The charity also promotes responsible pet ownership to ensure the animals’ long-term well-being.
With a commitment to giving pets a second chance, Ashbourne Animal Welfare has rehomed over 9,000 animals to date, transforming countless lives and bringing joy to families.
PACT
PACT – Parents Association of Children with Tumours and Leukaemia – provides vital emotional, social, and practical support for families in South Yorkshire who have children fighting cancer. Although survival rates for children’s cancer have improved, the journey remains physically, emotionally, and financially exhausting.
PACT, run by parents, offers support through a range of services, including a five bedroom house near Sheffield Children’s Hospital, holiday accommodations for families, and social support tailored to children of all ages. Their mission is to ease the challenges families face and enhance their quality of life throughout the treatment process.
The Matthew Good Foundation
Alongside its programme of direct grants, the Minorfern Foundation made a £2,000 donation to the Matthew Good Foundation, 100% of which goes directly to small charities through grants and a free film production service.
The donation enabled the Matthew Good Foundation to fund a charity film for YMCA Barnsley, a Minorfern grant recipient this year. During a visit to the charity, the Matthew Good Foundation team were impressed by YMCA Barnsley’s youth inclusion work and put them forward for a film through the Amplify Charity Films programme.
The film will help the charity raise its profile and communicate the difference it makes to young people’s lives.
We’re grateful for the vital work these charities are doing and looking forward to continuing giving back to the organisations close to our hearts and homes.
Julie Salter, People and Culture Director, said: “As we close our second year of the Minorfern Foundation, we are proud of the support we have provided and the relationships we have built with charities in our local communities.
“Through our funding, we have helped organisations continue delivering essential services, invest in resources, and provide support to those who need it most.”
Please see our previous donations here:
