Charity Donations
The bit where we give stuff away
We are very proud to have raised over £250,000 since we started OF&D in 2010….all we wanted to do was go on a bike ride and meet some new people!
Our work was initially with three main partner charities: Le Rondin School, Guernsey Sports Association for the Disabled and St Martins Day Care Centre, now Active. As the charity has grown we have continued to work with these charities but have also been able to extend our support to a number of charities that work with children, young people and adults with learning difficulties and physical disabilities.
One thing we can’t quite get away from though is rugby and we are delighted to be able to work with and support the Rugby in Schools programme.
Le Rondin School
- £1,000 from Mule Aquitaine 2022 to build planters in the playground for the children to learn how to grow plants
- £5,000 raised from Mule Loire 2018 allocated for various projects
- Trips for the students to ice stake at Le Friquet’s Ice Skate Guernsey since 2018
- Funds from Mule Normandie 2016 brought a new bike shed/store which we added a fibre glass roof to extend its life;
- the maintenance and replacement of bicycles, 20 new cycle helmets, playground equipment and toys; and
- new rugby kit for four teams (30 children) for the 2016 Canaccord Primary Schools Tag Festival
- £8,000 from Mule Bretagne 2014 to develop the Garden of Reflection, planting the area and installing a water fountain and seating. The garden is an important area for pupils, parents and staff to enjoy peace and quiet and relax in challenging times.
- Bicycles for the children and an ongoing commitment to service and maintain the bikes
- Full set of judo mats
- Playground equipment and toys donated annually
- Water bottles
Le Murier
- Sponsorship of the Everest Challenge in 2023 and 2024 and replacement of ropes, harnesses and helmets
- Donation of 10 mountain bikes and helmets for exercise but also to allow students to get away from the hustle and bustle of school if they need to
- £1,000 to purchase of a range of power tools to give students an opportunity to practice using them before they go out on work experience
- Commitment to sponsor the Everest Challenge from 2019-2021 at £3,000 per year to ensure that all money raised goes towards residential trips and allows them to purchase ropes, 20 harnesses and 20 helmets.
- Trips for the students to ice skate at Le Friquet’s Ice Skate Guernsey since 2018
- £3,000 from Mule Loire 2018 allocated to continue our support of The Village project which is moving into phase two with the build of four sleeping cabins;
- and the purchase of equipment for the physios to use in their daily work with the students
- £13,000 from Mule Normandy 2016 for the purchase and fitting of a professional catering standard kitchen at the new Village project to allow students to develop independent living skills. The kitchen was officially opened by H.E. The Lieutenant Governor Sir Ian Corder on 18 September 2018
Active
- Ongoing funding of the Christmas dinner at St Pierre Park since 2017 which has has grown from 140 people to over 300
- £8,000 raised from Mule Loire 2018 allocated for the Christmas lunch in 2018 and 2019 and the continued maintenance of the hydro-pool. Unfortunately as of 2020 the hydro-pool was no longer in use.
- £8,000 from both Mule Bretagne 2014 and Mule Normandie 2018 to restore their hydro-pool, which is of huge benefit to their users, and commit to continued maintenance and any repairs
- Supply of dressing gowns and towels for the users
- Supply of furniture, chairs and sofas, for the Day Centre
- Interactive activity board
La Vallette Bathing Pools
- Donation of £15,000 towards the installation of the lift to ensure the whole site is accessible
Le Vieux Jardin
- Purchase of a side by side bike for the residents of Le Vieux Jardin, which is specialist autism housing for eight people.
Afternoon of Christmas
The Afternoon of Christmas is a free to attend concert at St Stephen’s Church. We stage the concert to further support the charities we work with by inviting their members and staff to attend, as well as to give something back to the wider community for their support of OF&D. In addition to the charity members, the audience is invited from Age Concern and we have a large number from the local residential homes alongside the general public.
Held since 2016, it is a lovely afternoon that can’t fail to get you in the festive spirit and is also the only opportunity you have in the year to experience the OF&D Singers…! In 2020 there was an audience of over 300 people and it is wonderful to see so many faces who come back year after year. Unfortunately due to Covid the decision was made not to hold the concert in 2021 but the concert returned in 2022.
Le Marchant Ward, Princess Elizabeth Hospital
- £1,000 allocated from Mule Aquitaine 2022 for ongoing funding of plants, tools etc as required.
- OF&D donated the materials, designed and built wheelchair friendly raised planters as part of the transformation of the therapy garden. Funds from Mule Loire 2018 allowed them to purchase additional planters, hanging baskets, seeds, plants, herbs, seasonal vegetables, gardening tools, etc. as the seasons change
Victoria Tower Garden Project
An OF&D project to revive and rejuvenate the gardens at Victoria Tower. ‘The Big Dig‘ part 1 saw a team of our Mules clearing sections of the garden and planting flowers and bulbs to enjoy in the spring. Work has continued to take place throughout 2022 and £2,000 has been allocated from Mule Aquitaine to fund water provision and ongoing purchase of tools and plants for the upkeep of the gardens.
Rugby in Schools
- Purchase of a new scrum machine base and installation
- Hire of the KGV grassed and 3G pitches for the Secondary Schools Boys 7s tournament since 2017
- Hire of the KGV 3G pitch for the Guernsey Secondary Schools to train throughout the winter for the Lord de Jersey Cup in Jersey since 2015 and provision of medals for both teams
- Donation of 540 rugby balls to all primary, junior and secondary schools on the Island
Headway
- Funding to support a gym buddy scheme which encourages, motivates and enables members to exercise on a regular basis. £7,500 from Mule Loire 2018 was allocated to continue this project and an additional £3,000 from Mule Aquitaine 2022.
Autism Guernsey
- £4,000 from Mule Loire 2018 allocated to fund a Sleep Better Training course to train up 10 local practitioners.
Guernsey Disabled Sports Association
- Funding of the travel costs for a team from the GSAD to attend the Bath and West Games from 2012 to 2017, with £8,000 from Mule Normandie 2016
- Supply team vests, t-shirts and hoodies
- Shelves
Guernsey Sailing Trust
- Sponsorship of two new sails in 2022 and 2023
- £2,500 from Mule Loire 2018 allocated for the purchase of a new sail for one of the boats used for the Sailability and Inclusion programme and 20 lifejackets
Smaller donations to the following:
- 30/30 Challenge for Les Bourgs Hospice – an OF&D team has been part of the challenge for the last eight years. A donation of £6,000 was made in 2022 to enable the event to reach the £1 million mark of funds raised for Les Bourgs Hospice
- Channel Islands Air Search: donation towards new plane
- Donation to a family with a child with a rare intestinal condition
- Grow: donation towards the redevelopment of the Coutanchez site
- Guernsey Disabled Football Association
- Guernsey Raiders: purchase of a portable defibrillator
- Monday Club: funds for their Christmas party and to take the members to the pantomime
- Notre Dame Junior School: range of PE equipment
- Special Needs Gymnastics: purchase of new gym mats and gymnastics equipment
OF&D has also made donations off-island to the following charities
- Dallaglio Foundation – which is where all this madness started. Very proud to have raised a total of £20,014 for the Foundation during the 2010 and 2012 Dallaglio Cycle Slams
- Cancer Research UK
- Matt Hampson Trust
- Royal Temple Yacht Club Sailing Academy
To view a breakdown of all the donations made by OF&D since we founded the charity in 2010 to December 2020 please click here.
A huge thank you to all our Mules, everyone who has attended one of our events, been hassled to buy raffle tickets at the rugby club or made a donation.