Public votes for Greenham Gift 2010 Finalists and the chance to win up to £50,000

The public has voted for the four community projects they want to go through to the Greenham Gift Final 2010 and the chance of walking away with up to £50,000 from Greenham Common Trust.

Following three weeks of intense voting you have chosen four local projects to make it through to a final evening at the Corn Exchange on Thursday, June 17th.

From the 12 original shortlisted community projects which applied to the Greenham Gift, the following four organisations received the most votes:

• Alzheimer's West Berkshire - to employ an outreach worker to set up a self help network and social support for people with dementia in the Lambourn Valley.
• Bradfield Sunshine Club - to buy a 17-seat minibus so the after school club has a more sustainable means of transport to serve isolated rural communities.
• St Finian's Catholic Primary School - towards a school and community hall, part of a plan to redevelop the school.
• Wessex Children's Hospice Trust (Naomi House) - specialist respite breaks, emergency and end-of-life care, and ongoing bereavement support to 24 families from West Berkshire and North Hampshire.

Each of the four organisations will receive £8,000 for making it to the final and will make a presentation to a public audience at the Final evening on Thursday, June 17th.

Those attending the event will then be asked to vote for the project they feel is most deserving and the winner will be handed a cheque for up to £50,000.

Trust Fundraiser for Naomi House Paula Flower said: "We are delighted that Naomi House has been shortlisted. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for us on-line. If we are lucky enough to be awarded the full grant on the evening, it would enable us to provide specialist respite breaks, emergency and end of life care and bereavement support for around 100 children and young people in the local area, over the next twelve months."

Bradfield Sunshine Club treasurer Bryony Romaine added: "Bradfield Sunshine Club is thrilled to have got through to the final four of this year's Greenham Gift and we would like to thank everybody who voted for us. To be able to purchase our own minibus will enable the club to be sustainable and we will be able to offer a reliable service to neighbouring schools. The children are very excited about being able to go on more off-site activities and we are very much looking forward to planning ways we can help the wider, local area and amenities."

"The governors and staff at St. Finian's Catholic Primary School are delighted that parents and members of the local community have shown their support to enable us to participate in the Greenham Gift 2010 Final. We look forward to making a presentation about our Community Hall project at the final evening," added John Stevens, Chairman of Governors.

West Berkshire Alzheimer's Society manager, Chreanne Montgomery-Smith, said "What a wonderful chance to explain our plans to create self-help networks for people with mild to severe memory problems in the Lambourn Valley. Prevention of decline and maintenance of skills, neighbourliness and community building is what we want to achieve."

All 12 shortlisted projects will receive £500 and a further project, chosen from the eight projects which were not selected as finalists, will receive £8,000 and will be voted for by the public audience on the night.

Greenham Common Trust chief executive Stuart Tagg said: "Voting was extremely close this year and spread across each of the 12 shortlisted applicants. The Greenham Gift is a unique opportunity for the public to decide which deserving local cause wins up to £50,000. Thank you to everybody who voted. Public support for the scheme has meant that hundreds of local residents' lives have been transformed and the public vote on June 17 will ensure even more local people can benefit from Greenham Common Trust support."

The Greenham Gift 2010 Final is a non-transferable ticket-only event and applications for tickets were oversubscribed. Each of the 12 shortlisted organisations were allocated 20 tickets for the Final and following a random draw, the remaining public tickets were selected and have been sent in the post.

Only people aged 16 and over will be allowed to vote during the final. The Trust would ask that if those receiving tickets can no longer attend the Final they notify the Trust on 01635 817302 and return the tickets so that somebody else can have the opportunity to cast their vote.

Don't forget the next round of Greenham Common Trust reactive grant aid opens on September 2nd, 2010. For more information please email melissa@greenham-common-trust.co.uk. or call Melissa Elliott on 01635 817455.