The final candidates have been announced for this year’s £100,000 Pitch To The Panel, run by Greenham Common Trust

The deliberations have finished and Greenham Common Trust has announced the final list of six charities hoping to impress the judges at the 2016 Pitch to the Panel.

The candidates are:

• 1st Burghfield and Sulhamstead Scouts
• Newbury Community Resource Centre
• Newbury Tennis Club
• Age Concern Newbury and District
• Helen & Douglas House
• Crossroads Care Oxfordshire/West Berkshire/Windsor/Maidenhead

This is the second year that the competition has been staged, and Danny Crates, medal-winning Paralympian, will be the keynote speaker.

Chris Boulton, Chief Executive of Greenham Common Trust said: “It has been a hard task for the distribution committee to examine all of the excellent applications we received, and narrowing it down to just six was not easy.

“However, we are confident that the range of causes really does represent the best of West Berkshire and we know that their presentations will resonate with local people.”

Helen & Douglas House provides hospice and palliative care to children and young adults. The staff there are seeking £14,840 to pay for a part-time co-ordinator. This role will focus on care plans for children and young adults with terminal conditions in West Berkshire. The co-ordinator will assess the individual needs of each family and liaise with local services. This will ensure that all services are coordinated and that there is no unnecessary overlap.

The 1st Burghfield and Sulhamstead Scouts, based at Burghfield Common, is looking for £35,920 towards part refurbishment of their existing hut facilities.

The group has a strong contingent of 300 members, both girls and boys. It recently raised funds to expand the scout hut, constructing new meeting rooms, store rooms and a second meeting hall.

However, there is currently only one bathroom facility for girls, and given that there are around 150 female members, the current facilities are inadequate.

Age Concern Newbury and District is asking for £86,750 towards renovations for the Fair Close Day Centre.

This project coincides with the centre’s 50th anniversary. The team would like to redesign the entrance to help create a more welcoming reception area, and improve the energy efficiency by lowering the ceiling in the main hall, adding more insulation and double glazing.

Other plans include modernising and opening up the cafe area to make it more accessible and improve the overall dining experience for visitors.

Pitch to the Panel will take place at the Corn Exchange, on Wednesday, November 9. It will start with a meet and greet and the chance for people from charities and businesses exchange ideas.

It is also a great opportunity for businesses to mingle with like-minded people and perhaps find some causes to add to their own company’s sponsorship programme.

Tickets are available free of charge from the Corn Exchange and can be reserved by calling the box office on 0845 5218 218.

For details of the event, please visit www.pitchtothepanel.com or email [email protected]