Bracknell BID donations provided crucial support to local charities at Christmas

Bracknell Business Improvement District (BID) donated £1,500 to local charities to support those most in need and provide essential aid at Christmas.

The three charities, DEBRA, Victim Support and Bracknell Foodbank each received £500.

Sean Griffin, Bracknell BID manager said: “Giving back to the local community is incredibly important to the BID team and the businesses we represent, and we are delighted to be able to donate to these fantastic local charities that do such valuable work.

"We’ve been supporting Bracknell Foodbank since 2020 and have seen first-hand the positive impact they have on local families and individuals, especially at this time of year.”

Business Improvement Districts are business-led partnerships within a defined area, created through a ballot process to deliver additional services to businesses within that area. There are over 310 BIDs across the country.

The Bracknell BID was set up in April 2020 following a successful ballot by businesses in the Bracknell Southern and Western Business Areas. It is made up of approximately 300 businesses, across retail, industrial, property and technology sectors.

Jenny Jackson, deputy director of fundraising at DEBRA said: “We are incredibly grateful to Bracknell BID for donating £500 to support our Life Free of Pain appeal which supports people living with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a potentially fatal skin condition that causes constant pain due to unstoppable internal and external blistering.

There are drugs already available within the NHS to treat other inflammatory skin conditions such as Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis which could significantly improve blistering and overall quality of life for people living with EB. With the help of Bracknell BID and other generous supporters, we can test these drugs and find treatments that will enable people to live free from the pain of EB.”

Claire Mather, Bracknell Foodbank manager said, “We’re so grateful to receive the £500 donation from the Bracknell BID. So far this year we have provided emergency food supplies to over 5500 people and rely completely on the generosity of the local community to fund our work as well as to provide the food that we give out.

"The money donated by the Bracknell BID will help enormously towards our running costs, for example funding our foodbank van which picks up food donations from local supermarkets.”

Alan Chambers, area manager at Victim Support said: “We’d like to thank Bracknell BID for their generous donation this Christmas time. Important donations such as these help us continue to provide our free and confidential support to victims of any crime, such as through our homicide service or 24/7 Supportline.”