Children's Summer Playschemes

The Woodward Charitable Trust sets aside funds each year for summer play schemes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds between the ages of 5-16 years. The program supports small local play schemes that provide wide-ranging activities including crafts, cooking, outdoor activities, and sport. Trustees review applications in May and fund programmes that run for a minimum of 2 weeks, 10 full days, or 20 half days across the summer holidays. The Trust prioritizes schemes that involve a large number of children and encourage past users to return as volunteers. Grants can only be paid to registered charities, CICs, CIOs, or exempt charities. The Trust will only fund up to 50% of the total cost of a scheme, with most grants awarded in the range of £500 to £1,000. Around 35 grants are made each year. The program emphasizes relatively inexpensive activities and educational trips rather than purely social outings. Organizations must have an annual turnover of less than £100,000 and must submit a Safeguarding and/or Child Protection Policy with their application.