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The John T Shuttleworth Ropner Memorial Fund

Financial assistance to carers and their families for respite breaks.

Maximum Grant: £1,000

About the fund holder

The Ropner Convalescent Home at Middleton-St-George was originally endowed by Robert and Mary Anne Ropner in 1897 in commemoration of the 60th year of Queen Victoria’s reign. The home closed in 1999 and its sale raised the funds to establish the John T Shuttleworth Ropner Memorial Fund, named after the late, long serving Chairman of the Trustees, whose dedicated work over recent years helped many people enjoy convalescence at the Home.

What we will fund

Recuperative or respite care (i.e. a break for the person who is ill or disabled, or for their family, or for them all to go away together), including travel costs up to £100.
Short-term help for people discharged from hospital (e.g. home help, cleaning).
Exceptional costs following bereavement of a partner/dependent child (e.g. extra childcare or home help.)
Travel and accommodation for individuals undergoing dependency treatment at a clinic or centre away from their place of residence, and for their families.

Priority will be given to first time applicants.

Are you eligible?

You must fit at least one of the criteria in Section A and all of Section B.

Section A
• You were recently discharged from hospital, or
• You have a long-term illness, or
• You are being treated for a dependency (drink/drugs/eating disorder etc), or
• You are a carer for a disabled or ill person, and be under some physical or mental
strain yourself, or
• You were recently bereaved of a partner or dependent child.
In addition, you must fit all the criteria in Section B below:

Section B
• You must be unable to fund your request yourself.
• You must have exhausted all statutory funding or support available.
• Your savings must total less than £16,000.
• You can only hold one grant per family each financial year starting in April.
• Priority will be given to first time applicants.

Apply for a grant

We cannot make retrospective awards so please ensure that you allow three months from the time of your application to the start date of your project.

Step 1. Download and read the full guidelines and application form or call 0191 3830055 to request a paper copy. Please read the guidelines throughly to ensure you fit within the criteria.

Step 2. Fill out the application form and send it to:

County Durham Foundation
Jordan House
Forster Business Centre
Finchale Road
Durham
DH1 5HL

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