Auntie Tracey has got the van she needs to push her business further and she sent us the below picture.  We’re so pleased that we could help Auntie Tracey achieve her dream and we wish her the best of luck.

Their aim is to make people’s busy lives in the city more organised and for them to feel calm and relaxed when you return to your spotless apartment with fresh bedding, clean clothes and full fridge in the evening!

Their business was going from strength to strength with new work flooding in. However, Auntie Tracey was having to turn people away due to a lack of transport to get to new apartments.

For that reason  she approached the Charles Camilleri Foundation for some help.

It was decided that the lack of a van was stopping the business from reaching it’s full potential and the CCF granted Auntie Tracey £1,000 to go towards a new van.

Our Charity Number is: 1150220 and you can view the full framework here.

And you can also view our official Registration Certificate.

Our official objectives are as follows:

-To advance in life and help young people aged between 16 & 25 in Salford and Greater Manchester by providing them with mentoring and other support (including business start-up grants) that will enable them to start and run their own businesses and so develop skills, capacities, and capabilities that will enable them to participate in society as independent, mature and responsible individuals.

- The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
We have big plans for the new year, our aim is to donate £100,000 in 2013 so watch this space and if you know of any good causes or young entrepreneurs, then point them in our direction.

Phil Wright, Charlie Cunningham, John Camilleri and Matthew Dyas made the trip down to the hospital to donate £3,000 worth of gifts such as iPads and laptops to the reseach centre to make their time their more comfortable and enjoyable.

The staff are wonderful and they do a brilliant job and the children, who volunteer their time at the centre, seemed to really enjoy it.

It’s a brilliant cause and it’s made the Christmas of the CCF foundation extra special.

[Show as slideshow]

12►

Charles Camilleri Foundation (www.charlescamilleri.org) (CCF) is donning its Father Christmas outfit on Thursday 20th December, 2012, and donating Christmas gifts, including iPads and laptops, to the Wellcome Trust Children’s Clinical Research Facility (WTCCRF) at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

The brand new gifts being donated to the WTCCRF charity include three iPads, three laptop computers, one Nintendo 3ds,  two Nintendo DSi, two Sony PSPs, three LeapPad2 Explorer Tablets, two Leapster 2 Learning Game Systems, a wide selection of children’s sound books and a range of games to play on the consoles.

The Charles Camilleri Foundation was set up by Salford-based property developer FreshStart Living in 2011 as a charitable organisation providing grants for budding entrepreneurs in Salford and Greater Manchester, as well as offering assistance to charities in the local area.

This is the second time the CCF has donated Christmas gifts to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after donating similar items in 2011.

Charles Camilleri Foundation trustees’ and patrons Philip Wright, Charlie Cunningham and John Camilleri, nephew of the late Charles Camilleri, will deliver the gifts to the children at WTCCRF.

Philip Wright, trustee Charles Camilleri Foundation and managing director of FreshStart Living, said:

“After donating gifts to the Children’s Hospital last year and after seeing how happy the children were with the gifts, we knew we wanted to do something similar for this Christmas.

“The children who attend the research centre are doing a great thing and hopefully they’ll really enjoy all the new toys and gadgets.”

Dr Nick Webb (WTCCRF Director and Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist) said:

“We are extremely grateful for the donations from the Charles Camilleri Foundation,

“Clinical research is vital for the development of improved and life saving treatments for children. Unlike adult research, the law does not allow payment to children or their families for participation so it’s important to make the children as comfortable as possible during their visit and the gifts will go a long way in helping to achieve this.”

The donation will be made at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester on Thursday 20th December at 11:00am.

Ends

About Charles Camilleri Foundation

The Charles Camilleri Foundation was set up by Salford-based property developer FreshStart Living in 2011 in memory of Salford entrepreneur Charles Camilleri (1928 -2006).

Charles was prominent business man and during the 1960s had numerous enterprises on Trafford Road, Salford, including cafes, taxi firms, boarding houses and pet shops.

The Foundation provides business grants of up to £5,000 to 16-25 year olds and also donates to local charities and good causes including £500 worth of gifts to six-year –old, Lauren Dobie who had Christmas gifts stolen from her house on December 11^th

About the Wellcome Trust Children’s Research Facility

Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital houses the Wellcome Trust Children’s Clinical Research Facility (WTCCRF).  The aim of this unit is to develop and test new medicines and treatments for children.

It is the first in the North West and one of only four across England.  The unit has six beds and access to the hospital’s cutting edge equipment and highly trained nursing staff.

Many of the children spend as much as 20% of their school time in the WTCCRF receiving study drugs as part of their on-going treatment.

Play and recreation provision is essential for the children to enable a positive patient experience.  This is proven to help reduce stress for both the child and the parents and promotes the child’s feeling of safety and well being whilst undergoing often traumatic procedures.

For more information, photographs or interview requests please contact Matthew Dyas on matthewd@charlescamilleri.org / 07772647290.

However, after the story was published in the Liverpool Echo, charities and individuals from across the North West (including the CCF) had replaced the specialist equipment stolen as well as providing more Christmas gifts for under the tree.

Philip Wright, Charles Camilleri Foundation trustee said:

“When we read about the theft on the Echo site we knew we had to do something about it. It’s absolutely terrible what some people are capable of and it was made even worse by the run up to Christmas.”

“That said, it’s great to hear that so many people are getting involved and trying to help out, so hopefully Lauren and the family will still have a special time over the festive period.”

Lauren’s mum, Michelle said: “I’m totally overwhelmed by how much people are wanting to help. Yesterday I was in a very dark place, but people’s generosity has restored my faith in humanity.”

The CCF has replaced a chair that was stolen along with some extra gifts that we hope that Lauren will enjoy. Hopefully we’ll be arranging  to meet Lauren and her family in the near future, so watch this space.

Did you see anything…

Police are appealing for witnesses who saw anything suspicious in the area between 4.30pm and 6.30pm on Tuesday 11th December.

Anyone who has any information should contact Liverpool South CID on 0151 777 5394 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

As you may know, a percentage of FreshStart Living’s profits go towards funding the Charles Camilleri Foundation, so it was extremely rewarding for the FreshStart staff to see all their hardwork and efforts have gone towards putting big smiles on the children’s faces.

A great day was had by all who attended the event including FreshStart Living’s director and charity Trustee, Philip Wright, and the other charity Trustee, John Camilleri. A very familiar looking Father Christmas even made an appearance. Take a look at all the wonderful photographs below and it’s clear to see that everbody had a good time…

Salford-based property developer FreshStart Living established the Charles Camilleri Foundation in 2011 as charitable organisation providing grants for budding entrepreneurs in Salford and Greater Manchester, as well as offering assistance to charities in the local area.

The brand new gifts being donated to RMCH charity include five iPad 2s, six Xbox 360, four 32” Flat Screen TVs with built in DVD Player, five PlayStation 3s, four Nintendo 3ds, and one Nintendo Wii, totalling £7,000.

Charles Camilleri Foundation trustees’ Philip Wright and John Camilleri, nephew of the late Charles Camilleri, will deliver the gifts to the children in the Teen Zone of RMCH.

Swinton Lions’ Thomas Armstrong, a patron of the Foundation, will also attend.

Philip Wright, trustee Charles Camilleri Foundation and director of FreshStart Living, said: “On behalf of the Charles Camilleri Foundation we would like to wish a very happy Christmas to the children at RMCH.

“Being in hospital is never fun and we hope these gifts will help pass what is often an extremely difficult time for these young people.

“The staff at the hospital do a fantastic job and Charles Camilleri Foundation is proud to support them.”

Maurice Watkins, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital charity Chairman said, “Being in hospital can be quite distressing for a child especially over the festive period. The donation of toys, computer games and TVs will offer a welcome distraction to our patients while they are being treated.”

The gifting will take place in The Teen Zone, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester on Thursday 22^nd December at 1:30pm.

Ends

About Charles Camilleri Foundation

The Charles Camilleri Foundation was set up by Salford-based property developer FreshStart Living in 2011 in memory of Salford entrepreneur Charles Camilleri (1928 -2006), with a remit to alleviate poverty and encourage the advancement of education in Salford by helping young people pursue business ideas.

Charles was prominent business man and during the 1960s had numerous enterprises on Trafford Road, Salford, including cafes, taxi firms, boarding houses and pet shops.

Potential businessmen and women, aged between 16 and 25, can apply for grants of up to £5000 to start a business or social enterprise by submitting a business plan demonstrating how the grant will be used to launch a sustainable business venture and produce a return on the investment.

The Foundation also assists charities and businesses in the local area with grants available to support expansion and development.

The Foundation has already made significant donations to local charities including £5,000 to the Twinkletoes Appeal (www.izzytwinkletoes.com) which was used to help Izzy Platt fund a life changing operation to help her walk. The Foundation has also made donations to the Refugee Welcome Trust (www.refugeewelcometrust.org), which reunites refugee families that relocated to the UK, St Anns Hospice (www.sah.org.uk) and Kidsafe (www.kids-safe.net)

About FreshStart Living

FreshStart Living was established in February 2009 in response to the virtual standstill of residential development following the downturn of 2008 and the growing need for affordable homes.

In its first two years FreshStart Living has successfully refurbished 500 residential properties across the North West to the private rental market, mainly situated in or close to prime city centre locations in cities such as Liverpool and Manchester.

About Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital

The charity supports Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, which is the biggest children’s hospital in the UK. It helps to provide additional resources that support excellence in treatment, care and research improving the lives of its patients.

The fundraiser, which was organised by friends of Izzy’s family, was a great success with around 200 people turning up to support the Izzy Twinkletoes Appeal.  The night consisted of some great performances from a variety of acts and a massive £3340 was raised through ticket sales, auctions and raffles.

As the  night came to an end Charles Camilleri Foundation’s very own Matthew Dyas took to the stage to present Izzy’s parents, Jason and Stacey Platt with the giant cheque for £5,000 which staff at FreshStart Living had raised.

We would like to say a big thankyou to thr organisers or the event for inviting us to come down for what was a really brilliant night.

For more information on Izzy Twinkletoes Appeal, visit www.IzzyTwinkletoes.com or for more information on FreshStart Living, visit www.freshstartliving.com.