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Cornish work and play backed by Duchy Health Charity

From play at the Royal Cornwall Hospital to sport on the Helford River, schemes to promote the health and wellbeing of Cornish youngsters and people with disabilities have won support from the Duchy Health Charity under its new chairman Dr John Hyslop.

Dr Hyslop, Consultant Radiologist with the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, took on the role of steering one of the South West’s largest health-related charities earlier this year from outgoing chairman Michael Galsworthy.

“There are so many people and organisations in our county who were already doing wonderful things to help others - long before the announcement of the Big Society,” said Dr Hyslop. “But they need funds and it’s a privilege for all of us at the Duchy Health Charity to be able to offer financial help to projects of all sizes which we know are making a real difference.”

One such scheme is the Helford River Children’s Sailing Trust which gives hundreds of youngsters, including many with disabilities and special needs, the chance to get out on the water and work together, gaining skills and confidence and having huge amounts of fun in the process. This is the second £5000 award in two years from the DHC – reflecting the ever-growing numbers of young people keen to join in the Trust’s activities.

Chris Fawell, joint Chairman of the HRCST said, “The generous grants we’ve received from the Duchy Health Charity are really helping us to continue providing more than 400 children and young people together with 150 volunteers with a unique opportunity to participate in a healthy, active, life-transforming experience.”

Another beneficiary in the latest raft of awards is the Anchorage Trust in Penzance, which trains students with learning and physical disabilities in catering skills and dealing with the general public through its Manna’s Diner and the Living Word Bookshop. The DHC’s £2500 grant will help towards the salary of the Trust’s student trainer.

“Our trainer works alongside our team of volunteers and she is crucial to building our students’ skills and confidence – yet any help with salaries is extremely difficult to obtain,” said Lorraine Carlin, Development Coordinator for the Anchorage Trust. “The DHC’s grant is so much appreciated, because it is really helping us to empower people, watch them blossom and integrate into the community.”

The Duchy Health Charity was created in 1990 in order to use the invested £3.5 million proceeds from the sale of the private Duchy Hospital to benefit the health, care and wellbeing of the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Since then it has granted more than £6.8 million to charities and organisations involved in this area of work.

Dr Hyslop has worked within the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust for twenty five years and is the longest serving board member of the Duchy Health Charity – having been instrumental in its stewardship throughout. He also set up the ultrasound service for the county, was chairman of the RCHT’s medical staffing committee and is currently BMA regional Council chairman.

In recent months at the Royal Cornwall he has been able to watch the creation of a play area for the thousands of children who pass through the Hospital, knowing that £20,000 of the funding has come from the Duchy Health Charity.

The Play For Life project outside the Tower block, is the result of consultation with hundreds of children, patients and staff who confirmed the need for outdoor play facilities. Ideas, which included a tree house, sheltered swinging seat, tunnels and a raised walkway, were drawn together by Devoran-based architect Mike Westley and when it opens next month it will welcome all children at the hospital - patients and visitors alike.

“It’s great to see a project emerging from the ground which we and other charities have helped bring to reality and which will give joy to so many of the children and families who have to spend time here,” Dr Hyslop said.

“Even relatively small grants can make all the difference to really worthwhile schemes and we look forward very much to announcing Duchy Health Charity help for many more projects across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly over the months and years to come.”