Barchester’s Charitable Foundation celebrated its silver anniversary in style by achieving a record-breaking donation milestone of £424,000 for the first time in its 25 year history. The funds raised in 2025 enabled the charity to provide vital help to 262 small groups and charities, plus 123 individuals – the most people the Foundation has ever helped in one year.
Established in 2000, the aim of Barchester’s Charitable Foundation is to help older people and adults living with a disability or mental health conditions in local communities across the country. The charity provides grants to improve mobility and quality of life, and each year the Foundation distributes thousands of pounds to individuals, small community groups and charities across England, Scotland and Wales, however 2025 has proven to be the charity’s best year ever, both in terms of funds raised and grants gifted.
The money to help good causes comes from the generous support of Barchester Healthcare, its staff and corporate supporters who fundraise or support through events such as the annual Barchester Golf Tournament, the Cook Off Challenge and the Tour de Barchester mammoth four day cycle ride. In addition, Barchester team members organise fundraising activities at Barchester’s care homes and hospitals and personal challenges such as the Three Peaks and the Great North Run, all money raised by Barchester staff is matched pound for pound by the company. The Charitable Foundation also receives legacies from residents, showing that the excellent care provided in Barchester’s care homes and hospitals can inspire extraordinary charitable giving.
Once again in 2025, the entire company collectively participated in Barchester Get Moving, a week of intensive fundraising where staff and residents tracked their steps and took part in all kinds of different initiatives which helped boost the money raised.
The vast majority of grants for disabled and older individuals are for mobility aids such as mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs and specialist walkers, enabling people to get out and about in their local community and to take part in social activities. This type of help can be transformative to people’s day-to-day life and wellbeing, as well as giving back independence and freedom. Grants to small community groups and local charities have
been more varied, funding a broad range of activities, outings, transport, equipment and materials for older people and adults with disabilities and mental health challenges. The projects cover a very wide variety of social and educational activities such as arts and crafts, gardening, woodwork, exercise, yoga, music, sewing, theatre and dance.
Simon McCall, Chairperson of Barchester’s Charitable Foundation and Barchester’s Commercial Director explains: “2025 marked our 25th anniversary – we started the year with ambitious plans wanting to ensure we had an exceptional silver anniversary and I am immensely proud to say we absolutely smashed all our expectations. I am so hugely grateful to all of the Barchester homes, hospitals, residents, patients and team members who have taken part in so many different fundraising events to enable us to support hundreds of small charities and individuals – an astounding 385 different causes and individuals in total. These grants make such a difference to people’s lives helping to overcome loneliness and isolation all over the country. I am amazed and delighted by how much we have all been able to collectively achieve.”
Case studies of some of the people the Foundation helped in 2025:
- · Johnny from Tyne & Wear talks about the benefits to his day-to-day life, after receiving a grant for a Tri Ride wheelchair power add-on: https://www.bhcfoundation.org.uk/finding-new-normal-after-injury
- · Headway Cambridge and Peterborough received a grant for adapted sports equipment to provide more varied physical activities such as New Age Curling, adapted volleyball and basketball for adults living with a brain injury: https://www.bhcfoundation.org.uk/new-adapted-sports
- Reddish Men in Sheds in Greater Manchester received a grant for their Bike Giveaway scheme. They are a group of (mainly) older men who meet three afternoons each week to service and repair donated old bicycles: https://www.bhcfoundation.org.uk/recycling-cycles
