Edgbaston Charity Wins Top Prize In Housebuilder’s £1m Giveaway

News
14/10/2020

An Edgbaston charity has scooped £50,000 as part of a leading housebuilder’s hugely successful charity campaign supporting under-18s across the nation.


Little Hearts Matter won one of the top prizes in the Persimmon Homes Building Futures campaign, which encouraged applications in three categories – education & arts, health, and sports.


The charity offers support and information at every stage of the half a heart journey, for children diagnosed as having only half a working heart. The charity represented Persimmon Homes Central.


A spokesperson for Little Hearts Matter, said:

“From antenatal diagnosis, through palliative surgery and into a complex life at home, we work to reduce the fear, isolation and lack of understanding created for families of children with these life-limiting conditions.

“The Little Hearts Matter family offers care, understanding and individual advocacy, gaining as many as 500 new families every year. To win this amount of money is an unbelievable boost for a small charity such as ours.”


Persimmon Homes has handed out more than £1 million in cash prizes to organisations across England, Scotland and Wales as part of the campaign. The first, second and third prize winners in each category were decided by a public vote with around 400,000 votes cast.


The housebuilder congratulated 96 organisations for getting to the final stage of its Building Futures competition. Three finalists were each awarded the top prize of £100,000, three the second prize of £50,000 and three the third prize of £20,000. The remaining finalists were handed £5,000 each.


The winners were announced during a virtual event, presented by Dame Katherine Grainger DBE, chair of UK Sport and Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian, alongside Persimmon Homes Group CEO Dean Finch. The final was watched by around 1,500 people


Martineau Gardens and Revolution Gymnastics Club also represented Persimmon Homes Central and were each awarded £5,000.


Neil Williams, managing director of Persimmon Homes Central, said:

“The Building Futures scheme has been a great success and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work of so many organisations supporting young people in our communities.

“We have been overwhelmed by both the response to the competition, and the hard work and dedication of those involved within all the groups and we are delighted that Little Hearts Matter from our region was one of the big winners.”


The £100,000 prize winner in the education & arts category was Ringsfield Hall Eco Activity Centre, while The Children’s Hospital Charity secured the award for health and Northampton Swimming Club won the sport category. The second prize of £50,000 also went to North Music Trust at Sage Gateshead for education & arts and KD Gymnastics for sport. Afan Lido Ladies & Girls’ FC scooped £20,000 for sport in third place, Refugee Action won the education & arts award and Derian House Children’s Hospice was handed the health award.


During April and May, Building Futures also gave away £1,000 each to 128 organisations supporting young people in sport, education & arts and health.