Adopt a Grandparent

Adopt a Grandparent was set up in 2019 with the objective of lessening isolation for older people and providing positive befriending relationships with young people – similar to a grandparent/grandchild. It began within a care home in Surrey, and during the pandemic as visits to care homes were curtailed, the scheme was adapted with an appeal for volunteers to ‘virtually adopt a grandparent’.  With a huge surge of interest, the charity developed a fully safeguarded AI-supported virtual friendship platform, and the work grew.  It now works across the UK.

A grant of £8,000 split over two years was agreed by Trustees at the October 2025 meeting.  This is made towards general running costs of the charity.  Anticipated outcomes of the charity’s work are that both the care home residents and the volunteers who connect with them will have reduced loneliness, improved wellbeing, and feel more connected.

www.adoptagrandparent.org.uk

 

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Creative Change Collective

Creative Change Collective is based in Glasgow and works across Scotland, mainly in justice and recovery settings. Their Hot Seats programme uses group role play and interview techniques in a uniquely anonymized and safeguarded space. Participants explore behaviour, relationships, recovery, responsibility and hope without self-exposure.

Allen Lane funded CCC’s women-focused work in October 2025 with a grant of £7,800. The project is intended to benefit 100 women through groups across female prisons and community-sentence settings. Anticipated outcomes include reduced offending and reoffending, stronger recovery-supporting behaviour, improved emotional wellbeing and healthier self-esteem.

Website: www.ccc.scot  Socials: @cccscot

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Proton Foundation

This charity is based in Hinckley in Leicestershire, and was set up to support socially disadvantaged communities.  It has a focus on young people, with its main activity being through The Flourish Project.  This is delivered through an eight-week educational and confidence-building programme which is designed to address the root causes of ill mental health, low self-esteem, and lack of aspiration. The programme is evidence-based, and structured as an early intervention programme that helps young people to manage their emotions, and builds resilience and a positive sense of self.  The Flourish Project is an accredited training provider, and works across the UK through 70 hubs where people are trained as facilitators within schools, community centres, youth clubs, sports clubs or churches for example.

In October 2025, the Foundation agreed a grant of £4,988. This is towards training and the costs of equipping facilitators to run the programme, with a specific focus for this funding towards professionals working with young people at high risk of exclusion or criminalisation, including those in alternative education, youth offending teams, and care services.  The intention is that the training enables facilitators to help young people build their emotional literacy, self-awareness and resilience, improve mental health and wellbeing, and improve their lives.

www.theflourishproject.org

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Levenshulme Old Library

Levenshulme Old Library was established around ten years ago by local residents after the closure of the area’s local library. The building has been developed into a centre for arts, heritage and wellbeing. Various local community groups and projects operate from the building which is the Levenshulme area of South Manchester.

At the October 2025 meeting, Trustees agreed a grant of £2,500 towards the charity’s work with the local Roma community. This includes creative workshops, advocacy and advice sessions, and community events. Overall aims of the project are to increase engagement, trust and visibility for Roma communities.

www.levenshulmeoldlibrary.og.uk

 

 

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Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline

The Hertfordshire Domestic Abuse Helpline provides a confidential and anonymous freephone support and signposting service for anyone affected by domestic abuse in the county.  It also aims to raise awareness of, and educate people about, all areas of domestic abuse through its website, social media channels, training sessions and public events.  Around 3,000 calls/emails are taken each year, and since it was set up 24 years, it has helped over 40,000 people.

The Allen Lane Foundation agreed funding towards the running costs of this charity’s work. This was £9,000 to be split over a three-year period, with £3,000 per annum from October 2025.  The helplines is a vital source of aid for people affected by domestic abuse and in distressing situations, and can be the first place that someone goes to for help. Trained call-handlers are able to give options and guidance and crucially help the caller realise they are not alone and that there is help out there for them.  Outcomes of the work are that survivors feel heard, believed, and less isolated; and that they gain confidence and knowledge to take safe next steps, such as contacting the police, accessing refuge, or engaging with specialist services.

www.hertfordshiredomesticabusehelpline.org

 

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TLC Inverness

This charity works with the local community in the Merkinch area of Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.  TLC (Tender Loving Care) Inverness was set up during the pandemic to provide help for local people and to improve wellbeing.  It runs projects that benefit families, children and young people, and also access to advice, support, and a range of other services at its venue.

In October 2025, the Allen Lane Foundation made a grant of £6,000, split over a three-year period (£2,000 per annum) to TLC Inverness.  This is specifically towards the charity’s work with older people. The Brew & Blether group meets on Monday afternoons, and offers a warm space where people can drop-in, have a cup of tea and join in doing some activities such as playing dominoes and crafting.  Around 30-60 people attend each week, with the majority being aged over 70.   The charity also delivers some special events and talks for the attendees and hopes to increase these over the period.  Outcome of the work are that older people feel less lonely, more connected, and have improved wellbeing.

www.tlcinverness.org

 

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Sylfaen Cymunedol Cyf

Sylfaen Cymunedol Cyf Sylfaen is a community development social enterprise in Caernarfon, Gwynedd.  It is based on the following values: social justice, equal opportunities, the redistribution of wealth, inclusion, reflection, learning and participation and empowerment.  The organisation aims to develop innovative projects in response to community needs; offer training in community development; and undertake evaluation and community research.

Sylfaen Cymunedol Cyf applied to the Allen Lane Foundation specifically towards its project working with young people – the Rhwyd Arall Project.  The Project is targeted at working class young people who are not going to school and are at risk of being de-registered without any planned education at home.  Rhwyd Arall is Welsh for ‘another net’ – the Project aims to support young people back into education and a more positive future.  A grant of £5,000 was agreed in October 2025 towards salary costs of the Project.  Expected outcomes from the work are that young people feel better supported, have more confidence and feel better informed and have increased control over their lives.

www.sylfaencymunedol.org

 

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Folio Theatre

Folio Theatre works across Wiltshire with a range of communities and groups.  It aims to increase access to and engagement with, high quality theatre and creative activities. The charity runs specific projects including engagement programmes with rurally isolated older people, and provides mentoring and support to young carers who wish to develop careers in the arts.

The request to the Allen Lane Foundation was for funding towards a partnership project that Folio Theatre runs with The Harbour Project, a refugee and asylum seeker charity in Swindon. Specifically, it works with the women’s group at the charity.  The project offers creative and engaging arts activities for the group to enjoy as a shared experience.  Over the coming year, more than 60 refugee and asylum seeking women are expected to benefit from sessions.  The development of the project is co-designed with a core group, and as sessions evolve, the women will create material that lead onto performances and productions.  A grant of £8,162 was made in October 2025 towards a shortfall in the project budget. Anticipated outcomes of the work are that the women taking part will have increased confidence, wellbeing and skills; they will feel more empowered; and that the project brings people together and helps change attitudes to people seeking sanctuary.

www.foliotheatre.co.uk

 

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Physical Empowerment CIC

Physical Empowerment offers a comprehensive model of training, encompassing physical self-defence skills, emotional resilience, mental combat and survival instincts. Training and courses are offered free, and have been designed specifically to benefit and provide support for women and families affected by domestic abuse.  The intention is that attendees feel empowered and more confident, and they have improved physical, emotional and mental skills and capabilities to help them keep safe, and start building a strong future for themselves and their families..

The Allen Lane Foundation made a grant of £8,000, split over a two-year period (£4,000 per annum) at its meeting in October 2025.  Funding is to support the delivery of courses in Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire.  The intention is to run seven courses, directly supporting around 60 women affected by domestic abuse.  Anticipated outcomes for those taking part are that they feel empowered, more confident, resilient, and have the self-worth to recognise healthy relationships and live bold, fulfilled lives free from fear and abuse.

www.physicalempowerment.co.uk

 

 

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Ark of Hope Foundation for All Nations

Ark of Hope Foundation for All Nations is based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. It works to create long-term change for women who are disadvantaged, in crisis, experiencing homelessness, domestic abuse, poverty or exclusion. A key focus of the charity’s work is supporting women from refugee, asylum seeking and migrant backgrounds, including women with no recourse to public funds.

The charity has established a community hub, the Ark of Hope Centre, where a range of services are delivered. These include culturally appropriate food support, a warm and safe environment, one-to-one guidance and signposting, emotional support, life skills training, and practical support with issues such as housing, welfare, immigration-related barriers, wellbeing and independence.

In October 2025, the Foundation awarded funding of £5,000. This will support salary costs for the charity’s work with refugee and asylum-seeking women over the coming year. The funding will contribute to the salary of the charity’s support worker, who helps manage and deliver frontline support and acts as a bridge to other agencies, services and community networks. Intended outcomes from the funding are that women will receive specialised one-to-one support, report improved wellbeing and confidence, and, for women with no recourse to public funds, have strengthened pathways to housing, legal advice and longer-term stability.

www.arkofhopefoundation.com

 

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