To celebrate the successful conclusion of The Bridge Appeal and the remarkable amount raised, we brought together the incredible volunteers who dedicated their time and energy to this fundraising journey. Amy and Tom sat down with some of this amazing team to hear their reflections on the Thames Bridges Trek—a 25km walk across 16 London bridges—to find out what inspired them to get involved, and what the challenge meant to them. Jeanette spoke candidly about her personal motivations: “This year has been an interesting year for me personally because I was diagnosed with cancer last Christmas ..read more

2024 marks 250 years since the first recorded Walton Charity almshouse. The charity itself has been in existence for over 800 years, making it older than the Magna Carta!   Mayfield circa 1870 The Origin of Mayfield Our original almshouse was built in 1774 on what is now the site of Mayfield. It was recorded in 1870 that “as long as memory and tradition extend, the Mayfield site had been used as a property devoted to charitable uses”. In 1870 this property was occupied by 14 residents - one widower, two married couples, six widows, and three unmarried women. They were elected by the Vica ..read more

Karen and Terry meet Jenny from Rentstart Terry’s Tasty Tips is a recipe book with a difference! Designed to make a real impact, the book offers simple, budget-friendly meal ideas, providing invaluable support to Elmbridge residents who are navigating the challenges of financial pressures. The idea for a recipe book full of delicious low-cost meals came from Terry Baillie, one of our Almshouse residents. Terry originally shared the recipes with his sister and niece so that they could cook up some of his tried and tested dishes. Gradually, the project grew larger, so Terry enlisted the help o ..read more

  Rod Thorn, joined by one of the Project’s regular feline visitors   In honour of National Tree Week we met with Rod Thorn, passionate horticulturalist and member of the Elmbridge Tree Wardens. Our team members Karen, Amy, and Tom headed down to Walton Charity’s Tree Canopy Project to learn more about Rod, and what motivates him to plant trees across Elmbridge. Branching Out Elmbridge Tree Wardens work across the borough to get trees and hedges planted, alongside surveying and preserving our existing trees—making vital contributions to the area’s biodiversity. Rod’s interest in the ..read more

Our Spotlight Series will feature a different local organisation each month. Each interview will explore shared priorities and start conversations about the differences we can make in our local community To launch our new Spotlight Series, Amy, our Communications and Events Officer, sat down with Debbie and Julie from Walsingham Care to find out more about their invaluable work in the local community. Who is Walsingham Care? Walsingham Care provides financial assistance to individuals or carers over 60, who are living in Elmbridge and are in financial need. This year, Walsingham Care have di ..read more

  The Bridge Appeal has raised an incredible £30,104, which will go directly towards keeping the doors of The Bridge open for longer. Over £15,000 was raised by the public, through corporate partners, fundraising initiatives, and generous individuals. This total was then match funded by Walton Charity. The highlight of the appeal was the Thames Bridges Trek, which saw a small but mighty team of volunteers and staff walk 25km from Putney Bridge to Tower Bridge, zigzagging across 16 famous London bridges. This incredible team raised over £6,000 in support of The Bridge appeal! The Bridge i ..read more

We are delighted to see The Bridge, our community hub in the centre of Walton-on-Thames, win the ‘Best Community Impact’ award in the Walton BID Business Awards! The awards recognise the best businesses in Walton-on-Thames across nine categories, as voted by over 900 of its residents. This award for The Bridge highlights the huge impact that this project has on local families and our positive reputation amongst the community, which is something we are hugely proud of. The local public have been significant contributors to the success of The Bridge, helping in all sorts of ways from our pr ..read more

A group of residents from our independent living schemes have been working hard alongside creative practitioner Anna Jones, in collaboration with the RHS, to create an exhibition called ‘The Making of a Modern Day Herbal’. The exhibition explores the healing powers of plants, gardens, and nature that traditional herbals (botanical encyclopaedias) reveal in the modern day, through the RHS Library and Herbarium collections. Each of our artists recalled their connection with particular plants and had the chance to make a cyanotype with a cutting of their favourite plant and other prized possessi ..read more

We know education is one of the best routes out of poverty, but often children from low-income families face extra challenges reaching their potential at school. Cleves School, in partnership with Oatlands School and Manby Lodge Infant School, has been awarded a two-year grant of £57,600 to support their most vulnerable families and strengthen the connection between these families and each of their schools. The grant will fund part-time Home School Link Worker, Nickie Tewkesbury, who will assist parents and pupils facing challenges that may hinder school attendance. Nickie will dedicate one d ..read more

Enhancing educational opportunities for Elmbridge children is a key priority for Walton Charity. Recently, we awarded a three-year grant of £15,000 to Three Rivers Academy. This will enable the school to take a group of 36 vulnerable students, aged 11-14, to experience life on Jamie’s Farm. Jamie’s Farm provides unique residential programmes for vulnerable students at risk of exclusion or struggling with social, emotional, and mental health issues. This support is crucial as suspension and exclusion rates are rising, according to the Department for Education. Walton Charity supported the firs ..read more