The Company supports charities which help children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop their potential through educational and vital life skill coaching. 

Examples of initiatives working in this important area to which the Vintners’ Foundation Committee has awarded grants in the current year, include the literacy charity Chapter One and Live Unlimited which supports young people who are currently or have previously been in care.

Chapter One’s mission is to close the reading gap by providing children (aged 5 to 7) with one-to-one support at the time they need it most. Since 2018, Chapter One has offered an Online Reading Volunteers programme to enable children in disadvantaged communities, who often do not have consistent reading support at home or limited access to books, the opportunity to practise this vital life skill. 

What we fund

The Vintners’ Foundation Committee awarded Chapter One a grant towards the cost of supporting 50 children aged five to seven from 15 London schools undertake their Online Reading Volunteers programme during the 2023-24 academic year. All children received 25-30 minute reading sessions, from dedicated corporate volunteers all of whom underwent an enhanced DBS (background) check and received comprehensive training in phonics and early reading, how to effectively support disadvantaged children and how to engage shy and reluctant readers. 

Teachers assessed a child’s reading level at the start and end of the programme on a scale of 1-10, with level 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest level of difficulty. On average, children made an increase of 3.21 - over three reading levels of improvement over the year. Teachers also reported on how children’s reading had changed in relation to school expectations. At the start of the year 49.8% of children were on track, but this figure had increased to 72.62% at the end of year. It was also noted that the participants significantly increased their knowledge and skills, as well as their attitudes and behaviours in relation to reading.

Live Unlimited supports young people who currently are, or have previously been, in the care of the London Borough of Barnet. They focus on children and young people up to the age of 25 who are often unseen and without a voice. Each year, they support over 100 vulnerable children and young people. 

What we fund

The Vintners’ Foundation has donated to Live Unlimited’s weekly Outdoor Programme, providing forest school sessions for children from six to 18, getting them outside to learn new skills, take risks and make friends. This funding allows Live Unlimited to extend the Programme to 20 care-experienced young people in the borough, who have limited access to green-spaces, frequent-friendships, recreational activities and mentoring.  The sessions take place over 10 weeks, set on a farm and woodlands near Underhill, Barnet, with the children in Outdoor Club two hours a week. Giving the children an open space, to explore in and take measured risks, whilst obtaining skills in areas like growing, den-building, fire-making and identifying species and habitats in the natural world supports their mental and emotional wellbeing.