Hospices and historic buildings, laboratories, supported living accommodation, classrooms and a cathedral are some of the projects awarded a share of over £19 million from the Wolfson Foundation.
In our latest funding round, we have awarded grants to buildings, refurbishments and equipment across arts, science, health and education.
Research with impact
University College London receives £5 million towards Oriel, the new UCL-Moorfields Eye Hospital centre for advancing eye health. Patient care, research, and education will share the same building for the first time, allowing discoveries to translate more quickly to real-world benefits for patients.
The James Hutton Institute in Dundee receives its first award from the Foundation, £1 million for equipment for a new Molecular Phenotyping Centre. Researchers will use this equipment to understand how different environmental conditions affect plants at the molecular level. This knowledge can then be used to inform crop-based solutions to sustainable food, energy and environmental security.
Also funded for the first time by Wolfson, the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) receives £450,000 for mass spectrometry equipment. This equipment will support ongoing and new research in areas such as the contamination of freshwater by pharmaceuticals, the resilience of peatland, and new biomarkers for muscle-wasting diseases.
A digital view of the new Molecular Phenotyping Centre at the James Hutton Institute, Dundee.
Education, history and heritage
In this latest funding round, £1.37 million has been awarded to state schools and sixth form colleges across the UK for performing arts, design and technology and science equipment.
As part of the Foundation’s funding for historic buildings, £150,000 has been awarded to Truro Cathedral to repair the roof of St Mary’s Aisle. This is the last remaining part of the original sixteenth century Parish Church of St Mary, which was ingeniously incorporated into Truro Cathedral during the Victorian era, making Truro the only English cathedral with a parish church within it.
Also in the South West, South Somerset District Council receive £74,200 for a new visitor centre and improved interpretation at Ham Hill Country Park, which forms part of one of Europe’s largest Iron Age hill forts.
In Stafford, a grant of £100,000 goes to the new Staffordshire History Centre, which will bring together archive collections, rare books and objects to tell the story of the county, its people and its communities. Objects on display will include First World War military tribunal records, an eye-witness account of the Boston Tea Party and Lotus shoes made in Stafford.
Archaeology at Ham Hill Country Park, South Somerset.
Supporting society during difficult times
For many of our grant holders, the rising cost of energy remains a pressing challenge. Isle of Man Hospice will use their grant for a new boiler, while Inspire will replace poorly insulated windows at Woodlands Community Wellbeing Service in Cookstown, County Tyrone, which supports people with mental health, autism and addiction needs. Care and Repair Cymru receives £34,800 for digital equipment used by staff on home visits to advise residents on housing and energy issues.
Through our dedicated Sustainability Fund, this latest funding round committed over £1.2 million to help 30 organisations to improve their energy efficiency and reduce their costs.
For example, Simeon Care for the Elderly in Aberdeen receives £45,000 to pair solar panels with battery storage at their care home. This will allow them to use excess daytime solar energy overnight and to power an electric vehicle for home visits. The project will reduce their carbon footprint by 1.3 tonnes per year and save £6,500 on energy bills.
Top image: A weaving workshop at Camphill Milton Keynes.
View a map of the Foundation’s latest funding.
Find out more about our funding.
