Press Release

For immediate release: 14th July 2025

PODS Charity celebrates after receiving £18,780 from the Severn Trent Community Fund to help fund services and core cost for their organisation that supports local children with disabilities.

Local community group, PODS, is today celebrating after being awarded £18,780 in funding from the Severn Trent Community Fund Core Funding to support its work with families who have children living with disabilities and additional needs. The group, based in Telford, will use the cash to support core costs and staffing.

PODS has been running since 2008 and is staffed by 9 employees and a team of over 30 volunteers. It was set up as part of the aiming high for disabled children strategy from central government initially as a parent carer forum, they have grown in to a charity and are now a completely independent organisation having been supported by Parent Partnership in their fledgling years.

The group continues to run their parent carer forum alongside many other services aimed at parent carers and their children. Throughout the week they run several sessions for children of all ages, from stay and play groups for preschoolers through to a youth club for children and young adults aged 14+. The sessions help the children to make friends, while learning new skills and having fun. While enjoyable, the children are also gaining greater confidence, self-belief and important collaboration skills.

The new funding from the Severn Trent Community Fund: Core funding, which awards grant money to maintain three elements of community wellbeing – people, places and environment – means the organisation has support towards the running costs for the next 12 months.

Elaine Pearce, CEO of PODS Charity, says: “We’re delighted that the Severn Trent Community Fund Core Funding has recognised our work in this way. We’re thankful for the funding so that we’ll be able to continue opportunities available to local children with disabilities and their parents. This is important because it helps both the children and the parents to build relationships with others facing similar challenges and to create their own supportive circles of friends and peers.”

Ends

Contact Elaine Pearce, telephone number 07540049759 or email: elaine@podstelford.org

Pictures are available upon request.

Notes to Editors:
About the Severn Trent Community Fund
Severn Trent is supporting local charities and community group with over £20 million in the ten years from 2020 – helping to make a real and tangible difference to the wellbeing in our communities. The Community Fund is overseen by an independent panel, made up of Severn Trent customers, who review applications and make the final decisions on where the money will go.

Severn Trent Community Fund have two available funds; new project funding and core funding. Both are online applications with set criteria. All eligibility criteria, Fund aims and full application guidance for each can be found on their webpage www.stwater.co.uk/communityfund.