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The bit where we give stuff away

We are very proud to have raised over £250,000 since we started OF&D in 2010….all we wanted to do was go on a bike ride and meet some new people!

Our work was initially with three main partner charities: Le Rondin School, Guernsey Sports Association for the Disabled and St Martins Day Care Centre, now Active.  As the charity has grown we have continued to work with these charities but have also been able to extend our support to a number of charities working with children, young people and adults with learning difficulties and physical disabilities with an emphasis on inclusion.

One thing we can’t quite get away from though is rugby and we are delighted to be able to work with and support the Rugby in Schools programme.

Le Rondin School


Le Murier

  • Funding for a member of staff to attend a specialised yoga course which will benefit students from the most complex of needs to moderate learning difficulties
  • Sponsorship of the Everest Challenge in 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2024 (no events in 2021 and 2022) which covers the cost of the replacement ropes, harnesses and helmets and enable all funds raised to go to the school.  And we always put a team in to take on the wall!
  • Support of an afternoon school climbing club since September 2022 run by Climb LBG to pay for an instructor and assistants to run the club
  • Donation of 10 mountain bikes and helmets for exercise but also to allow students to get away from the hustle and bustle of school if they need to
  • £1,000 to purchase of a range of power tools to give students an opportunity to practice using them before they go out on work experience
  • Trips for the students to ice skate at Le Friquet’s Ice Skate Guernsey since 2018
  • £3,000 from Mule Loire 2018 allocated to continue our support of The Village project which is moving into phase two with the build of four sleeping cabins
  • and the purchase of equipment for the physios to use in their daily work with the students
  • £15,000 from Mule Normandy 2016 for the purchase and fitting of a professional catering standard kitchen at the new Village project to allow students to develop independent living skills.  The kitchen was officially opened by H.E. The Lieutenant Governor Sir Ian Corder on 18 September 2018

 

Active

 

La Vallette Bathing Pools

  • Donation of £15,000 towards the installation of the lift to ensure the whole site is accessible

 

Le Vieux Jardin

  • Purchase of a side by side bike and shed to store it for the residents of Le Vieux Jardin, a specialist autism housing for eight people.


Afternoon of Christmas

The Afternoon of Christmas is a free to attend concert at St Stephen’s Church.  We stage the concert to further support the charities we work with by inviting their members and staff to attend, as well as to give something back to the wider community for their support of OF&D.  In addition to the charity members, the audience is invited from Age Concern and we have a large number from the local residential homes alongside the general public.

Held since 2016, it is a lovely afternoon that can’t fail to get you in the festive spirit and is also the only opportunity you have in the year to experience the OF&D Singers…!  In 2020 there was an audience of over 300 people and it is wonderful to see so many faces who come back year after year.  Unfortunately due to Covid the decision was made not to hold the concert in 2021 but the concert returned in 2022.

 

Le Marchant Ward, Princess Elizabeth Hospital

 

Victoria Tower Garden Project

An OF&D project to revive and rejuvenate the gardens at Victoria Tower. ‘The Big Dig‘ part 1 saw a team of our Mules clearing sections of the garden and planting flowers and bulbs to enjoy in the spring.  Work continued throughout 2022 and 2023 and £2,000 was allocated from Mule Aquitaine to fund water provision and ongoing purchase of tools and plants for the upkeep of the gardens.

 

Rugby in Schools

 

Headway

 

Autism Guernsey

 

Guernsey Disabled Sports Association

 

Guernsey Sailing Trust

 

Smaller donations to the following:

  • 30/30 Challenge for Les Bourgs Hospice – an OF&D team has been part of the challenge for the last eight years.  A donation of £6,000 was made in 2022 to enable the event to reach the £1 million mark of funds raised for Les Bourgs Hospice
  • 30/30 Sportive to raise funds for Les Bourgs Hospice
  • Channel Islands Air Search: donation towards new plane
  • Donation to a family with a child with a rare intestinal condition
  • Grow: donation towards the redevelopment of the Coutanchez site
  • Guernsey Disabled Football Association
  • Guernsey Raiders: purchase of a portable defibrillator
  • Monday Club: funds for their Christmas party and to take the members to the pantomime
  • Notre Dame Junior School: range of PE equipment
  • Special Needs Gymnastics: purchase of new gym mats and gymnastics equipment

 

OF&D has also made donations off-island to the following charities

  • Dallaglio Foundation – which is where all this madness started. Very proud to have raised a total of £20,014 for the Foundation during the 2010 and 2012 Dallaglio Cycle Slams
  • Cancer Research UK
  • Matt Hampson Trust
  • Royal Temple Yacht Club Sailing Academy

 

To view a breakdown of all the donations made by OF&D since we founded the charity in 2010 to December 2020 please click here.

 

A huge thank you to all our Mules, everyone who has attended one of our events, been hassled to buy raffle tickets at the rugby club or made a donation.