The Didcot Powerhouse Fund

25/08/2026

🎉 We have some brilliant news to share. Coronet Bingo in Didcot has joined the Didcot Powerhouse Fund as a Dynamo Donor! 🎉

This year, Coronet Bingo is celebrating an incredible 50 years as a family-run business and, as part of its long-standing commitment to supporting the local community, it has chosen to support Didcot Powerhouse Fund for the next two years.

As a Dynamo Donor, Coronet Bingo Didcot will be helping us fund community organisations and small local charities doing vital work for people across Didcot and the surrounding area.

Laurie from Coronet Bingo joined us at our Impact Event in the spring, where he heard directly about the difference Powerhouse funding is making to local organisations and the people they support.

Laurie shared: “We are celebrating 50 years of our family-run business and have supported various charities throughout this time. Bingo has a huge social importance in the local community, and we have seen, first hand, the help that the Powerhouse Fund provides. It’s a great initiative that generates money and support where it’s needed most in Didcot and beyond.”

Responding to their donation, Elizabeth Paris, Chair of Didcot Powerhouse Fund, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Coronet Bingo as a Dynamo Donor. It is amazingly generous and will make a real difference to local organisations and the people they support over the next two years.

It is particularly exciting to see more businesses from Didcot town centre hearing about the impact of the Fund and choosing to become part of our growing community of donors. Thank you to Laurie and everyone at Coronet Bingo for getting behind the Powerhouse.”

💜 Local businesses coming together can achieve so much.

Every new donor helps us support more of the small charities and community organisations working right here in our local area.

A huge Powerhouse welcome to Coronet Bingo and congratulations on 50 years! 🎉

28/07/2026

Not every grant changes a life in such a visible way. This one did.

When Justice in Motion received a 2025 Didcot Powerhouse Fund grant, it helped create something powerful for young people in Didcot. Working alongside fellow grant recipient TRAIN - Inspiring Young People, they gave local young people the chance to take part in a five-day creative residency and perform with professionals.

For Riley, that experience became a turning point. What began with scooters, skateboards and performance grew into confidence, connection and self-belief.

This is the power of funding the right support at the right time.

Justice in Motion uses physical theatre to help young people explore difficult issues, including bullying, belonging, exploitation and county lines, in a way that feels real, relevant and memorable. It opens up conversations, builds trust and helps young people feel seen.

We are thrilled to support them again in 2026.

Their new project, CODE 2026, will bring county lines prevention education to every Year 7 to 9 student across all three Didcot secondary schools, including live outdoor performances.

From one young person’s story to a project that will reach whole school communities, this is what the Didcot Powerhouse Fund is here to do.

🛴 Read the full story here:

https://www.didcotpowerhousefund.co.uk/impact/justice-in-motion-and-train-from-scooters-to-self-belief

Riley performing with Justice in Motion in Didcot.

09/07/2026

A warm welcome and thank you to YOM, one of our newest Didcot Powerhouse Fund donors.

YOM is a local shop in Didcot, owned by Mutahar, who came along to our Impact Event in the spring and has now chosen to support the Fund as a business donor.

This support means a great deal.

The Didcot Powerhouse Fund exists to support small local charities and community organisations that are making a real difference to local people. Every donation helps us fund vital work across the Didcot area, from health and wellbeing projects to support for young people, families and those facing difficult times.

Elizabeth Paris, Chair of Didcot Powerhouse Fund, said:

“Mutahar, thank you. This is an extremely generous gesture from you and YOM as a local small business. Please don’t underestimate the difference your support will make to local people through the charities supported by Didcot Powerhouse Fund. We are delighted to welcome you as a donor.”

We know that some smaller businesses may see larger companies supporting Didcot Powerhouse Fund and wonder whether this is really for them.

It absolutely is.

Being a Didcot Powerhouse Donor is about being part of something bigger. It is about local businesses, large and small, coming together to support the charities and community groups that help our town and surrounding villages thrive.

If you are a small business in Didcot or the local area and would like to support local charities, we would love to hear from you.

Please email [email protected] to find out more.

Thank you, Mutahar and YOM, for showing that every business can make a difference.

03/07/2026

RWE Didcot B Power Station recently held a raffle for the Didcot Powerhouse Fund as part of its annual Wellbeing Day, raising a fantastic £1,565 including a match donation.

Sue Scane and Suzanne Roebuck from the Didcot Powerhouse Fund Advisory Group were delighted to attend and support the event, with Sue even taking a turn on the Smoothie Bike!

A huge thank you to everyone at RWE Didcot B Power Station for supporting the Fund and helping us continue to make a difference to local charities and community groups across the Didcot area.

Elizabeth Paris, Chair of Didcot Powerhouse Fund, said:

“We are extremely grateful to RWE for choosing to support Didcot Powerhouse Fund in this way. The amount raised is fantastic, but it is also the visible show of support from a major local business that means so much. It helps raise awareness of the Fund within the business community and, ultimately, supports more local charities and community groups through our grants.”

Thank you, RWE, for your generous support.

27/05/2026

🌟 Youth Club: A Safe Space Where Jay Found His Voice

Jay* is in Year 5, soon to start Year 6. He’s funny, quick with jokes but those jokes sometimes hid his worries. At first, when he came to TRAIN Youth Club, he’d sit on his phone scrolling TikTok rather than join in.

Over time, something changed. The TRAIN team built trust. Slowly, Jay opened up about late-night doom-scrolling, feeling anxious, and struggling to share what was on his mind.

Because he came regularly, TRAIN - Inspiring Young People could support him with workshops, one-to-one chats, and even mentoring in school. Before long, Jay was saying:

“Youth Club has given me a place to say what’s on my mind … I can take a break from my phone … I feel more comfortable talking rather than just joking.”

Today, Jay is one of the club’s strongest attendees. He’s learned to open up, take breaks from his phone, and find healthier ways to deal with worry.

💡 Why does this matter to local businesses?
Because when you support the Didcot Powerhouse Fund, you’re helping charities like TRAIN give children and young people the space, guidance and confidence they need — before small worries become big problems.

Every donation, whether big or small, helps. And when businesses come together through the Fund, the impact multiplies.

📩 Contact [email protected] if you’d like to get involved.

Together, let’s build a Didcot where young people can thrive. 🙌

*name changed to protect the identity and privacy of the young people supported.

19/05/2026

Thank you to Persimmon Homes for supporting the Didcot Powerhouse Fund as Turbine Donors.

Alongside building homes in Didcot and supporting local charities and community groups, they are helping to fuel better futures for local people and contribute to a stronger community.

We appreciate their support for the Didcot community.

14/05/2026

Every donation helps create real impact locally.

In 2025, Didcot Powerhouse Fund supported My Life My Choice, helping people like David rebuild confidence, independence and connection after a long period of isolation.

After facing complex medical issues and reduced mobility, David rarely left home and felt cut off from the world around him.

Through My Life My Choice, he began attending the Self Advocacy Group in Didcot. Although nervous at first, he slowly started to grow in confidence, speak up in group discussions and build new friendships.

A turning point came when David joined the Travel Buddy Scheme. After completing the training, he is now preparing to begin his first paid role, helping other adults with learning disabilities travel independently.

David has since gone on to co-facilitate the Didcot group, welcome new members, speak at the charity’s AGM and be elected as a trustee. It is a powerful example of how local support, made possible through donations, can open up new opportunities, confidence and independence.

For businesses with a base in or near Didcot, this is the kind of difference your support can help create through trusted local organisations.

Read David’s story here: https://www.didcotpowerhousefund.co.uk/impact/my-life-my-choice-davids-story

06/05/2026

✨ The Powerhouse Effect in action ✨

We are delighted to share our Impact Report on 2025 Grants, celebrating the stories, people and partnerships made possible through local giving.

In 2025, Didcot Powerhouse Fund grants supported 14 local projects across Greater Didcot and the surrounding villages, helping charities and community groups reach people who needed support, connection, confidence, skills, safety, friendship and hope.

But Powerhouse has become so much more than the sum of its grants.

It is helping to strengthen community cohesion as Didcot grows. It is connecting organisations so they can work together. It is supporting grassroots groups to develop. It is helping to identify gaps in local provision and using seed funding to bring vital services into Didcot.

This report is packed with real stories from every 2025 grant recipient, showing what happens when local donors, charities, volunteers and community partners come together with one shared aim: fuelling better futures for local people.

From children’s therapy, youth mentoring and reading support to mental health, international welcome, community sewing, survivor support, self-advocacy and intergenerational projects, the impact is powerful, practical and deeply local.

▶️ Read the full Impact Report here:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/606279bd2a42bb0cbdf78db7/t/69e1203981c6a8307868fea7/1776361530633/Final-+low+res+spread.pdf

To every organisation featured, every donor who made the grants possible, and every volunteer, supporter and partner helping to turn funding into lasting impact: this is what local giving can do.

Survivor Space Oxfordshire
The Dorcas Dress Project
Dialogue Society
Justice in Motion
The Cornermen
TAB
Digitall Charity
Didcot Baby Monday
TRAIN - Inspiring Young People
Clear Sky Children's Charity
My Life My Choice
Quest for Learning
The Abingdon Damascus Youth Project

16/04/2026

Thank you to Croudace Homes for supporting the Didcot Powerhouse Fund as Turbine Donors.

Alongside building homes in Didcot and supporting local charities and community groups, they are helping to fuel better futures for local people and contribute to a stronger community.

We appreciate their support for the Didcot community.

15/04/2026

🎉 The Didcot Powerhouse Fund Impact Event filled Cornerstone Arts Centre with energy last night 🎉

175 people joined us to celebrate the achievements of our 2025 grant recipients and announce our 2026 Powerhouse Grant Recipients as we enter the fifth year of the Fund.

The 2025 Impact Report was launched on the night and shared with everyone attending, packed with stories from every grant recipient supported last year.

It was an evening full of stories, connection and shared purpose. We heard from organisations and individuals supported over the last year, and reflected on the longer-term impact of the Fund since it launched in 2021 and made its first grants in 2022. Some of the organisations supported at the start are still part of the journey today, and it was incredibly moving to look back on lives that have changed direction because support was there at the right time.

Elizabeth Paris led the evening, drawing together the presentations and stories of impact, and highlighting the way organisations have collaborated to create opportunities and solutions, including young people from TRAIN - Inspiring Young People who took part in Justice in Motion CODE performance in Didcot.

We were delighted to welcome The Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Mrs Marjorie Glasgow BEM, who described the The Didcot Powerhouse Fund as a blueprint for other Oxfordshire towns; alongside Olly Glover, Liberal Democrat MP for Didcot and Wantage; Jawaid Malik, High Sheriff of Oxfordshire; Councillor Jim Loder, Mayor of Didcot and many of the donors, partners and grant recipients helping shape the year ahead.

In 2026, the The Didcot Powerhouse Fund is awarding £132,000 to 18 organisations working across health, education, youth services, wellbeing and more. Many of them were with us last night, making the evening not just a celebration of impact so far, but a powerful reminder of what can happen next.

A brilliant evening. A room full of people who care. And another important year ahead for Didcot and the surrounding area.

Didcot Town Council
Milton Park, Oxfordshire
Harwell Campus
Oxfordshire Community Foundation
South Oxfordshire District Council
Didcot First
Soha Housing

📸Photo credits: Chaz Snell