Your vote could win Doncaster children’s charity £100,000 in housebuilder’s competition

Persimmon Homes South Yorkshire has shortlisted three good causes for young people to represent the region in its Building Futures scheme, which will give away £1 million this year to projects that benefit under-18s.

The groups have been selected from three categories targeting grassroots sports groups, health organisations and arts & education projects.

Active Fusion in Doncaster has been selected to represent sport and The Children's Hospital Charity in health. Sheffield’s Rationale Arts will represent the arts & education category at the national final,

A public online vote of all 96 finalists, running from October to November, will determine the national winners who will be crowned at an event later this year.

Richard Hosie, managing director of Persimmon Homes South Yorkshire said: “Building Futures is all about inspiring the younger generation in our local communities and giving the groups they’re associated with as much support as possible.

“This year has been another great success and the response we get from such worthy causes never fails to amaze me. We’re extremely proud to have given away over £128,000 already but that it just the start.

“We have three outstanding finalists representing the South Yorkshire region and we’d like to take this opportunity to wish them all the very best of luck. It would be great to see one of them win the top prize so I would urge people to get voting when it opens next week.”

Based in Sheffield, Rationale Arts is about making art accessible for all, regardless of ability or disability. Winning the top prize will enable the group to extend its dance, beatboxing and flow arts sessions to pupils at primary and secondary schools across the region as well as launch its accessible online artistic sessions for young people with disabilities.

Active Fusion is a Doncaster charity striving to keep young people fit, fed and safe through sport and physical activity, developing healthy habits for life. The £100,000 prize would enable the charity to expand its Fusion Leaders Programme of Volunteering to more young people. The Programme is designed to build confidence, resilience, improve communication skills and develop leadership qualities as they coach younger children in communities.

The Children's Hospital Charity, for Sheffield Children’s Hospital, would use the prize funds to help build helipad on top of its Emergency Department. This lifesaving project can be used 24/7 and will ensure that critically ill children can be transferred to the hospital’s trauma team as quickly and safely as possible.

Building Futures is delivered through the Persimmon Charitable Foundation in partnership with Team GB, the British Olympic Association.

One initiative from each category will go on to win £100,000 each through a national award scheme to be decided by a public vote.

As well as the £100,000 first prize, there will be a £50,000 second prize and a £20,000 third prize in each category, while a further 87 shortlisted projects will each receive £5,000.

Online voting opened on Monday 11 October and runs until midnight on November 19. For more information visit www.persimmonhomes.com/building-futures/.

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