Florence Turner Trust

The Florence Turner Trust, established in 1974, is a grant-making foundation dedicated to enhancing quality of life and fostering community cohesion in local Leicestershire and Rutland communities through support for grassroots charitable activities. Guided by values of locality, inclusivity, and empowerment of smaller organizations, it prioritizes direct social welfare initiatives that address disadvantage, believing sustainable impact arises from practical, community-led services strengthening vulnerable residents' wellbeing via authentic local partnerships and evidence of tangible, grassroots-driven change.

It funds social welfare programs and community initiatives targeting children and young people through youth development, volunteering projects, after-school activities, and skills training to combat exclusion and build resilience; elderly care services including befriending, day services, and social isolation prevention for older residents facing loneliness or mobility challenges; disability support encompassing access to arts, literature, and therapeutic activities for visually impaired individuals, people with physical disabilities, and those with learning disabilities; family support and carer respite to alleviate burdens on families caring for disabled children or elderly relatives; practical interventions like peer support groups, outreach services, drop-in centres, and community-led events promoting inclusion, mental health wellbeing, and holistic person-centred care. Emphasis lies on direct service delivery models including counselling, mentoring, creative arts, outdoor activities, and preventative community programs tackling poverty, social isolation, and vulnerability in everyday local settings.

Exclusions include direct grants to individuals without professional referrals from social services or NHS Trusts, large national organizations lacking local relevance, and projects not yielding clear community impact. Distinctive for its grassroots bias toward small, embedded charities delivering hands-on services to children, young people, elderly residents, disabled people, and families in crisis within Leicestershire and Rutland locales, it champions versatile, unbureaucratic support for innovative, locally sustained efforts prioritizing vulnerable groups' immediate needs over broad national agendas.