The F.B. Coales No.4 (Family) Trust: Recent Charity Donations

Winn & Coales International Ltd. (WCI) and the F.B. Coales No.4 (Family) Trust are diligently continuing their mission to enrich and empower the lives of individuals and groups in need in our local communities. Over the last year, the Trust donated over £238,000 towards 41 good causes. Read on to discover the stories behind a few of these donations…

Firstly, who are the Trust, and what do they do?

The F.B. Coales No.4 (Family) Trust was set up many years ago by the late Frank Coales, who was then Chair of the company. The Trust now has three trustees – Chris Winn, John Burton and Sarah Hashmi – and is a registered charity (no. 1179856).

The Trust meet regularly to consider all applications made to them for contributions to charitable endeavours and fundraising efforts. The Trust help many charities and good causes in Southeast London and Kent, as a way of giving back to the communities in the vicinity of the company’s head office.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

WCI and the F.B. Coales Trust donated £50,000 to the Big Cat Sanctuary’s ‘Big Cats in Crisis’ fundraising appeal.

The registered animal charity looked to raise £500,000 to rescue five African lions from Ukraine and rehome them in a new purpose-built facility in the UK. As long-time neighbours and sponsors of the sanctuary’s conservation efforts, WCI and the Trust were delighted to lend their support.

All five lions were safely evacuated and are now settling into their new home in the Kent countryside. You can read more about this incredible story by clicking here.

Strongbones

Strongbones Children’s Charitable Trust (www.strongbones.org.uk) provide multiple levels of support to children, young people and their parents and carers to help enrich their lives through inclusion, stimulation, inspiration and education.

In July 2024, WCI and the Trust were delighted to receive confirmation that a local young man called Fenton was already reaping the benefits of the portable gantry hoist that had recently been delivered to him. Portable hoists are a vital piece of equipment that provide the correct level of postural support to safely lift and move people who may no longer be safely manually lifted. The hoist has provided Fenton and his family with an essential aid to help with his daily living and movement requirements.

Liquid Listening

Formed in 2010, Liquid Listening (www.liquidlistening.org) enhances the health and well-being of disabled children and young people through the practice of music hydrotherapy and is the only charity of its kind in the UK.

Music hydrotherapy combines the benefits of traditional hydrotherapy relief with unique technology that enables participants to listen to soundwaves in the water. Each session promotes both full-body and mind relaxation that encourages positive mental wellbeing through engagement with music in a soothing, all-encompassing way.

Winn & Coales (Denso) Ltd (WCD) and the Trust contributed towards the delivery of music hydrotherapy training for eight members of staff at a local specialist school in Crayford, Southeast London. The school’s swimming teachers, physiotherapists and teaching assistants can now safely deliver musical hydrotherapy as part of the school’s curriculum, directly benefiting current pupils and future enrolees.

Lifelites @ Demelza

Sarah Hashmi visited Demelza SEL (www.demelza.org.uk) – a children’s charity and hospice in Eltham, Southeast London – in January 2025 to view the sensory equipment supplied by Lifelites (www.lifelites.org). Providing cutting-edge assistive and sensory technology, specialist training, and full maintenance support to children’s palliative care services throughout Britain and Ireland, Lifelites are long-time supporters of Demelza.

With the help of a generous donation from the F.B. Coales Trust, Lifelites were able to provide the hospice with the following equipment:

Eyegaze – revolutionary eye tracking technology: Empowering children to take control and make life-changing connections just through the movement of their eyes. Eyegaze is fully portable, enabling children to communicate, play and learn at the hospice or within the comfort and security of their own home.

PODS – sensory tents with adaptive environments: Our portable, inflatable sensory tents come with changeable themes, remote controlled internal lighting, complementing sound effects, and a matching audiobook. Perfect for the children we support to enjoy moments of adventure or calming environments.

Sarah was able to witness firsthand the difference these innovative technologies make to not only the children and young people who use them, but to their families and the palliative care teams as well.

Deen City Farm

A country oasis in the heart of the London Borough of Merton, Deen City Farm (www.deencityfarm.co.uk) is one of the oldest urban farms in the capital. The charity focuses upon educating adults and children about the rural environment and animal husbandry, providing work experience, volunteering opportunities and educational activities for their local community. The farm also features a riding school that offers accessible riding lessons for people of all abilities, at subsidised prices.

WCD and the F.B. Coales Trust were impressed with the wide range of opportunities provided by the farm to educate individuals about a world usually found beyond the busy metropolitan environment. The Trust have therefore committed to sponsoring the farm’s ‘Schools Programme’ and ‘Annual Youth Volunteering Programme’ for the next 3 years, ensuring local children and young people – from all walks of life – can benefit from the unique learning experiences on offer.

Asthma Relief

After an initial donation in 2023 which afforded the Asthma Relief team the chance to supply 11 nebulisers to medical establishments across South London, WCD and the Trust made a second donation in 2024, worth £2,000, to fund the purchase of 11 more nebulisers.

Nebulisers deliver high doses of medicine quickly and easily by converting it from liquid form into a fine mist. The mist is then breathed in through a facemask or mouthpiece to provide relief from respiratory diseases or disorders.

In 2024, Asthma Relief (www.asthmarelief.org.uk) were able to place the new nebulisers between 3 medical establishments across South London, including Guys Hospital in Southwark and Lewisham University Hospital.

Lewisham Donation Hub

The Lewisham Donation Hub (www.lewishamdonationhub.org) is a ‘multi-bank’ – they provide food, toiletries, clothing, household items and digital devices to those in need in the London Borough of Lewisham and neighbouring postcodes. Ran by an enthusiastic team of volunteers – many of whom started as users of the service themselves – the multi-bank provides invaluable support to families on low incomes, the elderly, people with disabilities, and individuals facing (or fleeing) challenging circumstances at home or abroad.

The Trust have donated £5,000 to this vital service to help towards ongoing operational costs including the purchase of spare parts for fixable household items donated to the charity and the procurement of basic food and toiletries for distribution to visitors of the service.

If you would like to find out more about the F.B. Coales Trust and some of the previous donations it has made, read more by clicking here.