Geoff Thompson, Agent/Partner at NFU Mutual East Antrim Agency presents Lynn Cowan from Children’s Heartbeat Trust with a donation of £7,899 from NFU Mutual’s national £2.33million ‘Agency Giving Fund’.
NFU Mutual Agents and their staff at the East Antrim agency recently nominated local charity Children’s Heartbeat Trust, to receive a donation of £7,899 from NFU Mutual’s national £2.33million ‘Agency Giving Fund’.
The leading rural insurer launched this fund, now in its sixth year, to help local frontline charities across the country. The Agency Giving Fund forms part of NFU Mutual’s £4m funding pledge for both local and national charities in 2025, to support frontline services in rural communities.
To ensure these donations reach all corners of the UK and are directed to where they’re needed most, all NFU Mutual Agencies, with more than 280 offices nationwide, have been given the opportunity to nominate local charities to receive a share of the fund.
This donation will enabled Children’s Heartbeat Trust to deliver their new Play and Prepare Service which will prepare children with congenital heart disease (CHD) for hospital visits, clinical interventions and cardiac surgeries through age and ability appropriate, play based activity sessions.
This service will provide an early interventional tool to prevent children developing clinical based trauma and will equip children and their caregivers with the tools to build resilience and coping mechanisms for the future.
Sessions will be delivered in the child’s own home through the charity’s Family Support Team and will include a play session using a “Dr’s Kit” of real equipment that will be used for common tests/interventions the child is likely to experience.
Lynn Cowan, Fundraising Manager at Children’s Heartbeat Trust, commented: “We’re so grateful to the East Antrim Agency of NFU Mutual for nominating our charity to receive a donation from the NFU Mutual Agency Giving Fund. The funds will be used to help us deliver our new Play and Prepare Service.’’
‘’Children’s Heartbeat Trust is committed to growing a wide range of support services, that are shaped by research, evidence and what families need most. We work together with children, parents, and clinical teams to create these services, making sure that families can access high quality medical, practical and emotional support and are fully supported at every stage of their journey with heart disease. We are excited to begin delivering this service and making a real difference to the lives of local children with heart disease.’’
Geoff Thompson, Agent/Partner at NFU Mutual East Antrim Agency, said: “We’re extremely proud to have nominated Children’s Heartbeat Trust for this donation and are delighted to be able to support the vital contribution they make to our community. The purpose of NFU Mutual’s Agency Giving Fund is to support local frontline charities who are providing essential services to people in our community, and our agency felt that Children’s Heartbeat Trust was a very deserving cause to champion.”
