A BRADFORD-BASED charitable trust has donated more than £500,000 to 166 worthy causes in 2016 across West Yorkshire and beyond.

In the last eight years, Sovereign Health Care’s Trust has donated in excess of £6.5 million to support charities and projects benefitting communities around Bradford and its surrounding areas.

Projects helped by the charitable trust have included a grant to open a new lecture theatre at Bradford Royal Infirmary and the part-funding in 2012 of a robotic surgeon dealing with prostate cancer patients.

The focus on its donations has been backing organisations that help improve health and wellbeing and encourage people to live healthy lifestyles.

Jan Fortune who is the charitable trust’s co-ordinator said: “We are very proud to have been able to support so many local charities and good causes in the West Yorkshire area, which impact on the lives of local people.

“For example, we have contributed over £70,000 to support the Yorkshire Air Ambulance over the past seven years, and the Bradford Royal Infirmary was able to use Sovereign’s £500,000 grant to open the Sovereign Lecture Theatre in 2009.

“In 2012 we part funded the ‘da Vinci’ surgical system, a less invasive and more effective surgery for prostate cancer patients, at Bradford Royal Infirmary with a £200,000 grant.”

As well as those large grants Sovereign also supports a number of smaller organisations where a modest amount can make a significant difference to people’s lives, said Ms Fortune.

Next year Sovereign Health care will be dealing direct with its donations rather than operating through a charitable trust. Russ Piper, Sovereign Health Care’s chief executive, said: “Supporting local health-related causes is of extreme importance to Sovereign, particularly those within the Bradford area.

“The benefits of operating our charitable trust have become increasingly outweighed by the ongoing administration and reporting costs, and it is in the best interests of future recipients and the company to make future donations directly from Sovereign Health Care.

"We continue to be motivated by the concept of positively touching people’s lives through our donations, and long may this continue.”

To find out more about Sovereign Health Care’s community programme, go to sovereignhealthcare.co.uk/charitable-trust/

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