The Fair is always one of the annual highlights for the local community and those travelling from further afield. But it’s not just about having fun and being a showcase for local talent, businesses and organisations. Every year we donate the profits to worthwhile causes, with donations being divided between local schools and charities.

Supporting our schools:

5 local schools (Orleans Primary, St Mary's C of E Primary, St Stephen's C of E Primary, Orleans Park & Deer Park School) provide volunteers and generally help make the Fair such a success, for which we are very grateful:

Supporting charities:

TO APPLY TO BE ONE OF OUR CHARITY RECIPIENTS, PLEASE EMAIL charities@stmargaretsfair.org

Every year we receive applications for support from many fantastic local causes and organisations. It is always a hugely difficult task for the Committee members to choose those that are to receive a donation. Last year’s beneficiaries were:

HANDS

HANDS is a local charity that provides support and companionship to older people, especially those who are isolated or housebound, living in Twickenham and St Margarets. Services include shopping, befriending, transport and help with small household jobs. In addition, we host informal afternoon teas with delicious homemade cakes, run summer boat trips on the Thames and arrange outings to local places of interest. 

Our dedicated team of 60 local volunteers actively support over 150 clients. The kind donation from St Margarets Fair has enabled us to significantly expand our programme of social events and include clients who could otherwise not afford to attend.  We are always keen to welcome new volunteers so we can maintain and expand our services. If you have any spare time and would like to help, please visit our website www.handscaregroup.org.uk to find out more.

The Purple Elephant Project

The Purple Elephant Project is a local children’s mental health charity supporting families across the Boroughs of Richmond and Hounslow. We offer creative therapies such as Play and Art Therapy, giving children space to explore and process emotions, trauma and experiences, with or without the need for words.

Our work takes place both at our welcoming hub in Whitton and through outreach and training in local schools. The children are supported by highly qualified therapists who collaborate closely with families and professional networks to build trust and promote emotional wellbeing. This flexible, expert-led approach is tailored to the needs of each individual child, helping them feel heard, understood, and safe.

We are very grateful for the donation from St Margarets Fair which will support the delivery of our therapy sessions, giving more children the chance to receive the support they need.

Twickenham Repair Café

The Twickenham Repair Café promotes a more sustainable society by encouraging people to repair their broken items rather than send them to landfill. Volunteers repair the items and share their skills to give people the confidence to do their own repairs, kindling their enthusiasm for a more sustainable society and having fun along the way. There are 30 wonderful repairers and 20 helpers who just love solving problems and fixing anything and everything. So far we have already done 2500 repairs, with over 10 tonnes saved from landfill and £80,000 saved in replacing products.

The Twickenham Repair Café is open in the morning on the 3rd Saturday of every month 10:30 to 12:45 in the St Margarets Church Hall.  We also run a pop up café in Ivybridge Community Centre on 3rd Thursday of every 2 month. The Fair donation has enabled the Repair Café to remain financially viable for another year.

Cocoon – Care After Care

Cocoon - Care After Care provides vital support to local young adults age 17-28 who grew up in the care of the local authority. Leaving care can be a very challenging and isolating experience with many of these young adults lacking a support network. We provide practical support and remove financial barriers to improve living conditions and alleviate hardship, support education and career aspirations and provide a sense of belonging.

Every year since 2017 we host a Christmas Day event for 50+ care leavers so that they do not spend Christmas Day alone. The donation from the Fair was used to make sure that our guests were transported safely to and from the event, a crucial part of the day to make our guests feel safe and cared for.  


Senior Citizens’ Christmas Dinner:

The Fair also helps fund an Annual Christmas Dinner for around 70 local senior citizens at the Turks Head. Not only is this a dinner with all the trimmings, but we also have local choirs and school children to spread the joy of Christmas. It’s an event that is loved by all our local senior citizens, and if you know of anyone who might like to attend let us know!

List of local charities we have supported: Spear, Space2Grieve and Cocoon - Care After Care, Ruils, PowerJam, Richmond Homes and Lifestyle Trust, HANDS,  Me Too and Co, The Portcullis Trust, Home-Start Richmond, Cochlear Implanted Children’s Support Group, The Mulberry Centre, Homelink Day Respite Care, Crossway Pregnancy Crisis Centre, Richmond AID, Friends of Crofters, Whitton Social Centre, Richmond Welcare, River Thames Boat Project, Environment Trust for Richmond upon Thames, Heatham House, South West London Alzheimer's Society, Richmond Carers Centre, Richmond-upon-Thames Talking Newspaper for the Blind, Richmond Crossroads Care, Richmond Advocacy, Homes for Life, Princess Alice Hospice, Roy Kinnear Trust & Shooting Star Trust, Richmond Environmental Trust