Housebuilder's donation gives charity room to breathe

The National Association for the Relief of Apnoea – known as NARA, The Breathing Charity – have received a donation of £1,100 from Miller Homes South Midlands, the housebuilder which is both based in and building new homes in Northamptonshire.

The breathing charity – which is also based in the town at Moulton Park Business Centre – learned of the housing firm’s donation after applying to Miller Homes’ Community Fund, the developer’s initiative to help aid local projects and causes, earlier this year.

Miller Homes’ donation to NARA will help support the charity as it continues to provide medical equipment, advice and information, and various community care programmes to anyone who is in need after developing or being born with a respiratory condition.

The housebuilder recently welcomed NARA representatives to its offices in Swan Valley, Northampton, to mark the relationship between both parties.

Ann Jiggle, chair of NARA, said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to all at Miller Homes for the wonderful donation of £1,100. It’s due to support from groups of people like Miller Homes that have kept us going for over 40 years, giving us the ability to help very vulnerable patients who simply wish to take a breath.

“This year has been particularly difficult as far as funding is concerned. The economic crisis leaves little money for small charities such as ours, or has made a number of benefactors consider their usual support until the political and financial landscape becomes clearer. But the need for medical equipment doesn’t fade in these difficult times. So, this gift is very valuable to us.”

Miller Homes runs its Community Fund initiative twice a year, with each of its 11 trading divisions, including the South Midlands region, providing a total of £10,000 to aid charities, community groups and individual projects to support causes which benefit the wider communities in areas linked to the housebuilder.

The developer prioritises groups who benefit sectors including education, wellbeing, the environment and sport. Applications for its latest round of funding opened on 3 September, and closes on Wednesday, 15 October.

David Kennefick, sales manager for Miller Homes South Midlands, said: “We were really pleased to welcome Ann from NARA who visited us to talk about how the breathing charity helps support people most in need of their services.

“It’s clear that our funding provided to the charity is going towards a pivotal service, saving the lives of people who suffer with breathing issues which can take the form of multiple problems, often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.

“Miller Homes is very proud to support NARA and we’re really pleased to be working with another key charity in Northamptonshire, our hometown, which naturally we have a huge passion for.”

Miller Homes is continuing building work at its Norwood Quarter development off Berrywood Road in Duston, as well as the construction of its development within the Stanton Cross consortium in Wellingborough.

To find out more about NARA’s services and how it can help save lives, or to support the charity, please visit https://naratbc.org.uk/.

For more information about Miller Homes’ Community Fund initiative, visit https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/corporate/community-fund.aspx.