Chelmsford CVS’ Chelmsford Men’s Shed has been named one of the two 2025 Charity of the Year beneficiaries by Barratt and David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties. The Chelmsford-based housebuilder, known for its commitment to community engagement, has pledged a year of fundraising, volunteering, and hands-on support for the local grassroots initiative.
Each year, Barratt and David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties run a packed calendar of fundraising events involving their staff across Essex and beyond. From football matches and sponsored walks to duck hunts and family fun days, the energy and enthusiasm of their team is dedicated to supporting charities that make a real difference locally. Among this year’s highlights will be the hotly anticipated (and highly competitive!) Great Dunmow Soap Box Race, where the Men’s Shed team will proudly field their own cart and crew.
Sally Medd, Volunteer Centre and Projects Manager at Chelmsford CVS, expressed her gratitude for the partnership, saying:
We are so very grateful for this support, which will provide a real boost to our Men’s Shed and its mission of creating a safe and welcoming space for men living with loneliness and mental health challenges. We’re so impressed by the effort and enthusiasm that BDW Homes put into their fundraising. The level of staff involvement is incredible, and you can tell that the sincerity for helping local charities runs all the way through the company.
Founded in 2016, the Chelmsford Men’s Shed offers men a space to connect, chat, and create – helping tackle isolation and promoting positive mental health. The organisation has steadily grown to become a vital community space, particularly for older men and those facing life changes such as retirement, bereavement, or mental health struggles, and was last year recognized by the Essex Integrated Dementia Network as being officially Dementia Friendly.
In addition to raising funds, Barratt and David Wilson Homes has already provided sleeping bags and tents from their Sleep Out for the CVS to distribute to local homeless charities, and will be sending members of its Management Team to volunteer on-site at the Shed for a day. They pursue charitable giving via The Barratt Foundation, which supports a wide range of causes across the UK. The Shed received a donation from the Foundation in 2024.
Sally added:
We’re deeply appreciative that they’ve chosen a small, local group like the Shed. Opportunities like this are rare for grassroots charities that don’t have big fundraising or marketing budgets. I really hope this inspires other companies to think about how they can make a difference right on their doorstep.
The Little Edie Foundation, another Chelmsford CVS member, will also benefit from Barratt and David Wilson Homes’ Charity of the Year initiative in 2025. Learn more about the Foundations work by CLICKING HERE