The Grand Henham Steam Rally is a charitable organisation and has several beneficiaries;
Southwold (Sole Bay) Lions Club
The Southwold (Sole Bay) Lions Club have assisted in numerous local, national and international appeals as well as individual requests for help. These include the provision of a classroom in Tanzania and support of the ;Give a child a childhood' scheme in Romania.
Parochial Church Councils of Sotherton, Uggeshall and Wangford cum Henham
As well as ensuring the continuity of the mission within these three parishes, the PCC's are responsible for the upkeep of three fine churches and their associated burial grounds. Among the priorities for 2009 are roof repairs for St Peter and St Paul in Wangford, which will cost in the region of £200,000, and also the routine maintenance of St Andrew's in Sotherton and St Mary's in Uggeshall.
St Peter & St Paul, Wangford:
St Mary's, Uggeshall:
St Andrews, Sotherton:
The Community Council manages and maintains the Wangford Community Centre which incorporates the village hall, a number of meeting rooms and a club room. This serves the parishes of Wangford, Uggeshall, Frostenden and Sotherton. Proceeds from the rally make a major contribution to the upkeep of this building and other leisure facilities within the village.
In addition, many other charities benefit from the rally either through taking stand space in support of their own fund-raising or through being awarded donations for their assistance.
Wangford Community Centre:
In 2008, the rally, through the Southwold (Sole Bay) Lions Club, supported the Wrentham Community First Responders, a team of volunteers trained in Basic Life Support. The Responders are called by the ambulance service to attend 999 calls in their local area and due to their proximity, usually arrive before the ambulance. First Responders provide life-saving treatment, such as CPR and use of the defibrillator to restart a persons heart after suffering a cardiac arrest. The kit, which costs approximately £2,000, consists of a holdall containing semi-automatic defibrillator, equipment for airway management, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter, bandages and other associated equipment.
Wrentham Community First Responders with their new kits:
In 2010, the rally's chosen charity was The Beach's 'Help an East Coast Child' and a donation of £1872.00 was given to the charity.
Barry Hartley, a trustee of the Help an East Coast Child appeal being presented with a cheque by Mike Powell-Evans, one of the rally directors:
