The charities which we have supported so far include: CREATE, Haringey Shed, Jamie’s Farm Monmouth, Museum of Homelessness, JAMI, Comic Relief, Ben Uri Gallery, Kentish Town City Farm, and Woodford Homes.
Create is the UK’s leading charity empowering lives, reducing isolation and enhancing wellbeing through the creative arts .
Create is the UK’s leading charity using creative arts to transform lives, particularly for those who are marginalized. Their programs engage young people, disabled children and adults, carers, school children in disadvantaged areas, vulnerable older people, offenders, and other marginalized individuals.
The SJLCT partnered with Create to support young carers, funding 18 half-day workshops. These workshops provided an outlet for young carers, allowing them to connect, create, and temporarily escape their caregiving responsibilities. The SJLCT attended the Young Carers Action Day in 2023, witnessing the inspiring work produced by participants.
Following this success, SJLCT funded a project with Woodford Homes, working with disadvantaged teenagers. This collaboration aimed to create a trauma-informed, therapeutic environment for vulnerable young people. The Children Looked After Project became Create’s eighth strand of work, providing creative spaces for young people to thrive. The SJLCT’s partnership with Create exemplifies our commitment to using the arts to support mental health and well-being. Connecting different charities exemplifies our collaborative approach.
Haringey Shed is an inclusive theatre & performing arts company dedicated to providing children & young people with a range of after-school activities.
Haringey Shed provides children and young people with a plethora of after-school activities, holiday programs, and community outreach during term time. Their inclusive techniques and ‘no auditions’ policy create a supportive environment where every young person is valued.
The SJLCT supports Haringey Shed’s mission to help alleviate mental health problems in children by funding an Inclusive Performing Arts programme, including Children’s Theatre, Under One Roof Acting Group, Kids Time, Family Summer Trip, and a Summer Residential. Additionally, SJLCT funded a mini-bus for transporting families, making it accessible for all disabilities. Haringey Shed’s motto, “Where everyone has a part to play,” resonates with the SJLCT’s values.
We have introduced Haringey Shed to other charities, encouraging collaboration. The SJLCT also provided Toy Banks for Haringey Shed’s Christmas parties, spreading joy to the children. Haringey Shed’s commitment to creating a safe, respectful, and creative environment aligns perfectly with the SJLCT’s mission to support mental health and community well-being.
Jamie’s Farm is a charity equipping young people to thrive through their unique blend of Farming, Family, Therapy & Legacy.
Jamie’s Farm acts as a catalyst for change, enabling children at risk of social and academic exclusion to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Through their education programme and activities, Jamie’s Farm provides opportunities that benefit young people by improving mental health and preventing deterioration.
Over 13,000 children across their sites have demonstrated significant outcomes in mental well-being, education engagement, behaviour, relationships, and social and emotional skills. In the 2022-2023 school year, they worked with 2,255 children, surpassing their targets. Jamie’s Farm boasts a skilled team, including Co-CEOs Jamie Feilden and Jake Curtis, and Co-Founder Tish Feilden.
Their strong leadership and secure finances support their growth, including the opening of a new residential farm near Bath in October 2024. The SJLCT is supporting the Farmer’s Cabin Project at Monmouth Farm. Designed by architect Roderick James, the Cabin stands a legacy for Sarah Jane Leigh that will regenerate an income for Jamie’s Farm on a long-lasting basis. We have also funded two transformative programs at the Waterloo Farm. Since 2014, Jamie’s Farm has transformed a former wasteland into a thriving half-acre in London, involving young people and the local community.
The award-winning Museum of Homelessness (MoH) was founded in 2015 and is run by people with direct experience of homelessness.
The Museum of Homelessness (MoH) places trauma-informed work at its heart, aiming to improve mental health for the homeless. The SJLCT have supported the development and delivery of a one-day-a-week Open Studio, offering a professional artists’ space for homeless individuals to regulate their mental and emotional health. The grant will also fund a community engagement programme with 250 sessions annually, targeting high-risk groups such as homeless parents, sex workers, and non-British nationals. MoH focuses on addressing trauma symptoms like depression, dissociation, addiction, and hyper-vigilance.
Our funding has supported trauma-informed training for staff and helped
develop a leadership programme combining mental health support and changemaking practice. This initiative includes six months of coaching for ten emerging leaders. We have also funded a therapeutic garden, creating a safe haven for people with past or present experience of homelessness, as well as those facing drug and alcohol dependency, providing a sacred space for gardening, participation, connection, harmony and recovery. Located in a former gatekeeper’s house in Finsbury Park, MoH’s mission to address the bi-directional relationship between homelessness and mental health aligns with the SJLCT’s goals.
Jami is a mental health service for the Jewish community. It exists to enrich and save the lives of people impacted by mental illness in the community.
Jami, the mental health service for the Jewish community, enriches and saves lives impacted by mental illness.
Their strategy focuses on advising and advocating, providing treatment and support, and educating and campaigning.
Jami’s Head Room Café is a social enterprise offering mental health support through vibrant, kosher food and community engagement.
The café hosts free events and service user placements, reducing social isolation and fostering mutual support. The SJLCT pledged to support Jami’s 36-hour match funding campaign for educational and outreach work.
This donation supports the launch of a new service for young people, a 24/7 helpline, access to counselling and psychological therapies, and more Head Room Cafés.
Jami’s work includes campaigning, education, and suicide prevention, making a significant impact on communal mental health.
Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1985 in response to the famine in Ethiopia and has since continued to incredible charitable work.
Comic Relief, a major charity, works tirelessly to tackle poverty and social injustice through the power of entertainment and fundraising. By creating innovative and engaging campaigns, they raise significant funds and awareness for various causes worldwide.
The SJLCT supports Comic Relief’s mission to address critical issues, including homelessness, mental health, and education. Through their Red Nose Day and Sport Relief initiatives, Comic Relief engages the public, celebrities, and corporate partners to contribute to their cause.
The funds raised are allocated to projects that make a tangible difference in people’s lives, providing support and resources to those in need. The SJLCT’s collaboration with Comic Relief highlights their shared commitment to improving lives through creative and impactful approaches.
By supporting Comic Relief, the SJLCT contributes to a global effort to create lasting change and address pressing social issues. This partnership underscores the importance of collective action in achieving significant social impact.
Ben Uri Gallery & Museum is a museum and charity that showcases the work of and lives of immigrant artists in London and bills itself as “The Art Museum for All”.
Woodford Homes help to break the cycle of trauma for children by helping them move on from their past, through the creation of safe, calm & reliable environments.
Woodford Homes creates safe, reliable environments using psychodynamic and systemic principles to help break the cycle of trauma for children. They advocate for a middle way where the needs of children are met sustainably through a social enterprise model, reinvesting profits to create positive social change. Their services tackle social problems caused by family breakdowns, offering emotional and behavioural support and providing training and employment opportunities. Woodford Homes cares for local children, supporting the communities in which they operate and enabling children suffering from trauma to build stable relationships and manage their emotions positively.
In August 2024, Woodford Homes took three young people and their care work
practitioners to Johannesburg, South Africa. Led by Dr Hayley Berman, the SJLCT donated towards this pilot scheme, titled “Empower a Dream: Giving Children in Care the Journey of a Lifetime”. This transformative trip includes community art projects, boxing lessons, sightseeing, a wellbeing retreat, and a safari, aiming to inspire the children to dream big and pursue their aspirations. Additionally, the SJLCT made a donation to Create to prepare the young people for this trip through a series of creative workshops, highlighting our commitment to supporting these children’s futures, and collaborative partnerships.
A groundbreaking exhibition exploring autistic experience through embroidery & mixed media, created & curated by artist Tzipporah Johnston.
The Museum of Monotropism was held at the Folklore Centre in Todmorden, near Leeds, from March 23rd to May 18th, 2024, the exhibition offered an immersive experience aimed at challenging negative perceptions of autism. It sought to provide autistic people with positive and nuanced representation while also demonstrating how exhibitions can be made accessible to neuro-divergent audiences.
The exhibition was open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday each week, attracting approximately 400 visitors over eight weeks—a significant increase in footfall for the Folklore Centre. Additionally, nearly 40 people attended the opening artist talk, which focused on the exhibition and the theory of monotropism, a concept central to understanding autistic focus and interest.
The project was consciously marketed to neuro-divergent and disabled communities, mental health organisations and community arts groups. With a total budget of £5,000, the exhibition was successfully realized at a cost of £4,600.
The Sarah Jane Leigh Charitable Trust provided a grant to support this innovative exhibition.
Your generous donations enable us to support vital mental health initiatives and community programmes. Every contribution helps us make a real difference in the lives of vulnerable children and their families.
Join us in our mission to create a more inclusive and compassionate world.
Stay updated with the latest news and insights from our charity! Explore features stories, updates, and articles on mental health, community support, and our ongoing projects.
CREATE are the UK’s leading charity empowering lives, reducing isolation and enhancing wellbeing through the creative arts. Their professional artists run creative arts projects with children and adults facing challenges in their lives. They are given a chance to express themselves, build skills, meet other people and nurture their well-being
Jamie’s Farm acts as a catalyst for change; enabling children across England and Wales, at risk of social and academic exclusion, to be better equipped to thrive academically, socially and emotionally during their school years and beyond. Through the education programme and activities provided by Jamie’s Farm, many opportunities are
Haringey Shed is an inclusive theatre and performing arts company for children and young people. They provide a range of term time after school activities and holiday programs as well as outreach work in the community, working in local schools, nurseries and community centres. Haringey Shed’s repertoire of inclusive theatre
