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Mission
Natalya's Fund is a UK charity supporting underprivileged children and young people overseas. It provides tangible items and supports building projects as requested by those in the field. Since starting in 1992 the charity has raised over £50,000 for its beneficiaries abroad.
It also has a "home mission" to encourage giving. It aims to promote giving by funding complete projects that make a tangible difference, and providing feedback of the improvements, so that donors can see the difference that their gifts have made.
Why Give?
with some biblical references
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Giving is a form of worship. (Philippians 4:18 compared with
Romans 12:1) -
Inasmuch as we give to the least of God’s children we give to God. (Matthew 25:40)
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God is the ultimate provider. (Romans 8:32, Philippians 4:19)
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God brings into existence things which do not exist. (Romans 4:17)
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Giving gives its natural reward. (Proverbs 11:25)
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More blessing comes with giving than with receiving. (Acts 20:35)
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Withholding can lead to want. (Proverbs 11:24)
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Worldly wealth can be lost; heavenly wealth is eternal.
(Matthew 6:19-20) -
God eagerly responds generously to our giving. (Luke 6:38)
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Generosity is encouraged, especially in uncertain times (Ecclesiastes 11:2)
Statement of Faith
We agree with the Evangelical Alliance's "Basis of Faith", which you will find here.
Policies
Grants
We work to a “pull” policy in our grants, which means that we provide only what our beneficiaries have asked for. The help we give is usually the provision of equipment or consumables (such as medication, clothing and toiletries). We don’t give ongoing support such as salaries or child sponsorship.
Nothing Taken for Administration
All of Natalya's Fund's expenses are paid out of our General Fund. Anyone can give specifically to this fund, but it never receives money given for one of our projects. (Miscellaneous money such as interest also goes into the General Fund.) That is how we ensure that 100% of each donation received goes to the specified cause: We take nothing out for administration, pay or marketing; and the General Fund pays all transaction fees incurred in online donations.
History
Beginnings
Sorrow
The fund was set up in 1992 after the stillbirth of Natalya Leighton, daughter of trustees Andrew & Chris. A funeral was held, and donations were invited in lieu of flowers. The initial thought was to use the money to buy equipment for the maternity unit at the Royal Gwent Hospital in South Wales, but it became clear that the hospital was well supplied with essential items and it did not seem appropriate to spend the money on non-essentials.
Stepping Into the Breach
After some networking a Lithuanian hospital was found to have a serious need for a pulse oximeter, an instrument used to monitor oxygen levels in a patient's blood - essential for premature babies. Equipment for Charity Hospitals Overseas (ECHO) could source the item; the British Lithuanian Relief Fund for Children in Lithuania could transport it safely to the hospital. So the arrangements were made and the item delivered. Who knows what effect that had in those days between Soviet domination and EU membership? At the time it was the only device of its type in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - before then oxygen levels were measured by analysing blood samples, the delay increasing the risk of blindness or brain damage if levels were too high or low.
A Life of its Own
After providing the pulse oximeter the fund was almost empty, and it was always intended to close it down. However, the school which Natalya's sister attended now wanted to contribute. Tutshill Church of England Primary School had been committed to supporting another charity when Natalya's funeral took place, and so was unable to contribute then (more details here). Andrew & Chris therefore decided to keep the fund open and, thinking that it was beginning to take on a life of its own, to register it as a charity. Registration was achieved in 1994, with a charitable object of helping children and young people in central and Eastern Europe. There were four trustees, including Andrew & Chris.
Development
Since then Natalya's Fund has worked with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) in Russia, Love Russia, and other organisations. In 1996, in conjunction with Brewhouse Music, a recording of a live performance of Lithuanian music by a Lithuanian composer was released on CD and cassette to raise money for the Vilnius University Children's Hospital. (More details here.)
In 2006 the charitable object was expanded to include underprivileged children and young people anywhere overseas.
Download our latest annual report here:
Our Trustees
ANDREW LEIGHTON
Chair and Treasurer
Andrew, Chris’ husband and Heather’s father, has been chair of Natalya’s Fund since its registration in 1994, and treasurer since 2004. He also created and maintains our current website. After a career spanning engineering, administration, business and sales, he retired from paid employment in 2018. That gives him more time not only for Natalya’s Fund but also for church initiatives, writing, music and walking, in addition to the essential activities of DIY, gardening, and looking after their small orchard.
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CHRIS LEIGHTON
Secretary
As Chris is now largely retired as an archivist, she has more time to pursue her own historical research - on a variety of topics, as well as local and family history, and to help other people with their research. She also enjoys both sewing and gardening, and says, “It is such a positive feeling to create (or mend) clothes, and to eat our home-grown fruit and veg. It is wonderful to be so self-sufficient and it really spurs me on to help youngsters, less fortunate, to learn how to be self-sufficient.”
HEATHER THORNTON
Trustee
Heather Thornton is married to Ben, and the daughter of Andrew and Chris, therefore Natalya’s older sister. She lives in Hereford and is a peripatetic music teacher in the county. She regularly plays the flute and piccolo in local orchestras as well as at her church. She enjoys walking, both in and around Herefordshire, and doing long distance trails.
PETER DE LEYSER
Trustee
Peter was brought up in Tanzania, East Africa. After school he studied for a degree in Building – Civil Engineering with Management. He spent over 40 years working in the Construction industry mainly for major contractors in the London area, with a spell working in Nigeria during the early part of his career, and another spell in the USA in 1989 and 1990 just after getting married to Jane. They have two children – a boy and a girl (twins). Peter and Jane are members of and involved in the life of a large evangelical church in North Surrey near where they live. Peter retired from full time employment last year, is doing some voluntary work and has recently joined Natalya’s Fund as a Trustee.