Beginning a charity of the year initiative, Forticrete, based in Clapton, has made its first donation of £500 to local charity, Time is Precious. Nicky Halford, one of the founders of the charity, accepted the cheque, alongside trustee, Louise Coate, last Wednesday.

The money will go into reserves for the next project that the charity will be planning, as it nears completion of a sensory room and teenage chill-out room at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, which cost around £30,000 to complete and is due to open at the end of the summer.

Time is Precious works closely with local hospitals to help deliver projects or provide equipment that makes the lives better of families, siblings and children that are patients in hospital and was set up in memory of the Halfords’ son, Ben. The charity is currently recruiting runners for next year’s Bath Half Marathon, with sixty people signed up so far. The charity offers free training under runner extraordinaire, John Reynolds, who recently launched weekly sessions, with Bath Half training beginning in earnest in September. This year, 125 runners took part for the charity, raising around £29,000, so it is a major fundraiser for Time is Precious.

The next event planned is a football tournament, which is being organised by South West Sports and actor and TIP patron, Will Thorpe, and may see some celebrity friends in attendance.

Forticrete has been in Clapton since 1926, beginning as a quarry and later used as a builders’ merchants (Clapton Building Supplies). Today, it produces concrete building products and is part of a larger group, manufacturing and distributing from the village site and employing twenty staff. Vicky Dalwood, who works for the company, suggested Time is Precious should be the first charity to benefit from the new initiative.