A charity set up in memory of an Aberdeenshire teacher is offering grants of up to £6,000 to mark what would have been her 40th birthday.
Jo Walters, from Alford, was sadly killed in a cycling accident in Brighton in 2010.
Following her death, friends and family decided to set up the Jo Walters Trust and have gone on to donate more than £150,000 to projects across the UK and internationally, including £80,000 in Aberdeenshire.
The charity is encouraging anyone with a project that will get people learning outside in the north-east to get in touch.
Benefits of getting outside
Lucy Johnston, Miss Walters’s sister and chairwoman of the trust, said: “It can be for anything at all, any outward bound, sporting, educational or environmental project, we just love people with passion.
“It has been tricky to fundraise during Covid, and the last few years have also shown how important it is to get outside for your mental health. Jo would understand that.
“Birthdays are always hard, and especially what should have been a ‘big’ one, but we think Jo would be really happy that we are marking her 40th birthday by helping more people gain the benefits of getting outdoors in Aberdeenshire.”
Applications open now
The Jo Walters Trust is run on a volunteer-basis and all donations go towards the grants, including an annual £1,000 grant dedicated to UK maths projects.
A special fundraiser to mark Miss Walters’s birthday has also been shared on the charity’s Facebook page.
The charity has funded forest schools in Craigievar, Alford and Bracoden, and an adventure tipi for Balmedie Primary School pupils in the past, in her name.
Other beneficiaries include the Tarland Beekeeper’s Association and the Kemnay, 1st Methlick and Westhill scouts, who received funding for camping and archery equipment.
The deadline for grant applications is Thursday, June 30.
