THE departing Chairman of Cotswold District Council, Councillor Clive Bennett, has boosted the funds of two charities that received his official support during his term in office: Garrison Girls and Scoo-B-Doo.

During the first meeting of the new Council since the recent local elections, Cllr Bennett announced that events he had organised had raised almost £559 for each charity.

Garrison Girls was established by his daughter, Sarah Bennett Thurston, to help tackle post-traumatic stress disorder, which can develop after exposure to one or more terrifying events that threaten or cause grave physical harm and even loss of life. The charity helps fund treatment for former and serving military personnel who have this disorder and also supports family members who can also undergo ‘vicarious traumatisation.’

Scoo-B-Doo supports the neonatal unit at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in caring for sick and premature babies from Gloucestershire and beyond. Over 80 per cent of the equipment used for this purpose has been funded by the charity which aims to ensure that the babies are given the best possible care.

Cllr Bennett was very pleased that he had managed to raise funds for each organisation:

“When I chose my official charities I wanted to focus on two which helped to make the Cotswold district a better place. As a former military man, I wanted to help service personnel who had been affected mentally by combat, and I knew of several cases locally where Garrison Girls was providing valuable assistance. The fact that my daughter set up the charity is a source of great pride, especially since nobody associated with the charity draws a salary for their work.”

“Scoo-B-Doo shows how a small group of people can make a difference to someone’s start in life. My daughter and son were both born prematurely and my wife and I have always been grateful for the superb help we received at the time. Parents, doctors and nurses from Scoo-B-Doo are continuing to help in similar situations, and impressed me when they raised £75,000 to furnish parents accommodation, new cots and intensive care monitors for a 32-cot unit at the hospital.