Danielle Beccan was just 14 years old when she was tragically killed in a drive by shooting near her home in St Anns, Nottingham on 9th October 2004. She and her friends were returning from the annual goose fair, when shots were fired from a passing car Danielle was rushed to hospital where she sadly passed away.
In life Danielle was bright, bubbly, full of energy and fun. From an early age she was a real performer and had a flair for acting. At school she excelled academically and in sport she often achieved grade 'A' test scores and like most teenage girls she loved fashion, music and dancing. Sadly Danielle's life was snatched away before she had the chance to turn her dreams into reality.
The Danielle Beccan Memorial Trust began when pledges and donations were offered to her family following her death. Danielle had attended several youth projects in the area where she lived. They did, and continue to do positive work in the local community. The family decided that as well as having a lasting memorial to Danielle, they would also like to put something back into the community.
When we set up the Danielle Beccan Memorial 'Trust' (now Danielle Beccan Memorial 'Fund') our aim was to make a difference in the lives of young people in Nottingham, by providing opportunities for them to take part in Performing Arts, Sports based activities and Mentoring programs.
Between 2005 and 2009 we held a series of fundraising events and were greatly supported by local organisations, businesses and the general public. During this time we also came to learn that there are many groups out there who do 'fantastic' work with our young people, but are often limited by lack of funds.
In 2010 we decided to support local youth groups by providing access to funding and we asked Nottinghamshire Community Foundation (NCF) to act as our broker. NCF were able to double our funds through endowment match funding so we now have a substantial 'pot' of money to assist our local youth groups. NCF currently handle all funding applications that we receive and after short listing and our panel's selection process, it gives me great pleasure to announce that in the last 12 months we have supported 14 local groups to the tune of over £23,000.
We'd like to say a 'BIG THANKYOU' to everyone who has supported us
