A Shropshire charity is set to have a boost after being chosen as the charity of the year by a nearby business who said it was ‘close to their heart’.
Apley Estate will spend the financial year raising money for Ava’s Angels, a charity set up in memory of a three-year-old from Ackleton, near Bridgnorth, who sadly passed away in 2017.
There will be buckets collecting for Ava’s Angels at all events at Apley Farm Shop, on the A442 between Telford and Bridgnorth, between now and April 2026, the charity will be invited to have a stall at the events and there may also be a charity event at Apley-owned Stockton House, a nearby historic hall and wedding venue.
Helen Akers, who set up Ava’s Angels alongside her husband Phill in memory of their daughter, said she was delighted the charity was chosen to be the company’s charity this year.
“We are thrilled to have so much support from Apley Estate and look forward to the year ahead,” she said.
“We are a small charity that aims to make a big difference to families who have young children in hospital and any money raised will go directly to doing this. So to be chosen as the sole charity that Apley will collect for this year is truly wonderful.
“We have always had a lot of support from Apley and their tenants, charity nursery Caterpillars Childcare, which is on the Apley Estate and where Ava’s siblings attend, put on a wonderful ball which raised money for our charity last year too. We are so thankful for all the support.”
Ava fell ill while on holiday in the Maldives and had to be medically transferred back to the UK. She had contracted the extremely rare virus Epstein-Barr Virus Encephalitis, a form of glandular fever, and spent four months in a coma at Birmingham Children’s Hospital before she passed away at home.
Ava’s Angels raises money for the provisions needed when a child is in hospital, such as educational support for siblings, food hampers, hotel stays near a hospital and more.
Linda Harris, Business Development Manager at Apley Estate, said: “This is a truly wonderful cause to help raise money for and make a difference to people in our neighbourhood.
“Ava’s Angels is a cause very close to our hearts as they are so near us and through the link with Apley tenant Caterpillars Childcare. We were delighted to be able to host Caterpillars’s fundraising ball at Stockton House and look forward to shaking our buckets as hard as we can at all the events at Apley Farm Shop this year to raise as much as we can for Ava’s Angels.
“There is plenty going on so we hope our visitors to our Class Motor Day, summer markets, Country Show, halloween events, fireworks events and Christmas events are all feeling very generous throughout the year.“We also look forward to spreading the word about the wonderful work this charity does.”
Apley is also the custodian of 1,500 acres of woodland, a further 3,500 acres of in hand farmland farmed to high environmental standards and 3,500 acres of let farmland, as well as award winning wedding venue Stockton House.
The company also runs the popular Apley Farm Shop, which includes a butchery, café and playbarn, and Apley on the High Street, a café in Bridgnorth Town Centre.
Each venture is run and managed with a vision for heritage, environment and community, with each decision carefully considering restoration, sustainability and developing relationships.
For more information about Ava’s Angels visit and for information about Apley visit www.apleyestate.co.uk.
