From personal challenge to community impact

Investing In Essex: Essex Community Foundation

Many community initiatives begin with a single decision to get involved. For individuals and businesses across Essex, ECF provides a structured way to turn that decision into meaningful change. As an independent charitable funder, we connect people and organisations with the causes they care about, managing charitable funds and distributing grants that strengthen communities across the county.

The stories highlighted here show how personal challenges can lead to wider community impact.

Character: saying yes

When Perry Norton, Head of Development at ECF, approached Aron Priest, Founder of the Priest Foundation, about running the 2025 London Marathon in support of his charity, Aron had never run a mile in his life.

After a couple of days to think about it, he called back and said: “Right, let’s do it.”

For Aron, saying yes was not about personal ambition – it was about responsibility.

He says: “I didn’t want to let my foundation down. Or the people who sponsored me. Once you say yes, you must take it seriously.”

The Priest Foundation, a charitable fund he established with ECF, works to improve the lives of people facing mental health challenges by making counselling more accessible.

Training began in October 2024. Three runs a week over several months eventually totalled more than 400 miles.

“The training is brutal,” Aron comments. “It’s repetitive. But if you don’t put the work in, you won’t get through it.”

Courage: a shift in perspective

His journey to the starting line began years earlier.

In 2014 Aron experienced a serious accident. At the time he owned a large company employing hundreds of staff and thrived on the demands of running a business. After the accident, anxiety and PTSD changed that entirely.

“All your life, you think you’re invincible, but when something happens, you realise you’re not – you’re vulnerable,” he explains.

That experience led Aron to establish the Priest Foundation with ECF to help others facing similar challenges. Today, every £300 raised enables someone to access therapy.

“That makes me incredibly proud.”

Enthusiasm: when spirit multiplies

Marathon day revealed another dimension of spirit.

“They say the crowd carries you, and that’s true,” Aron says. “The human spirit on the day is phenomenal.”

For the marathon alone, Aron raised around £8,000 for the Priest Foundation. And that experience has led to another challenge. This year, Aron and a team of nine will take on the National Three Peaks Challenge, climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours.

“It’s going to be tough,” he says, “but once I commit to something, I’m all in.”

The Priest Foundation fund has now grown to a fund value of more than £80,000, with Aron aiming to grow it to £100,000 in the next couple of years.

The ripple effect: Claire and Tom

Aron’s story shows how motivation can lead to support. Claire Rayner and her son Tom Rayner show what that support can enable.

Following the sudden loss of Tom’s father in 2024, Claire wanted to build on Tom’s interest in running because of the physical and mental health benefits it brings. Tom’s disability affects his mobility, but specialist equipment allows them to run together in a way that suits Tom’s needs.

Funding from ECF provided a running buggy, allowing Tom to run as much as his body allows, with breaks in the buggy when he needs them.

“Since receiving the buggy, running has become a part of our lives,” Claire says. “It’s made a real difference to me too. As a solo parent, training during school holidays and weekends wouldn’t have been possible without the buggy.”

And Tom has become an enthusiastic training partner.

“He’s a great cheerleader,” she adds. “He tells me I’m doing a great job, asks how my legs are feeling and tells me to keep going when I’m struggling.”

This year, Claire took part in the London Marathon to raise funds for Endeavour Co-operative Academy in Brentwood. And although Tom was too young to join her, Claire sees the marathon as something they did together.

“This is very much our journey. I’ll always be grateful to ECF for making this possible.”

A culture of commitment

The momentum continues.

Dan Haylett, Director at TFP Financial Planning, will take on the London Marathon in 2027 to raise funds for the TFP Community Fund (managed by ECF) which supports local causes in Maldon and the surrounding area.

He says: “Running the London Marathon has been on my list for years, and when the opportunity came up to do it for a cause this close to home, it felt like the right moment to stop talking about it and actually lace up! I’ll be running 26.2 miles with a lot of heart, probably some blisters and the knowledge that it genuinely matters.”

Dan’s commitment reflects something broader. Across Essex, individuals connected to ECF are stepping forward in different ways to support their communities.

Within ECF itself, commitment is also personal. Niamh Murphy, Fund Development Admin Officer at ECF, ran the London Marathon independently this year to support the charity 3Food4U.

“Working at ECF has shaped how I see my role within the community,” she explains. “Seeing the impact of local giving up close shows how powerful it can be when support is rooted in genuine connection.”

Investing in Essex

For business leaders across the county, these stories highlight what is possible when personal commitment meets the right support. Across Essex, individuals and businesses are choosing to invest in the communities around them, showing how individual action can create lasting change across communities.

Establishing a fund with ECF allows individuals and organisations to support the causes they care about, while ECF manages governance, administration and grant-making.

As Aron puts it: “You focus on the meaningful part.”

Interested in establishing a fund?

If you are an individual or business and considering creating a charitable fund and investing in local communities across Essex, Essex Community Foundation would be pleased to have a conversation.