Prater Raines were delighted to hear today that Nominet GiveHub have granted £9,350 to Living Words, a local charity nominated by Prater Raines.
Nominet GiveHub is an opportunity for Nominet members to support an organisation of their choice. A fund of £50k each month is available. Applications are reviewed monthly by the GiveHub panel.
The grant application must link to at least one of Nominet’s Public Benefit pillars: Connected, Inclusive and Secure.
Connected: The project is linked to improving digital access to the organisation’s services. The project is supporting people through the provision of devices or connectivity. The project is supporting a digital service the organisation has or is developing.
Digital Inclusion: The project is enabling more people to access the services of the organisation. The project is improving the digital skills within the organisation or the service users.
Secure: The project is working on internet safety or digital resilience for its staff or service users. Or the project is protecting vulnerable users from online harm.
Prater Raines have been Nominet members since 2007. Tim applied to join the panel in 2022 as he has extensive experience of evaluating competing bids and prioritisation through his time as a Councillor and Charity Trustee. In 2024 Prater raines successfully nominated Sunflower House in Folkestone for a £10,000 award, and in 2025 South Kent MIND for a £10,000 ward.
In 2026, Tim and Prater Raines were delighted to nominate Living Words for a £9,350 Givehub award.
The money is to support the build and delivery of an app (based on an existing pilot and the long term face-to-face work of Living Words) to support those with dementia and their families.
In 2024-5, Living Words developed and trialled a digital app designed for dementia care home staff to use alongside a short Listen Out Loud training course. The app guided staff through the simple evidence-based process that could be embedded into everyday care practice. The pilot demonstrated strong outcomes: staff reported increased confidence in communicating with residents, deeper emotional connections, and improved wellbeing for people living with dementia. Feedback confirmed that the app made the Listen Out Loud approach easy to adopt, consistent and sustainable within busy care environments.
Following the success of this trial, Living Words identified a need to extend the app’s impact beyond the professional care settings to family of people with dementia and family carers. This was because we are increasingly contacted to support one to one by family members. The organisation is now seeking funding from Nominet to refine and adapt the app so that it can be used directly by family members, friends and informal carers. This will enable loved ones to maintain meaningful relationships with people living with dementia in their own homes and communities, from diagnosis through to end of life.
Tim Prater said:
"When Living Words came to me and explained what their app could do, I really wanted to see them get it built and in the hands of users. I was delighted to nominate then for his grant.
“Dementia is not just a crippling disease for those that have it, but for their friends and families too who find it harder and harder to communicate with the people they love. If it can help keep people remain connected longer its worth every penny.”
