FREE money up to £5,000 - final year so don’t delay!
Calling all small voluntary and community groups in Worcestershire, if you need funding to help deliver valuable services for the most disadvantaged communities and people in the county then the Grassroots Grant Programme is waiting for your call.Malvern Community Gardeners received a grant of £3,050 to assist in the purchase of a second hand van and to cover the running costs of the group for two years to enable the continued delivery of a value gardening service to elderly residents and vulnerable adults in Kidderminster, Blakedown and Stourport. Originally set up by Mr Atkin in the immediate neighbourhood where he lives word has got around and there is now a high demand for this service in a wide spread area. The group is open to people with disabilities, and their support workers / volunteers. The team encourage residents to get involved and develop their own gardening skills where. There is now an ever growing team of disabled people wanting to get involved and learn new skills, a van and trailer along with additional gardening equipment was needed to meet demand throughout the whole of Worcestershire and enable the group to grow. The team continue to make life easier for local residents, by offering a friendly competent gardening service. Malvern Community Gardeners provide a presence and enable disabled adults to contribute in the local community. This is important in demonstrating that diverse members of the community can contribute, economically and socially. The self-esteem, respect and sense of purpose of volunteers is assured, as is their feelings of belonging and status in the community. There is a wider appreciation of the values of diversity by beneficiaries of service including neighbours.
If you are a voluntary / community group; locally managed and based in Worcestershire; have a set of rules and a management committee; are predominately volunteer led with an average annual income of less than £30K and have a bank account then you too could receive financial assistance through Grassroots.
Grassroots is funded by the Office of the Civil Society and is delivered by Community First on behalf of the Community Development Foundation. Grants start at £250 and range up to £5000. Funding can be given for a wide range of activities from purchasing equipment, putting on a local event or workshop, to cover staff costs to enable the employment of individuals, contribution to rent costs (related to activities / service delivery), costs of attending a conference or event and paying for training volunteers, the list goes on.
Details on how to apply for funding are available at www.comfirst.org.uk or you can call Sophie Mead, Grants Administration Officer at Community First on 01432 267820 (Monday to Wednesday and Friday) and 01684 312734 (Thursday) or e-mail grassroots@comfirst.org.uk to find out more.
There is a free outreach and support service provided by the outreach worker in Worcestershire, Sophie Mead, and applicants will be encouraged to make use of this service to give groups the best possible chance of being successful in their bid.