The first grants meeting of this year and the first face to face meeting since the start of the pandemic was held on Friday 25 March 2022.
Ruth Coleman, the manager of the Letchworth Family Support Team, gave the committee an update on the work carried out in 2021. The Family Support Team work closely with families that have been referred to them by schools and other partners to provide bespoke specialist 1:1 short, medium and long-term support. Alongside the 1:1 support, the team link families directly with other agencies and/or signpost to other agencies to provide support. This valuable work is made possible with funding from all the Letchworth School, Herts County Council and the Foundation which awards the Partnership £90,000 annually.
The committee then broke away to discuss grant applications for which they awarded £11,065 to the following:
- £2,000 to the Letchworth Romanians Association for a six-month programme of workshops, courses, and activities for children. These sessions will centre on life skills, confidence building and wellbeing.
- Letchworth Art Society received £800 for recovery funding.
- To provide a publicly accessible Automatic External Defibrillator stationed on the outside of the church building and to refurbish the main toilets, including the enhancement of one to make it more accessible for the elderly and disabled by installing an automatic, sliding door, Letchworth Baptist Church received £5,589.
- £500 to Letchworth Morris Men for publicity for their centenary celebration this year.
- Singing Cactus received £2,176 for a set of stagecraft workshops that bands and solo artists under the age of 21 can attend. Alongside professional knowledge and advice, those taking part will also learn how to set up to get their best sound. This will prepare the performers for a live gig at Garden City Brewery in July.
Also in discussions was the Jubilee grants programme, which awards up to £750 to community groups, residential areas and resident groups in Letchworth who are hosting a Jubilee event over the bank holiday. The committee awarded £2,070 from the £10,000 that has been set aside for this stream of community funding.
There is still time to apply for a Jubilee Grant! To find out more about our funding for community events, visit our Jubilee Grants page.
Our next grant application deadline is Wednesday 20th April 2022 for our May meeting.
