Latest Grants News – December 2023
The Grants Committee of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation met in December to discuss the latest applications received for funding. The meeting resulted in five community groups receiving funds totalling £42,118.
The Letchworth Amateur Swimming Club was granted £1,497 to develop the quality of coaching at the club to create a training programme that will provide four Swim England Level 1 assistant teachers and two Swim England Level 2 teachers with the view to provide affordable swimming to around 220 children.
Jackman’s Community Centre approached the committee for £5,000 to refurbish the main hall and kitchen. The community centre provides weekly community-based activities, a community cafe and runs a members-only bar. They would like to encourage more community focussed events and gatherings in the hall, and the grants committee felt the full amount would make a positive, long-term impact.
Angels Support Group applied for a grant to run family groups and online support for families of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and/or ADHD. The number of children and young people affected by ASD and/or ADHD has been gradually increasing over the past 5 years. Angels has seen the demand for their services increase. The committee granted £7,621 to this valuable project.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the King’s Community Church has become a central space to support local residents in crisis through food parcels and a food rescue programme. At present each week, the Kings Cabin is supplying 18 – 25 food parcels to local residents. This grant of £2,000 will allow Kings Community Church to provide crisis food, rescued food and run weekly meetings for older residents.
Norton Green Care purchases plants and seeds as part of their drive to become financially self-sustaining. The project uses allotment gardening to help improve mental health and wellbeing of adults living with loneliness, unemployment or who are socially excluded through mental health difficulties, learning difficulties or deprivation. This grant will help to support this group to engage in this project. The grants committee granted the £2,000 for this project running locally on Norton Common commencing in January 2024.
On recommendation of the grants committee, the Grange Community Group was granted £3,000 with a view to their function being supported with advice and operational support.
The committee granted, £21,000 to support the operational costs of Letchworth Food Bank, in 2023 the foodbank redeemed 2,288 vouchers providing food to 3,642 adults and 2,487 children this was a significant increase on 2022. This grant will support the function to distribute donated food, provide fresh food and aid the volunteer support for a much-needed community network.
Looking Forward…
In 2023, the grants committee received 38 applications which is a strong indication of the role the grants programme plays in supporting core community groups in the town and an indicator of the support required throughout the community in Letchworth.
Grant applications are usually completed online and then proposed to the grants committee who meet regularly to discuss the details and viability of each application.
Application deadlines for 2024:
- 18th February 2024
- 14th April 2024
- 23rd June 2024
- 29th September 2024
- 1st December 2024
The Grants committee meet four weeks after each deadline, and we accept grants applications any time during the year. Potential applicants are advised to visit https://www.letchworth.com/grants before the respective deadline.
