Trustees agreed a grant of £5,000 in support of VASL’s Wellbeing Befriending Service, set up in early 2021. The service is aimed at adults who are experiencing mild to moderate mental wellbeing challenges and who want to improve their wellbeing.
It is based on the NHS 5 steps to wellbeing model. Support is provided by volunteers who are trained and overseen by VASL’s Wellbeing Befriending Manager (December 2021).
T@3 is a monthly tea and social event aimed at the elderly and those living at home.
A grant of £600 was awarded to assist with transport costs, speaker fees, and room hire as well as sanitiser and other covid-related equipment (October 2021).
Harborough Community Bus received a £20,000 grant towards the replacement of one of its disability-equipped minibuses.
Operated entirely by volunteers, HCB runs services for community groups and individuals who are members and who would otherwise have difficulty in getting out. The new bus was on display an HCB’s open day (September 2021).
Trustees agreed a grant of £735 in support of street theatre event Arts Fresco, which returned to the streets of Market Harborough in 2021.
Coronavirus restrictions and the need to maintain social distancing limited the number and scale of performances, but Trustees recognised the value of the event. In addition to some live events, performances were also available to view on-line (September 2021).
The Charity has worked with two local schools, Farndon Fields Partnership and Meadowdale Partnership, to fund the purchase of laptops as a gift for pupils, to support them in their learning.
Trustees are keen to work with other schools in the area to support young people who have had their education disrupted over the past year (Summer 2021).
The PCC of the Parish of the Transfiguration St Hugh and St Nicholas, Little Bowden, received a grant of £1,100 towards the cost of equipping the churches with streaming technology during covid lockdown restrictions. The churches intend to continue with this beyond lockdown as it enables those who are housebound, or unable to attend, to be able to view or be part of a service.
Trustees endorsed the public benefit in the scheme to tackle loneliness and bring people together (April 2021).
RFM Studios received a grant of £4,000 for new equipment to improve its community music hub and support the delivery of educational projects and accessible arts-based activities.
It works in partnership with local youth and community groups and schools to provide music tuition, workshops and events (March 2021).
Trustees granted £1,000 to Beacon Care and Advice. This will enable them to provide household goods and personal support, to help previously homeless and vulnerable people settle into permanent accommodation (February 2021).
Trustees funded 2 projects at Robert Smyth Academy. They agreed £1,000 for specialist equipment to set up an extra-curricular programming club, to help pupils develop their programming skills. They also agreed £1,833 for equipment to help improve the skills of pupils studying food and nutrition (February 2021).
Market Harborough Sea Cadets received a grant of £2,450 to kickstart it’s Access to Local Water project.
This enabled the purchase of 7 inflatable stand up paddle boards, which are easy to transport and can be used in training by beginners and more experienced paddle boarders (October 2020).
Elderberries received a grant of £2,500 to support the development of a community garden for the enjoyment of residents of a local care home. It is operated by a team of volunteers including retired and unemployed people. Nursery school children are also involved. The initiative teaches skills and provides physical exercise and companionship, as well as organically grown produce (2019).
Market Harborough Sea Cadets were granted £1,800 towards £2,068 cost of two canoes and associated equipment to help extend the range of water based training and experience.
The trustees were impressed with the excellent development opportunities for young people in the Harborough unit with the current membership at 47 and rising. (March 2018).
Dementia Harborough received a grant for £3,608 to pay for two years room hire and insurance costs for their work with over 100 people affected by dementia at a dementia café and singing memories group. (March 2018)
The local community radio station – HFM – made an application for £5,000 towards their £92,000+ annual running costs.
The trustees were all aware of HFM and felt that it provided a key communication channel to the community. They noted the efforts being made by HFM to raise funds elsewhere and the funding constraints to run the station. They agreed to a £5,000 grant.
An application was made on behalf of Shopmobility for a contribution towards their core costs for 2018.
Trustees noted the nine other grants already secured, two pending and other fundraising initiatives planned. The requested sum of £2,000 was agreed.
Harborough HIT Bags group were given a grant for £150 to fund labels for their upcycled fabric bags.
The Bower House applied for a contribution towards the extension and refashioning of the premises used by volunteers to provide counselling services in Market Harborough.
The Trustees considered the huge number of clients being supported as well as the recent accounts of the charity and other contributors and a grant of £4,800 was awarded.
Harborough Children and Young Persons Charity (HCYC) are running a project where the young people produce a magazine for their peers with content to address issues they are interested in and concerned about.
HCYC were awarded a grant of £2,000 towards total costs of £13.5k for 2018.
Cate Whitmore is a single mum with two children trying to adapt her home after a fall left her paralysed. The Charity agreed to fund improvements to her front room to allow her access in her wheelchair and to allow her to use it as a bedroom as she can no longer get up the stairs.
The trustees felt that this was a genuine case of need and saw in Cate a lady whose life had been turned upside down through no fault of her own. They also saw how she was committed to raising funds herself for other modifications to her home.
Jay Newman is a national level junior swimmer on an elite athlete swimming programme and on the England Talent Pathway. He won silver and bronze medals at 2017 English nationals. The Charity has provided funds towards Jay’s costs for swimming fees, travel and hotels as he travels around the country for competitions and training camps.
The trustees were impressed by the commitment shown by Jay, the funds he had raised elsewhere and also the contribution and time put in by his family to support him.