Making a difference!
53 community causes handed £1.2m by city council
FIFTY-THREE community projects have shared £1.2million from Stoke-on-trent City Council’s community investment fund.
Grants from £2,800 to £50,000 have been given to organisations that make a positive difference to the lives of thousands of people.
Approach Dementia Support recieved £15,500 to build pop-up memory pods.
The pods will recreate familiar environments like a cafe or the seaside in their centre to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia.
Paul Webster, from Approach, said: “The grant is going to make a huge difference to the lives of people living with dementia.
“The pods will help unlock and stimulate their memories in a safe space where they can relax.
“An added bonus is that the pods are portable so we can move them around and make sure we reach more people in the City.”
St John’s Centre in Trent Vale was handed £19,500 which it will use to install a lift so people with mobility issues can use the training room on the first floor.
The Reverend Michael Bridgewater, of thec entre, said: “The lift to our first floor does not work and this has had a huge impact on the number of groups who have been able to use our training room.
“We have so many groups who use the centre including health, genealogy, fitness and a disability dance group. The training room is also used for debt management, training and volunteering.
“The centre is crucial in this area for giving people new skills and opportunities. We need to be able to use the whole of this building and thanks to this grant we will soon be fully accessible to everyone.”
Councillor Lorraine Beardmore, cabinet member for culture, leisure and public health, said: “I was absolutely thrilled to see so many strong bids come forward once again for the community investment fund.
“The bids were of such a high calibre that this is the first time that we have funded more than £1m worth of projects in one tranche.
“These projects support groups and organisations who just need a helping hand to get their projects underway which in turn make our communities stronger, more successful and more resilient.
“We are supporting a wide range of organisations in so many different ways including building repairs, launching new services and buying equipment.
“The teams who run them know how to get the most out of every pound they have been given, so the difference this £1.2m will make is going to be huge.”
Council leader Abi Brown added: “Since the start of the pandemic community groups in Stoke-ontrent have played a vital role for our residents to keep them connected, healthy and supported.
“It’s been a tough time for them and I’m proud that our community investment fund is able to give support once again.”
Other projects to receive funding were the Beth Johnson Foundation (£6,800), reducing isolation among older people; Walk Talk Action (£5,864) to get more people walking and enjoying our wonderful city; and the Birches Head Get Growing project (£50,000), who will improve outdoor spaces with several projects including a sensory garden, community garden and a memorial garden.
Since the council’s fund was launched in 2017, it has shared £3.6million in grants with 181 projects.