We are delighted to confirm that seven local organisations will be getting their Christmas wish granted early this year.
In our December grants committee meeting we committed a total of £154,833 to the following local charities and groups, all working to improve the lives of people in our borough.
Our first award was for £15,000 to the MS and Northants MS therapy Centre with a payment towards the salaries of two part time MS nurses who will provide support those living with a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in Bedford as part of the package of support offered at the centre.
We are also pleased to have awarded Bedford and County Athletics Club £6,500 for an equipment storage facility for Wheelchair Racers in Bedford. Fingers crossed for some champions in the making!
We are giving £39,500 to Project 41 based at Woodside Church, who will be rolling out a befriending service, training volunteers to reach out to isolated and vulnerable people in Bedford. The award will go towards a project coordinator who will lead on this exciting new project building on the extensive outreach work the church has been carrying out over many years.
Fun 4 young people run a variety of after school and holiday clubs which Bedford children enjoy year on year. This year they are planning to expand the service and run in more areas starting with Queens Park. We have awarded them a new grant of £55,810 over 2 years to continue this fantastic work engaging children and supporting families who most need it.
Country Days run day sessions allow Bedford children the opportunity to explore a local nature reserve and learn about the environment in a natural setting. We have awarded them £3,300 to provide an additional rain shelter for the reserve ensuring these sessions can take place whatever the weather.
£21,523 has been granted to the National Literacy Trust for their Early Words family learning programme which they are rolling out to pre-schools in Bedford. The training will equip staff at the pre-schools to run a series of sessions for parents to enable them to best support their children.
Bedford Academy will be receiving £13,120 over one year to provide a counselling service as part of work being carried out to increase student wellbeing within the school. This will enable the school’s young people will allow access to support that otherwise would not be possible.
By the summer, we expect to have committed around £1 million in grants to the local area. In fact, we have committed over £11 million over the past decade and our funding is helping local organisations to deliver vital services and opportunities to residents of the borough.
To find out more about applying for a grant, visit our apply-for-a-grant page which includes details on the deadlines for submission.