Newsroom

Charities, community organisations and projects which provide a lifeline to vulnerable people in Nottinghamshire are to share more than £600,000 to help them with their invaluable work.

The money is part of the latest round of funding from Nottinghamshire County Council’s Covid-19 Partnership Social Recovery Fund (SRF) and the Community Hub Food Plan Fund.

Funding totalling £500,000 is to be given to 29 organisations across the county from the SRF following approval by the Communities Committee on Wednesday 9 March.

Councillors also gave the go-ahead for £117,632  from the Community Hub Food Plan Fund to be shared among 11 projects in Nottinghamshire.

Both funding initiatives were launched during the Covid-19 pandemic to support organisations that provide much-needed help and assistance to some of the most vulnerable residents.

Councillor John Cottee, chairman of the Communities Committee, said he was delighted more projects and good causes across the county will receive a vital cash boost.

Cllr Cottee said: “Nottinghamshire is blessed with a wealth of community groups and charities which work tirelessly to support residents who are vulnerable and have faced isolation during the pandemic.

“In recent weeks, I have visited some of the groups and organisations which have benefitted from county council funding to hear how the work they carry out is making a real difference to the lives of people in their communities.

“I cannot thank them enough for the work they have done and continue to do.

“I would also like to thank the groups and projects, who have been awarded money on this occasion, for taking the time to put together quality application bids for the latest round of funding.”

Here’s a full list of the projects which will receive £5,000 or more from the Covid-19 Partnership Social Recovery Fund

• £39,740 – Newark Emmaus Trust – to provide a support worker and additional therapy expertise for young homeless people, as well as access to a range of services, particularly support with mental health and wellbeing.
• £64,945 – Family Action, countywide – to launch six more food clubs in addition to the 20 already in place.
• £47,000 – Gedling Borough Council, Gedling – the funding will be used to help The Strength in Gedling programme to build and develop the community and voluntary sector in the borough.
• £46,860 – Bassetlaw, Gedling, Newark & Sherwood & Rushcliffe CABs in Partnership, countywide – to help the programme deliver an additional 330 training days across the network, recruit a minimum of 36 new shared volunteers to support at least another 1,200 clients with a range of services.
• £30,976 – Active Partners Trust, countywide – the money will help to fund a walking coordinator post to map current community-based walk-related services and walking-based health initiatives for people of all ages.
• £28,140 – Age Concern Eastwood – to help build a lunch club back to pre-pandemic levels for older, lonely, and isolated people.
• £27,208 – Citizens Advice Ashfield – to employ a Family Financial Resilience Worker for an initial 12 months to support people secure benefit entitlements as well as help with income maximisation, spending planning and budgeting.
• £26,528 – Citizens Advice Broxtowe – to employ a Family Financial Resilience Worker for 12 months initially, who will be skilled in welfare benefits and income maximisation to help families with spending planning and budgeting.
• £19,189 – The Community Coaching CIC, countywide – to deliver a community based peripatetic play and support sessions for families who have children with a disability or serious illness.
• £19,166 – Our Centre, Kirkby in Ashfield – to employ a part-time support worker focussed on recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers to deliver befriending and transport services.
• £16,515 – St John’s Parochial Church Outreach Programme, Ashfield – the money will be used to carry out essential building work to improve access at the Community Hall to ensure people can use it in a safe and hospitable environment.
• £15,700 - Sherwood Forest Educational Partnership CIC, New Ollerton – a partnership project between Active Partners Trust and Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust will use the funding to boost physical activity in an area with poor health outcomes and activity rates for younger people.
• £14,186 – Nottinghamshire Clubs for Young People, countywide – to provide additional places for young people with learning disabilities to attend cooking workshops.
• £13,190 – Beeston Hockey Club – to help fund training and support for a year for young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
• £12,629 – Mid Notts Dementia Friendly Community Partnership, countywide – to deliver four weekly Train the Trainer Dementia Interpreter Courses in Ashfield and Newark & Sherwood that will provide a memory café, chair-based exercise, and a carers’ wellbeing programme.
• £12,500 – Eastwood Volunteer Bureau – the funding will help the organisation deal with additional demand as well as support some of the loss of income experienced during the pandemic.
• £12,500 – Bestwood Miners’ Welfare Institute – to cover the costs of a lunch club for older residents, a youth club, an ex-service persons’ club, a community choir, various sports, and physical activities as well as plans for a benefits/financial advice support service.
• £10,000 – Newark Rugby Club – to deliver a one-year supported programme of mental health first aid training for 32 volunteers across the senior and junior sections of the club.
• £7,028 – Musicworks Nottinghamshire, West Bridgford – to deliver music therapy sessions for mainly over 65s in care and local community settings as well as online.
• £6,000 – Newark Friendship Group – to help the group continue to provide a safe and supported environment for people of all ages to meet, with plans to partner with other organisations and venues to extend its offer.
• £6,000 – Meet, Greet and Eat Social Supermarket, Rushcliffe – to provide a safe environment for people with additional needs and learning disabilities to develop a range of skills all focussed on food and nutrition.
• £5,000 – Cornwater Evergreens, Ravenshead – to support the delivery of activities at the daily Friendship and Memory Cafe, providing activities to people who have been lonely and isolated during the pandemic.
• £5,000 – Beeston Dementia Friends – to enhance Beeston Memory Café’s support network to enable it to offer carers/families an opportunity to obtain and advice and guidance.
• £5,000 – Literacy Volunteers, countywide – to recruit, train and support 50 new volunteers to help deliver reading in Nottinghamshire’s primary schools.

Here’s a full list of the projects which will receive £5,000 or more from the Community Hub Food Plan Fund

• £12,000 – Hope Nottingham CIO, Beeston – to support the Hope Café to continue and develop regular community meals run by and for residents. The funding will also support Carlton and Inham Nook cafés to increase their offerings.
• £21,722 – Broxtowe Community Projects, Beeston – the funding will be used to support the provision of additional food and essential items for the foodbank, which started in 2020 and currently distributes 80 food parcels by delivery and 40 by collection each week across Broxtowe.
• £11,110 – St Alban’s Community Kitchen, Bestwood – to provide a twice weekly free hot meals’ service for struggling families. The funding will be used for food and to provide 8,000 meals.
• £6,350 – St Mary’s Community Kitchen, Arnold – to provide 2,100 hot meals for vulnerable families.
• £20,000 – Growing Mansfield – to help fund a community development post to support, manage and deliver targeted and open food growing sessions at the existing Northfield community allotment and to develop a new Bellamy community allotment. Money will also be used to pay for a polytunnel, greenhouse, raised beds' equipment and compost.
• £7,730 – Newark & Sherwood District Council, Newark & Sherwood – to establish two social eating events each month at three social housing venues, providing food safety training and volunteer opportunities for 10 people. It is anticipated there will be 30 people attending each session, providing a total of 2,160 meals.
• £19,000 – The Parochial Church of St Paul’s, Wilford – to support the salary costs of staff and equipment for a community café operating six days a week, as well as a monthly social eating event for 100 people.
• £8,720 – Metropolitan Housing, Rushcliffe – to contribute towards The Nourish Programme which covers food insecurity, education, and growth and resilience.

For further information on how residents and community groups can access a range of grants and funding schemes, please visit www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/financialsupport