Almost £900,000 is to be handed out to nearly 40 Nottinghamshire charities and projects which are providing support to vulnerable people in their communities.
Nottinghamshire County Council has approved the early Christmas present for the 39 organisations, which will share a fantastic £610,182 from the Covid-19 Partnership Social Recovery Fund and £282,817 from the Community Hub Food Plan Fund.
The cash handouts were approved during a meeting of the Communities Committee on Wednesday.
Councillor John Cottee, chairman of the Communities Committee, said he was delighted so many good causes would now receive the funding to continue with their invaluable work.
He said: “We have a great number of charities and organisations in Nottinghamshire that have gone above and beyond during the pandemic to provide a lifeline to the more vulnerable members of society who have needed support.
“Therefore, it goes without saying that I hope the funding we have approved this week willsupport and enable them to continue with their tireless efforts, which will ultimately improve the lives of so many in their communities.
“I would like to thank the charities and organisations who have taken the time to put together application bids for funding and would like to wish them every success for the future.”
Here’s a full list of the projects which will share £610,182 from the Covid-19 Partnership Social Recovery Fund
£7,000 – Mansfield Palace Theatre – funding for a 15-week social meeting project to support physical and mental wellbeing, which will enable the project to continue into the New Year. The money will pay for room hire, tutor and community transport costs.
£5,755 – Eastwood People’s Initiative – the handout will pay for volunteer training and expenses, tools for a Men in Sheds project and heavy-duty outdoor equipment.
£12,100 – Create Your Arts, Mansfield – the money will be used for volunteer training, expenses, and co-ordination at the project which supports 20 care/adopted children and families through mentoring via an arts on prescription approach.
£21,350 – The Sporting Memories Foundation, Broxtowe – funding to cover volunteer training expenses and community transport costs at the project, which provides exercise, activities, and interaction opportunities for residents with dementia, depression, or reduced mobility.
£59,154 – Bassetlaw Action Centre, Retford – a partnership of Bassetlaw Action Centre, Aurora, and Bassetlaw Citizens Advice will use the money to employ volunteer coordinators.
£24,495 – Age UK Nottingham & Nottinghamshire, Broxtowe and Gedling – funding will pay for a co-ordinator post to enable the One Step At A Time (OSAAT) South Notts project to continue for a further 12 months.
£59,962 – NIDAS Nottinghamshire Independent Domestic Abuse Service, Mansfield – the cash handout will pay for two full-time posts for 12 months to reduce a 25 per cent increase in demand on the service because of Covid.
£13,170 – YMCA Newark & Sherwood, Newark – to provide weekly sports sessions for 48 weeks for Gypsy Romany families in the district, who have been particularly affected by the pandemic.
£17,802 – Nottinghamshire YMCA, Mansfield – funding will be used to pay for an engagement coach, venue, kit, and facility hire as part of an activity programme for young homeless people to improve physical and mental wellbeing.
£14,900 – Nottingham Forest Community Trust, Newark & Sherwood – the money will pay for a project co-ordinator, venue, kit and facility hire as part of a one-year tackling loneliness programme for around 100 older people and those socially isolated.
£5,000 – Ten Fifty, Mansfield – to support the re-launch and delivery of ‘club nights’ for learning disabled and autistic people who have struggled during the pandemic. The money will pay for an event planner and door staff and also cover volunteer expenses.
£22,513 – Ashfield Voluntary Action, Kirkby – funding for three part-time posts as part of a 12-month project which supports up to 2,300 individuals, who are frail or living with dementi,a to access efficient and targeted support.
£20,500 – Hope Community Services, Worksop – to fund a digital support worker, specifically working with homeless people in Bassetlaw.
£8,100 – Social Action Hub, Rainworth – the project aims to provide a range of workshops, life skills and counselling to help rebuild confidence, self-worth and reconnect young people in their community. The funding will pay for volunteer training and expenses.
£64,477 – Trent Bridge Community Trust, Rushcliffe – the money will pay for a mental health co-ordinator, coaches, venue, and equipment hire to deliver five sessions per week for 47 weeks, focussed on improving people’s physical and mental health.
£8,060 – City Arts, Gedling – funding will be used to pay for a co-ordinator to engage with and target between 80-120 residents, offering weekly sessions over a six-month period as part of a project for people over 55 who are isolated, lonely, and experiencing mental health issues.
£8,840 – Active 4 Today Ltd, Newark & Sherwood – the organisation provides a weekly private swim session for older people with additional needs. The funding will cover pool hire spanning two years.
£7,279 – Phoenix Farm Open Door Project, Gedling – to appoint a Covid Recovery Income Support Worker for 12 months providing 25 hours of support each week.
£19,300 – Lifespring Church and Centre, New Ollerton – to launch and support a new Memory Café for those living with dementia and carers and an Autism Unlimited support group for families. The funding will cover volunteer training and expenses, overheads for two venues and operating costs.
£15,218 – From the Heart Charity, Worksop – the money will be used to pay for a part-time co-ordinator and admin support as part of a community hub to deliver services to help support struggling families.
£29,980 – Farmeco Community Care Farm, Newark & Sherwood and Rushcliffe – to deliver three projects – nature care, create with nature and experience days – supporting more than 300 people over a 12-month period. The funding will pay for a co-ordinator, admin support, mobility equipment and transport costs.
£25,435 – The Centre Place, Worksop – the cash handout will help to provide a mental health and well-being worker, supporting young people aged 11 to 25.
£49,910 – Netherfield Forum, Gedling – to help cover some of the costs associated with converting a former GP practice into a wide-ranging community hub to provide a new youth centre.
£7,000 – Fernwood Parish Council – to open and financially support a youth club every Friday for young people aged 10 to16 for 12 months. This will pay for a youth worker, two youth support workers, venue and equipment hire.
£82,882 – Alzheimer’s Society, countywide – to employ a community engagement officer for two years, which will aim to establish a Dementia Friendly Nottinghamshire.
Here’s a full list of the projects which will share £282,817 from the Community Hub Food Plan Fund
£42,453 – Bassetlaw CVS – funding to be used to pay for a food insecurity coordinator post and establishment of a Bassetlaw-wide Food and Sustainability Network (FAST).
£26,200 – Cotgrave Community Garden – to support additional staff costs and wider development of the project, which provides food distribution, social eating, and mental health support.
£20,713 – Family Action, Mansfield – the money will be used to deliver 45 social eating events across five venues in Mansfield district. It will also cover staffing, food and running costs.
£25,000 – Gedling Borough Council – to pay for project co-ordination and food costs, volunteer training and expenses as part of the Reconnecting through the Food Programme – a 12-month partnership to engage with 1,500 people by using food and nutrition to combat loneliness and isolation.
£12,584 – Hope Community Services, Worksop – the homelessness charity will use the funding to pay for a part-time project gardener and gardening as part of plans to establish a garden to produce fresh food and improve residents’ health and wellbeing.
£42,488 – Ladybrook Enterprises, Mansfield – the money will be used by the Mansfield Community Share project, which works to address poverty, social isolation, low level mental health issues and loneliness, to pay for a project worker, a community services manager/worker and management costs.
£13,650 – Let’s All Eat, Sutton-in-Ashfield – the funding will enable the group to cover staffing, food and venue hire costs for its Meet and Eat Project.
£7,752 – Mansfield CVS – the handout will ensure the organisation can continue to deliver a food hub distribution centre for the next 12 months, helping to cover staffing, food and venue hire costs.
£9,000 – Muddy Fork, Retford – Muddy Fork Good Food Pantry is looking to expand growing capacity on site and increase the distribution of fresh fruit and veg to local families in need. The funding will pay staffing and equipment costs.
£10,004 – Newark & Sherwood District Council – to provide a growing kit in partnership with Newark College for every primary school in the district as part of the Primary Schools Early Learning and Educational Growing Programme.
£5,527 – Ollerton Community Garden Project – the funding will pay for food growing equipment and social eating costs as part of the expansion of the existing community garden.
£35,046 – Rhubarb Farm, Langwith, Mansfield – to meet the costs of developing a Crop to Drop project, which will extend existing fresh food provision to new neighbourhoods across Bassetlaw and Mansfield. The funding will primarily contribute to staffing, the purchase of a chiller van, fuel, and vehicle maintenance.
£22,400 – Sewa Day, Rushcliffe and Broxtowe – the funding will cover storage and food costs and help the foodbank pay for volunteer recruitment, training, expenses, transport costs and equipment.
£10,000 – Venner Nutrition, countywide – the money will enable the Healthy Food Happy Communities project, in partnership with Home Start, to pay for healthy plant-based food boxes and help families learn about new foods, how to shop affordably and eat a healthy diet.
