7 October 2020
Grants worth £20,911 have been awarded to 19 smaller, grassroots charities and community groups in the latest round of The Somerset Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
Laura Blake, Development Director at SCF, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to award these grants at such a difficult time for so many local charities, many of whom have lost out on donations and fundraising due to the Coronavirus outbreak. We can only do this thanks to the generosity of local individuals and companies who have donated to The Somerset Fund, and thanks to Somerset County Council, who match every donation to the Fund by 50%.”
The latest groups to have benefitted from the grants are:
- Charlton Horethorne Parish Council – £500 for an automated external defibrillator
- Charlton’s Youth Club – £750 towards funding for a youth worker
- Cheddar Community Partnership – £1,500 towards a therapeutic garden at The Space, supporting young people’s mental health
- Cheddar Village Hall – £1,500 towards maintenance of the community’s hall
- Fibromyalgia HEART of Somerset Support Group – £500 for peer support sessions in Burnham-on-Sea
- Monks Yard Trust – £1,422 towards a community garden near Ilminster
- North Cadbury and Yarlington Parish Council – £1,500 to establish circular walks around the parish
- North Taunton Partnership – £281 for banners to promote community events in Priorswood
- One Planet Wincanton – £500 for a community wildlife area at Cash’s Park in Wincanton
- Phoenix House and Court Social Club, Frome – £873 for an outdoor space for older residents of a sheltered housing scheme
- Purple Elephant Productions – £1,500 towards the group’s core costs of running activities for children and young people in Frome
- RAF Air Cadets 290 Squadron and 290 Squadron Detached Flight – £750 towards new IT equipment for young people in Burnham-on-Sea
- Somewhere House Somerset – £1,500 towards the group’s core costs of providing subsidised counselling for families in Burnham-on-Sea
- Stogumber Parish Council – £835 towards an automated external defibrillator
- Stoke sub Hamdon Community Shop – £1,500 towards refrigerators for a new community shop
- The Friends of the Blue Association Trust – £1,500 towards tree planting and conservation work at the Blue School in Wells
- Transition Town Wellington – £1,000 towards equipment for community fruit harvesting and juice making
- Work-Wise – £1,500 towards the core costs of providing employment support to the long-term unemployed in Taunton
- Yeovil Opportunity Group – £1,500 towards the costs of providing specialist early years provision
David Fothergill, Leader of Somerset County Council, said: “These grant awards show how The Somerset Fund can make a really big difference at a very local level. It also illustrates what great work parish councils, community and voluntary groups are doing to make a real difference to people’s lives.
“The money is helping so many age groups, from activities for children to improving the lives of older people. I’d like to thank all involved for helping to make Somerset such a great place where people and places are really valued.”
If you would like to find out more about giving through The Somerset Fund visit: www.somersetcf.org.uk/tsf or e-mail: laura.blake@somersetcf.org.uk
Grants from The Somerset Fund support local people of all ages and a wide range of causes, including:
- giving the best start in life to the most disadvantaged children
- growing the life skills of young people
- improving the mental health of people of all ages
- increasing opportunities for better physical health
- supporting people with disabilities and life-limiting illnesses, and their carers
- combatting loneliness and isolation.
If you are involved in a local, grassroots community project and would like to find out more about how to apply for funding, please visit: www.somersetcf.org.uk/somersetfund or call Somerset Community Foundation on: 01749 344949.
