Our last round of Community Support Scheme funding for 2024 saw donations received by 10 local charities.
The Community Support Scheme offers funding to organisations in and around our ten branch towns. Applications are open four times each year, and typical grant amounts range from £100-£500. The final round of applications for 2024 closed at the end of September, and we were delighted to make donations to the following worthy organisations.
Abingdon Community Fridge
Abingdon Community Fridge is a volunteer-led organisation who work to reduce food waste by redistributing surplus food to the local community free of charge. The funding they received will go towards the costs of their liability insurance so they can continue to help local people in food poverty.
Abingdon Music Centre Trust
The Abingdon Music Centre Trust applied for funding to enable a member of their staff to plan and run music and wellbeing sessions in a local care home.
Alton Town Council
Our donation of £500 will support Alton Town Council with their Christmas Lights Switch-On and Market event.
City Arts Newbury
City Arts Newbury are a charity who aim to promote, maintain and improve education and appreciation of the arts in the West Berkshire and surrounding areas by creating a place where people can come together and enjoy art in a friendly environment.
The donation of £500 will help set up a new project called 'Art Shed', offering art sessions run by experienced artists for children aged 4-11 years old.
Link Visiting Scheme
Based in Wokingham, Link Visiting Scheme support lonely and socially isolated elderly people throuoghout the Wokingham community, helped by a team of dedicated 'befrienders'. Our donation of £500 will be used towards purchasing Christmas gifts for those who would not usually receive them.
Pied Piper Preschool
Providing funded preschool places for children aged between 2 1/2 and 5 years old, Pied Piper Preschool enable children in the Thatcham community to prepare for the transition into school. Our donation of £500 will go towards improving their outdoor area by purchasing new equipment to support the children's learning and development.
Read Easy West Berkshire
Read Easy West Berkshire's aim is to teach adults who have difficulty reading or cannot read through free one to one sessions delivered by trained volunteers. The donation of £500 will help with the costs of advertising to help get the word out about their free training in West Berkshire.
Response
Response Organisation support adults who suffer from mental illness and complex needs to live as independently as poassible by providing recovery-focused support within the community. Our £800 donation will support the organisation in their aim to set up a community Wellbeing Hub in the centre of Thatcham to provide early preventative support for young people's mental health.
SmartWorks
SmartWorks focusses on helping out-of-work women on low incomes get back into the workforce. They provide interview coaching, interview clothing and styling advice to help women feel confident to succeed at their job interview. Our donation of £500 will go towards the core running costs of the charity, contributing to their work with providing women with empowerment.
Thatcham Cancer Support
Providing support to those who have been affected by cancer, Thatcham Cancer Support welcome individuals to their weekly meetings to provide support, care, advice and most importantly, friendship. Our donation of £200 will go towards the rental costs of the town hall where they hold their meetings.
Want to apply for funding?
For more information and to apply, please visit our Community Support Scheme page.