A share of £450,000 from the Jigsaw Foundation community fund is available for local residents, groups and charities across North West and East Midlands to bid towards and make a difference to lives within their communities.
In 2022, youth organisation YPAC, based in Miles Platting, Manchester, received £5,000 to fund staffing costs, room hire and activity costs for a weekly afterschool youth group for children aged 6-10 years old.
And £26,970 was awarded to Gedling Swim Project, a three year project run by Gedling Borough Council to provide disadvantaged children with subsidised swimming lessons, taking them from a non-swimmer to a capable Stage 3 swimmer.
Chris Macintosh, Youth Work Manager at YPAC, said: “The funding from Jigsaw Foundation has helped us to continue running our Everyone Can Play session which has run in the area for many years.
“It’s helped us to support loads of children in the area and to give them a chance to have fun and be themselves in a safe environment.”
The fund also provided:
- £27,930 to Tameside Citizens Advice Bureau – a support service for residents offering free advice and operating across four locations; Acresfield, Haughton Green, The Woman and Children’s Centre at Cavendish Mill in Ashton and the Dukinfield Community Hub on Wellington Parade.
- £10,000 to City Arts Nottingham – an organisation that delivered 50 arts activity workshops support residents most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, addressing isolation, wellbeing and inactivity.
- £2,750 to Spring Brook Academy – a grant to fund forest school equipment, including campfire cooking, waterproof clothing and a pull-along trolley, for a specialist school in Oldham.
Since its inception, foodbanks, local theatres, befriending services, community gardens, youth clubs, school workshops, sports activities, community centres and social enterprise start-ups have all benefitted from the Jigsaw Foundation.
Sarah Keenan, Jigsaw Foundation, Rewards and Scrutiny Manager at Jigsaw Homes Group said: “The Jigsaw Foundation has continuously been a real support system to those in our local communities by ensuring a wide range of projects can receive a transformative amount of funding that they may not have otherwise had access to.
“I am proud that we can continue to enrich the lives of our residents thanks to the positive impact of the projects we support and continue to invest in our neighbourhoods, especially in these challenging times.”
Applications from resident groups, local or charity projects, voluntary organisations, social enterprises and partner agencies are welcome now via the Jigsaw Foundation website.
