Funding worth over £30,000 has been made available to five more good causes by the Isle of Wight Foundation.
Home-Start Isle of Wight, The Phoenix Project, Ryde Sea Cadets, Havenstreet Community Association and Wessex Cancer Trust join the six previously announced organisations to receive grants of up to £16,000 from the charitable trust which is funded by the companies behind Island Roads.
To date, the IW Foundation has donated more than £600,000 to local projects. Each year local groups are invited to apply for grants of between £3,000 and £16,000 to fund projects that help tackle social exclusion, whether through access to training and qualifications or building stronger communities.
Wessex Cancer Trust has been granted £12,852 to help fund its patient transport scheme for Isle of Wight residents required to travel to hospitals in Portsmouth and Southampton for cancer diagnosis or treatment.
Lorraine White, Regional Fundraising Manager at Wessex Cancer Trust, said: “Wessex Cancer Trust provides emotional and practical support to people of all ages and with all types of cancer, as well as support for their families. We have four support centres including our centre in Newport on the Isle of Wight, where people can just pop in to see us if they need support. The grant from the IW Foundation will help fund our minibus service for a year, covering lease payments on our buses. We are very grateful to the foundation for their support which will help fund the thousands of journeys that we provide each year for cancer patients on the Isle of Wight.”
Home-Start Isle of Wight will receive £3,539.38 to fund a new scheme called Reaching Out Remotely. The charity which provides support to families at risk of crisis will purchase tablet devices and mobile phones to assist in training support volunteers remotely and they will be used by volunteers to connect with families and help them to access services and support.
Alison Griffiths, Home-Start IOW Manager said: “During the pandemic we have had to be flexible with our approach so that we can continue supporting families even when face to face visits are not possible. The new devices will allow us to keep in more regular contact with families reducing isolation and helping people feel more connected.”
The Phoenix Project will receive £5,306 to support its Wood ‘n’ Things project in Newport. The charity supports individuals with learning disabilities and autism to live more independent and fulfilling lives and through its workshop in Newport it is giving people the opportunity to gain hands on carpentry experience, making products, handling orders and serving customers.
Louise Smith, Fundraising Coordinator at the Phoenix Project said: “The grant is allowing us to increase the number of sessions we run at Wood ‘n’ Things which will give more people the opportunity to take part. We will use the funds to buy more woodwork equipment including a new variable speed lathe for wood turning as well as a new dust extraction system for the workshop.”
Ryde Sea Cadets have been awarded £3,115 to purchase first aid equipment and watersports kit. S/Lt Darren Toogood (SCC) RNR Executive Officer at Ryde Sea Cadets said: “More than 20 young people are involved in Ryde Sea Cadets, an organisation that provides essential life skills such as team work and effective communication. The grant from the foundation will allow us to buy a number of kayaks for use during pool-based safety drills and activities. It will also fund a Little Annie resuscitation doll for the cadets to learn and practice CPR and also the treatment of cuts and breaks to limbs as part of their first aid training.”
Finally, Havenstreet Community Association has been awarded £7,217 to renovate the community centre’s garden to make it an accessible, safe, pleasant and welcoming space for the community to use. Vernonica Hattersley, chairman of the association said: “We are thrilled to receive funding from the foundation which will allow us to make much needed changes to the community centre’s outdoor space to allow it to be used all year round by the many groups and organisations that use our centre.”
IW Foundation chairman Rob Gillespie said: “We are really pleased to be able to support such worth projects which each in their own way will have a hugely positive impact on the people they support – helping to make our community stronger and more connected as a whole. We look forward to working with each organisation as their projects are brought to fruition in 2022.”
The full list of groups to receive funding from the IW Foundation for projects in 2022 are:
Arreton Junior Cricket Club £4,891.00
Havenstreet Community Centre £7,217.00
Home-Start IOW £3,539.38
Pan Together £15,561.30
Ryde Sea Cadets £3,115.00
Sandown & Shanklin Independent Lifeboat Station £7,156.00
St Helens Community Centre £4,659.00
The Common Space £5,000
The Phoenix Project £5,306.37
Wessex Cancer Trust £12,852.00
WightSAR (Isle of Wight Search & Rescue) £16,000.00
Total funding: £85,297.05
Report it Online