Our Grants Manager James McHugh, tells us some of the highlights of our grantmaking over the last 12 months. Read to the end for a full list of all projects we funded in 2022, including all Stratford schools.
2022 saw us award more than £730,000 to 55 fantastic community groups – delivering a range of essential and impactful services across the town. Our grantmaking is designed to be easily accessible, human, and focused on making a real positive difference to the community of Stratford upon Avon. We know that our funding is only part of the puzzle – the groups we fund and work in partnership with to deliver change are vital. And we celebrate the work they do.
Last year, we focused on 3 key areas of funding: supporting community groups to build skills and make them more resilient; men and boys’ mental health; and tackling the climate crisis.
The wonderful community groups funded all make a real difference to the lives of people in Stratford upon Avon. From a small grant of £300 to the wonderful Soroptimists International to continue to tend the Nicol Ward Garden at Stratford Hospital – bringing peace and tranquillity to patients and staff – to larger grants: £20,000 for Insight CCSS to deliver counselling and support services to dads and male carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Insight CCSS work is a combination of telephone, face-to-face, or on-line for those who may struggle to attend face-to-face meetings and group sessions. The location for the face-to-face appointments will be the Lifeways Centre on Albany Road. The organisation already works with mothers and siblings and identified a gap in dad-focused mental health support for families with children with SEND. Our focus on men and boys’ mental health through 2022 matched perfectly with Insight CCSS work – and they were encouraged to apply. After a robust assessment, Insight CCSS were awarded £20,000 to deliver this essential work to dads and male carers – supporting them to improve mental health and wellbeing, improve parenting skills and reduce relationship tensions. As part of the planning Insight CCSS discovered that: 1 in 10 parent/carers had experienced domestic violence since having a disabled child, 53% of parent/carers said caring for a disabled child caused some, or major difficulties, or the breakdown of their relationship and that 72% of parent/carers suffer mental ill health such as anxiety and depression due to isolation and lack of access to support services.
We’re proud to play a part in this much needed work.
We also provided funding for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Street Parties across the town. As part of this celebration, we worked with Stratford Methodist Church to create ‘Jubilee At Home’ boxes – ensuring members of our community that were unable to leave their homes. We wanted to ensure no one missed out on celebrating this landmark event. Each box contained chocolates, scones, jams and clotted cream. They also had tea bags, a souvenir reusable Platinum Design Plate and matching napkin and a greeting card. Feedback from those that received the boxes was overwhelmingly positive!
“It is a great comfort to know you have a few good friends who know when to cheer you up as this did” and “Really enjoyed my tea but regret to say it did not last two days, I had it all in one go. Just lovely!”
We were also delighted to support Stratford Town Women and Girls Football Club to set up two new teams – an Under 9s and Under 12s. Our funding of £4,828 covered new kits and equipment, coaching fees, league fees and pitch hire. This has allowed the Club to capitalise on the growing interested in the women’s game – supercharged by the fantastic England Women’s team winning Euro 2022. The success of the Lionesses has provided fantastic role models and encouraged a new generation of girls to get into football. Wonderful.
Looking ahead, we will soon be reopening for grant Applications at the start of March. Our funding this year will focus on supporting organisations do what they do best and so Core Cost funding will be our theme for 2023. We will publish details on our website and social channels through February.
The full list of grants awarded can be found below:
|
Organisation |
Project |
Amount Awarded |
|
Organisation |
Project |
Amount Awarded |
|
1st Stratford guides and rainbows |
Wellies and Wristbands 2022 |
£1,000 |
|
Stratford Schools Shakespeare Lecture |
Schools Lecture 2023 |
£325 |
|
1st Stratford-upon-Avon District Rangers |
wellies and wristbands 2022 |
£965 |
|
Stratford sports club |
Stratford sporting memories club |
£16,040 |
|
2nd Stratford Brownies |
Brownie PGL trip 2022 |
£1,000 |
|
Stratford Town Girls Football Club |
Stratford town girls FC growth plan |
£4,828 |
|
A&C circle |
start-up costs for new social craft group |
£1,000 |
|
Stratford-upon-Avon Christmas lights co ltd |
Christmas & jubilee lights 2022 |
£12,000 |
|
Accessible Stratford |
'My' accessible Stratford upon Avon |
£985 |
|
Stratford upon Avon Deaf Group |
Stratford social group venue costs |
£1,000 |
|
Bishopton Community Centre CIO |
Upgrade to enable wi-fi |
£400 |
|
Stratford-upon Avon table tennis club |
Table tennis legacy project |
£1,000 |
|
Citizens Advice South Warwickshire |
Core funding and management support |
£120,937 |
|
Stratford-on-Avon Friends of the Earth |
Stratford Great Big Green Week 2022 |
£785 |
| Hardship Fund | £10,000 | Stratford-upon-Avon Chamber Music Society | running costs | £1000 | ||
|
Clopton Community Action Group |
Ken Kennett fun day |
£1,000 |
|
Stratford-upon-Avon Methodist church |
Jubilee tea boxes for the housebound. |
£500 |
|
Copernicana CIC |
Polish heritage day |
£795 |
|
Stratford-upon-Avon town council |
Avenue ward's living wall |
£1,000 |
|
Domestic abuse counselling service (Insight CCSS) |
‘support for dads’ of children with special needs |
£20,000 |
|
Street Arts Project |
Song writing sessions and guitar lessons |
£15,850 |
|
Escape: community art in action |
Free seasonal act ivies for displaced families |
£1,000 |
|
STT charitable activities |
Queens' Jubilee parties |
£6,147 |
|
Heart of England housing association (Orbit Heart of England) |
Community builder grassroots fund |
£7,500 |
|
|
Bandstand programme 2022 |
£3,440 |
|
Home-start South Warwickshire |
Core support for Home-start South Warwickshire |
£18,542 |
|
|
Town Hall Shakespeare statue renovation |
£1,000 |
|
Orchestra of the Swan |
Café Muse |
£21,405 |
|
|
Community Collective set-up fund |
£5,000 |
|
Own Books |
Own Books for Stratford |
£1,000 |
|
|
Winter Warm Hub at Foundation House |
£300 |
|
Polish Saturday school in Stratford upon Avon |
Emigration drama workshop for children, parents & community |
£1,000 |
|
|
Emily Minet's grave restoration |
£300 |
|
Refuge |
Stratford Refuge support |
£32,000 |
|
Team Springboard CIC |
Core costs in support of Baker Avenue community garden |
£14,000 |
|
Royal Shakespeare Company |
On-going costs for waterside |
£4,400 |
|
The 1st Tiddington Scout Group |
Group expansion - new leaders' uniforms |
£962 |
|
Royal Shakespeare Company |
Like I care |
£10,000 |
|
The Bear Pit |
The Bear Pit community cinema |
£5,000 |
|
All Stratford schools |
Headcount and hardship 22 |
£156,667 |
|
The Myton Hospices |
Core costs in support of the care for residents of Stratford town |
£35,000 |
|
Shottery St Andrew’s C of E primary school |
Outdoor shelter (gazebo) |
£5,000 |
|
The Parenting Project |
Family wellbeing pathway delivery with families in Stratford |
£44,803 |
|
Songs of Praise (Maureen Beckett) |
Songs of praise 2023 |
£450 |
|
The Shakespeare Hospice |
Core costs in support of the Shakespeare Hospices' services |
£35,000 |
|
Soroptimist international of Stratford |
Nicol ward garden |
£300 |
|
Time4hope |
Time2connect |
£18,322 |
|
Spring Housing Association |
Stratford housing plus centre y2 |
£25,000 |
|
VASA |
Core costs for community transport and activities to reduce isolation |
£22,000 |
|
St Andrew’s Church Shottery |
Children and family worker |
£5,000 |
|
Young Minds Matter |
1:1 mentoring in schools for young people |
£29,896 |
|
Stratford & District Boxing Academy |
Core costs in support of Stratford upon Avon boxing academy |
£9,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Stratford in Bloom |
Stratford in Bloom 2022 |
£5,000 |
|
|
|
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