Find out what is happening with our Citizen Local Fund and who benefitted from the first lot of funding

Earlier this year we launched the Citizen Local Fund – a pot of £50,000 for customers and people in our communities.

Through the Citizen Local Fund, we offer grants of up to £5,000 to fund groups, projects, and initiatives to support the wellbeing of people in our communities.

The aim of the fund is to support our customers and communities to thrive. We support ideas and projects that promote mental and physical wellbeing, reduce social isolation, bring communities together and enhance local areas.

Seven groups were successful with funding earlier this year and the money has helped them work towards their goals.

Here’s an update on some of the groups’ progress:

• Attwood Community Enrichment – the group are using the money for groundworks at an old allotment site. This includes clearing the rubbish, having it landscaped and levelled. Once it has been cleared, volunteers will create the garden/allotment. The group are already looking for support from local businesses to help fund materials such as plant and tool hire. Once landscaping is completed the community will then plant, develop, and maintain the gardens.
• BME Mental Health – The service supports the mental health needs of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds to recover a better quality of life. It does this through one-to-one support in accessing community facilities. The money from the Citizen Local Fund has helped to provide Single Parent Care Packages for black and minority ethnic groups in the West Midlands. The packs feature essential items, gifts and motivational and uplifting products for mental health and wellbeing.
• Stoke Aldermoor Community Association – the group was formed to clean up an area in Stoke Aldermoor, Coventry, and money from the Citizen Local Fund will help with a project called Lift Me Up. The project will improve the environment and wellbeing of people in the community through organised community clearings of fly-tipping and litter picks. So far, a bath has been removed from the River Sowe and has been given a new lease of life as a plant tub. It has been placed beneath the Welcome to Stoke Aldermoor sign. A graffiti wall has also been created by local children which shares ideas of how the local area could be improved.
• Stoke Heath Community Centre – The Grub Hub is an organisation at Stoke Heath Community Centre which helps to provide essential items and food for vulnerable adults. The Citizen Local Fund money has been helping towards supplies and colleagues from have been volunteering with packing bags and loading up cars.
• Enterprise Club for Disabled People – provide day facilities and transport to improve the lives of disabled people. Our money is helping three wheelchair-adapted Minibuses transport members who cannot make it to the club on their own and is also used to transport members to fundraising events and sports days around the country. Citizen colleagues have also been volunteering as drivers to drive a club minibus taking people to and from locations.

Details of the next round of the Citizen Local Fund will be revealed soon and you can find out more here.

For media enquiries contact our Communications Team.