First community projects funded through the Citizen Local Fund revealed

The first round of projects we are funding through our Citizen Local Fund can now be revealed.

Eight projects were successful in landing a share of the £50k pot, which is part of our Citizen to Citizen initiative.

We had more than 20 applications for the first round of funding and with the help of our Customer Assurance Committee we identified the successful bids.

Will Walker, our Director of Transformation, said: “We are delighted to be able to fund our first projects as part of the Citizen Local Fund.

“We were very impressed by the applications we received for the fund and we are supporting a strong and diverse group of projects, run by community organisations who have a track record of success.

“The involvement of our Customer Assurance Committee and other customers has played a central role in shaping this. This is important, because we want to make sure the projects we support add real value for people in our communities.

“Each project has a sponsor, and this is just the start of our relationship with each organisation. We will keep people updated on the progress of each project and there will likely be volunteering opportunities in the projects which we will be able to offer to staff later in the year as well.

“One of our strategic objectives is to improve our support services and tackle homelessness and our Citizen to Citizen project is an important part of this. By supporting these projects through the Citizen Local Fund we will be able to do exactly this.”

The first round of funded projects are:

• Attwood Community Enrichment – a community organisation in Birmingham will use our funding for a project called A.C.E. Tunnel Gardens. This will see a former allotment brought back into use. Rubbish will be cleared from the site, it will be landscaped and levelled to create better accessibility and areas for planting, growing and seating will be developed to create a community site. Once landscaping is completed the community will then plant, develop and maintain the gardens bringing them back into full use. This will improve the environment and help to reduce social isolation.
• BME Mental Health Association – a Birmingham-based organisation will be funded for a project called Single Parent Care Package. This will provide essential items – including toiletries, household items, baby items and second hand clothes – to single parents across the city as well as counselling for those who need it.
• Enterprise Club for Disabled People – a Coventry-based charity which celebrated its 80th birthday in 2018. We will fund a project called Keep in Contact. The project is a telephone buddy system for 150 disabled members of the Enterprise Club, many of whom have been badly isolated by the coronavirus pandemic, which will see them receive regular phone calls from their buddy. When activity starts to return to normal the focus will be on those still isolated due to shielding.
• The Living Room – a Hereford-based community hub providing support for people in the town will use our funding to support its work.
  The Living Room is in central Hereford and includes a café, community larder and training and community spaces. Its team of volunteers provide a range of support to people in Hereford from food parcels and help for people who are homeless, to safeguarding and counselling.
• Love Coventry – a Coventry-based charity run by volunteers from the city will use our funding for its work to upcycle furniture and provide it at a very low cost to people in the city who need it. The organisation works closely with community groups and charities in the area to make sure it acquires furniture and once upcycled it goes to a home that needs it.
• Stoke Aldermoor Community Association – a community organisation in Coventry will receive funding towards a project called Lift Me Up. The project will improve the environment and the health and wellbeing of people in the community through organised community clearings of fly-tipping and litter picks, awareness raising and a campaign to tackle littering and fly-tipping. It will also help to turn disused spaces into places people can enjoy.
• Stoke Heath Community Centre – a community organisation in Coventry will receive funding towards a Vulnerable Adults Support Group. The project will see volunteers recruited to become a buddy to vulnerable adults in the community and their families. The volunteers will make sure crucial support reaches them, including access to essential items and food and signposting to support available from other organisations.

To find out more, click here to visit our dedicated Citizen Local Fund webpage here.

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