Grants Given For Good And Vital Causes

Published on: 25 Mar, 2021
Updated on: 27 Mar, 2021

Grants totalling £40,000 have been awarded to 16 charities, community groups and voluntary organisations, Guildford Borough Council has announced.

These are from its Aspire Voluntary Grants pot, a scheme that awards up to £5,000 per grant to those the council recognises as “older, more vulnerable and less advantaged residents. Including disabled children, carers, isolated and less mobile adults, and people suffering from serious physical and mental illness”.

Essentially a small grants scheme, the lead councillor for community, Julia McShane (Lib Dem, Westborough), said: “These grants will help to make a real difference to thousands of people across the borough, and help to build a brighter and more positive future for some of the people who need our support the most.

“Aspire is here because our residents are at the heart of everything we do and we believe that every person matters.”

CHIPS holiday play scheme has been awarded £5,000. It benefits greatly from grants, including annual ones from Guildford Borough Council.

Recent recipients include the CHIPS play scheme that runs each year in the Easter and summer holidays. The scheme enables some children to attend for free, and caters for children who have additional needs. The grant of £5,000 will pay for staff to support children and for activities where extra equipment is needed, such as art and crafts.

Crossroads Care Surrey provide respite breaks for carers who look after family members. During the pandemic it has helped more than 1,500 carers with shopping, prescriptions, dog walking, letter posting and telephone calls.

The £5,000 grant will help its befriending and outreach project, enabling it to continue to recruit its volunteer heroes who connect with carers to offer help through befriending calls by phone or by connecting virtually, offering companionship in the home and outreach support, helping with shopping or prescription medicine collections.

Founded and run by parents of autistic children, Appeer helps autistic and neuro-diverse girls aged from seven to 12 years through peer groups based on shared interests. It currently works with more than 200 families from across Surrey, many of whom live in Guildford.

The £1,000 grant will be used to fund online sessions such as the computer game Minecraft and baking, and at a later date attending a forest school and animal visits. It is also running sessions on Star Wars, face painting and digital skills.

The holiday at home programme run for a period during August by the Guildford Baptist Church at Millmead has once again been given a grant from Guildford Borough Council. It found out above the Aspire grants scheme from advice it was given by Voluntary Action South West Surrey.

Other recent recipients include: Age UK Surrey’s Men in Sheds project in Ash, £2,000.

Ash, Ash Vale, Ash Green Coronavirus Support Group, support and food parcels, £5,000.

Autism All Stars Foundation, running and staffing costs. £1,000.

Disability Challengers , inclusive leisure for disabled young people, £2,500.

Guildford Baptist Church. Millmead Holiday at Home event for older people, £600.

Horsley and Bookham Riding for the Disabled Association, Raise the Roof campaign, £2,500.

Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, emergency respite care, £2,000.

Sight for Surrey, eye clinic liaison service, £1,500.

St John the Evangelist Church, Merrow, Baby Basics Merrow, group. £1,000.

Surrey Welfare Rights Unit, local advice support, £5,000.

TALK Surrey, Asphasia Stroke Support Groups, £2,000.

The Brigitte Trust, telephone and home visiting support, £2,000.

ThriveFit Charity, for cancer, schools and mental health support. £2,500.

Unfortunately, the council’s press release, didn’t give details for those wanting to apply for its Aspire grants, but this is what the form looks like and it is easy to fill in, and specifically designed to be that way!

To receive a form, contact Guildford Borough Council’s community wellbeing team (sometime still referred to in the community as its safety wardens) on 01483 444150. Or send an email to: community.wellbeing@guildford.gov.uk

For details of other grants offered by Guildford Borough Council, click here.

Others who award grants include the Guildford Poyle Charities,

The Bishop of Guildford’s Communities Fund

Community Foundation for Surrey.

For more advice about grants and how to apply for them speak to Voluntary Action South West Surrey (Guildford and Waverley Borough Council’s official Council for Voluntary Services) on 01483 504626, or email info@vasws.org.uk

Previous stories of interest and background…

Cash Boost For Westborough Ward With Residents To Say What They Want

Cash Boost For Guildford’s Voluntary And Community Organisations