IGAS COMMUNITY FUND

Grants awarded for 2015

NORTH WEST .......................................................................................................................................... 2

EAST MIDLANDS ...................................................................................................................................... 5

SOUTH ..................................................................................................................................................... 8

SCOTLAND ............................................................................................................................................. 11

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NORTH WEST

The Debt Advice Network, Ellesmere Port - unified approach to debt and mental health

Awarded a grant of £3,000 towards the delivery of 500 individual counselling sessions designed to help vulnerable people for whom debt and mental health issues are often linked.

Brookside Primary School, Ellesmere Port - nature garden

Awarded a grant of £2,000 to help clear and re-establish a pond and create a wider wildlife habitat which will be used in tandem with the local Countryside Ranger for educational sessions.

Ellesmere Port Local & Family History Society - projector and computer

Awarded a grant of £1,394 to fund a computer, projector and other equipment that will enable members to research and interpret the industrial history of Ellesmere Port.

Cambridge Road Primary School, Ellesmere Port - piano

Awarded a grant of £2,000 to pay for a digital piano for its music school project which aims to enhance and develop music teaching throughout the school in an area of high deprivation.

Chester Netball Club - new kit

Awarded £1,700 towards match kit in a club that has over 200 members of all ages and whose locations include Ellesmere Port and Upton Heath, Chester.

Hand on Heart- defibrillators for five schools in Upton Heath

Awarded a grant of £3,729 towards the installation of potentially life-saving defibrillators at all five schools in Upton.

CSI BASICS - life-saving equipment

Awarded a grant of £2,100 to help a group of volunteer doctors provide emergency medical response across a wide area which includes Doe Green, Ellesmere Port and Upton Health. The grant

IGAS LOCATIONS

Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

Upton Heath, Cheshire

Doe Green, Cheshire

Barton Moss, Salford

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will be used specifically for additional advanced capnography equipment needed when doctors have to administer anaesthetic.

Warrington Youth Club - young men's health group

Awarded a grant of £1,000 towards resources for a project that aims to support young men who are facing a range of challenges such as teenage fatherhood, involvement with anti-social behaviour, problems with mental health, alcohol or substance abuse and not completing education.

City West Housing Trust - seed to plate project

Awarded a grant of £4,000 to help develop a horticulture project involving schools, residents associations and community members in Irlam, Barton, Eccles and Cadishead. The project will encourage the growing of vegetables within community school gardens and at home.

Little Rascals Playgroup & Moss Vale Tenants & Residents Association - establishment of community centre

Awarded a grant of £4,000 to help with provision of additional equipment and resources to enable the group to set up a community centre. The project is based in three shop units in one of the most deprived areas of Irlam.

Wheels for All, Salford - specialist cycles and training

Awarded a grant of £5,000 towards the purchase of specially adapted cycles and refurbished bicycles which will enable people with disabilities and differing needs to enjoy regular cycling in a safe and supported environment.

Groundwork MSSTT - green shoots with strong roots project

Awarded a grant of £5,000 to help provide materials and resources for a project that aims to establish a community growing network in the southern wards of Salford. The aim is to create a network through which individuals and groups can share skills, food, seeds, learning and friendships.

Crossroads Care, Salford - interactive reminiscence aids

Awarded a grant of £4,000 towards a project which seeks to provide specialised portable tablets and software as a basis for meaningful activities for people living with memory illnesses and their families.

Lady James Community Hall User Group, Irlam - fitting out of community hall

Awarded a grant of £5,000 towards the upgrading of a building that is heavily used by the community but is in dire need of repair and upgrading of its energy efficiency.

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St Andrews Church, Eccles - technology for community church

Awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the provision of a community café in a church. By installing plasma screens and computer equipment, the church aims to open up an area of the church for community training courses for all ages.

Healthy Hearts, Irlam - exercise sessions

Awarded a grant of £2,000 towards equipment needed to run exercise sessions for people with long term health problems.

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EAST MIDLANDS

Askham Village Hall (near Egmanton) - heating, tables and defibrillator

Awarded a grant of £2,000 towards the purchase of six new heaters plus new tables and a debfibrillator with training for the village responders team.

Weston Community Defibrillator Fund (near Egmanton) - installation of defibrillator

Awarded a grant of £1,250 towards the purchase and installation of a defibrillator in the village phone box. The village is around 12 miles from the nearest ambulance station.

Kneesall Preschool Playgroup (near Egmanton) - outdoor sensory learning space

Awarded a grant of £2,000 towards the development of a sensory garden and outdoor learning space within the village churchyard. The aim is to create a quiet, contemplative space that will be valued by adults too. It will include a wildlife learning area, a willow dome, a growing allotment and greenhouse.

Slumgothic Teenage Arts Project, Gainsborough - X-Church essentials

Awarded a grant of £7,720 to provide an accessible toilet for a community café that has been created in a redundant church now back in use as an arts project. The café was a major development in 2014 with much of the work handled by enthusiastic volunteers. It will be largely staffed by people recovering from mental illnesses or with disabilities.

IGAS LOCATIONS

Bothamsall, Notts

Cold Hanworth, Lincs

Corringham, Lincs

Egmanton, Notts

Gainborough / Beckingham, Lincs

Glentworth, Lincs

Long Clawson, Leics

Lound, Notts

Nettleham, Lincs

Scampton, Lincs

South Leverton, Notts

Stainton, Lincs

Welton, Lincs

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Uphills MUGA Group, Gainsborough - multi-use games area

Awarded a grant of £7,882 towards the provision of a multi-use games area in what is officially rated as one of the country’s most needy areas.

ACIS Group, Gainsborough - furniture, flooring, AV & play equipment

Awarded a grant of £4,230 to pay for a variety of sensory, imagination and outdoor equipment at a community centre that is pivotal to plans to mobilise social change in an area of high deprivation.

Harby Playground Committee (near Long Clawson) - new play equipment

Awarded a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of renewing a village playground which has badly deteriorated and needs up-to-date equipment. Volunteers are lined up to help with the work.

Holwell Village Community (near Long Clawson) - defibrillator

Awarded a grant of £2,000 towards the purchase and installation of a defibrillator which will be sited in a disused phone box that has been adopted by the village.

Upper Broughton Parish Council (near Long Clawson) - new play equipment

Awarded a grant of £1,750 to cover the cost of specific equipment needed for safe, stimulating play at the village’s Top Green play area.

Lound Village Hall - new furniture and sports equipment

Awarded a grant of £5,282 to provide new chairs, tables, a trolley and sports equipment for a hall that is much used by its community.

East Leake Playgroup (near Remptone) - development of outdoor playground

Awarded a grant of £600 towards equipment needed to enhance the village’s outdoor area and providing a stimulating environment in which children can learn.

Springline Good Neighbours Scheme (near Scampton) - manned telephone answering service

Awarded a grant of £1,100 to fund a manned telephone answering service for those in need in the villages around Scampton – generally the elderly needing transport to the doctor’s surgery and the lonely who need someone to talk to. The service currently uses a mobile phone but the signal locally is unreliable.

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Scothern Recreation Centre (near Welton) - gas boiler replacement

Awarded a grant of £4,136 to replace a defunct gas boiler in a hall that would otherwise be rendered unusable by a host of village groups. The balance of the costs has already been raised through local effort.

Welton & District Patients & Doctors Assn - wheelchairs and walking aids

Awarded a grant of £1,500 towards the cost of lightweight, easy-folding wheelchairs and walking frames to make it easier for the group to provide better mobility assistance for those who use the group’s transport service for surgery and hospital appointments.

Lincoln Rugby Club (Nettleham) - pitch drainage

Awarded a grant of £8,000 to cover the cost of improving drainage for the club’s new ground at Nettleham where it supports rugby for enthusiasts aged from six to seniors including ladies’ teams and touch rugby.

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SOUTH

17th Reigate Scout Group (near Bletchingley) - building for the future

Awarded a grant of £5,000 towards the provision of solar panels to increase the energy efficiency and reduce running costs at its new premises.

Bletchingley Village Hall - double glazing project

Awarded a grant of £3,000 towards double glazing which will increase the comfort and reduce running costs for a hall that provides an affordable meeting place for people of all ages.

Disability Challengers - Godstone play scheme equipment

Awarded a grant of £1,500 to provide a changing bed needed as part of a play scheme which aims to provide exciting and challenging play and leisure opportunities for disabled children and young people.

Godstone Village Association - refurbishment of village pavilions

Awarded a grant of £5,568 for external repairs to a cricket pavilion which is located on the village green and is central to community life. The building has fallen into disrepair over recent years due to rising costs and vandalism.

IGAS LOCATIONS

Albury, Surrey

Avington, Hampshire

Bletchingley, Surrey

Godstone, Surrey

Goodworth Clatford, Hampshire

Holybourne, Hampshire

Horndean, Hampshire

Singleton, West Sussex

Stockbridge, Hampshire

Storrington, West Sussex

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Holybourne Youth Theatre - sound & lighting gantry

Awarded a grant of £7,000 towards the provision of a new sound system and lighting gantry that will free up stage space, enabling more youngsters to take part in productions. It will also provide opportunities for young people to be trained on the technical side of theatre productions.

Jane Austen Regency Week, Alton - Regency Day

Awarded a grant of £1,000 to support a highly popular and important local event that seeks to raise the tourist profile of Alton using its association with the famous authoress.

The Conservation Volunteers - pond for the people, Horndean

Awarded a grant of £3,950 towards the replacement of a badly decayed pond dipping platform that has become unsafe. Much of the work will be done by volunteers.

The Gratton Trust, Sutton Scotney (near Stockbridge) - outdoor gym & fitness trail

Awarded a grant of £5,000 towards the creation of an outdoor gym and fitness trail for people of all ages. Beneficiaries will include parents supervising children in a neighbouring playground.

Blessed Virgin Mary’s Church, Singleton - toilets & kitchen

Awarded a grant of £5,000 towards the provision of a sewage treatment plant needed in order to provide accessible toilets and a kitchen to be used for both services and village events.

Singleton & West Dean WI - centenary project

Awarded a grant of £2,000 to help towards an exhibition recording the history of the organisation in a permanent display at the Open Air Museum in the village. The display will preserve local historical knowledge and help England’s oldest WI to recruit a new generation of members.

West Sussex Mediation Service - training course for new mediators

Awarded a grant of £3,000 towards a training course for young mediators who will work in an area which includes Singleton and Storrington. The service is designed to help neighbours in dealing with disputes that otherwise waste police time. Trainees will include youngsters not currently in work or education who will gain a valuable life skill.

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Storrington First School - catch-up café

Awarded a grant of £4,330 to enable the school to buy equipment as the basis for a catch-up café where pupils aged eight to ten can help older members of the community to get the best from laptops and tablets. Each session will be facilitated by volunteer staff and will include cakes baked by children

Wey & Arun Canal Trust - exhibition

Awarded a grant of £500 towards a display stand at the Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre which aims to raise awareness of a long running canal restoration project and assist fund raising.

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SCOTLAND

Girlguiding Scotland - Guide hut refurbishment

Awarded a grant of £5,400 towards the cost of an innovative project which will externally upgrade the group’s ageing hut by replacing wood with PVC on three sides. The scheme will make it possible to manage rot while also greatly improving energy conservation and comfort for a group that has around 100 members.

TCV Scotland - Discover me Grangemouth

Awarded a grant of £4,600 towards the materials needed for a pilot natural play programme. The initiative involves play sessions at the Scottish Wildlife Jupiter Centre in Grangemouth, typically involving practical conservation activities, biodiversity themed games, forest school camps, environmental education games and community improvement projects.

Grangemouth Community Care - transportation for older people

Awarded a grant of £2,500 to assist with the cost of transporting elderly people for events and activities including a lunch club, day trips and indoor games

Grange Kidz (Grangemouth) - Play in the great outdoors

Awarded a grant of £2,037 to enable a charity providing an out-of-school care service for youngsters to create a multi-sensory outdoor space which includes provision not just for physical activity but for growing vegetables and then cooking them to produce healthy snacks.

First 4 Kids (Airth) - outdoor play

Awarded a grant of £2,430 for a charity working as an out-of-school network to buy a range of creative outdoor play equipment and protective gear for the children.

South Lybster Residents Group - South Lybster Play Area

Awarded a grant of £2,500 towards the cost of adding dog-proof fencing to a successful play area that was revamped last year with support from the IGas Community Fund. The playground has provided a big boost for an area that has many issues.

IGAS LOCATIONS

Airth, Falkirk (IGas interests now being acquired by Ineos)

Grangemouth, Falkirk (IGas interests now being acquired by Ineos)

Lybster, Caithness

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Latheron Lybster and Clyth Community Development Company - Lybster Tool Shed

Awarded a grant of £4,000 to cover the cost of tools needed as part of a project that will provide an inter-generational workforce with joinery, masonry ad plumbing skills that are then used to support community groups and organisations. The project recognises that community groups often have to fight for financial survival and aims to throw them a lifeline. Around 20 people will train in year one.