Jamie Ballantine
Queens Cross Community Foundation has awarded over £12,000 in grants this year so far
Queens Cross Community Foundation has awarded over £12,000 in grants this year so far.
Over 40 individual grant awards have been made to young people thanks to our Community Chest initiative. Grants of up to £150 per young person have been made available to support young people access learning opportunities and extra-curricular activities. This year the grants have been used for a variety of purposes such as helping purchase equipment, paying club memberships or support to cover the cost of fees for activities and courses.
Jamie Ballantine Social Regeneration Manager at Queens Cross Housing Association said: “We know that household incomes are increasingly being stretched, and we know that without the Community Chest many young people simply would not be able to take part in certain activities and opportunities. The Community Chest is a really practical, helpful grant scheme that allows families to access support quickly, and we are proud to have this scheme available within the Queens Cross Group.”
Community Groups and local schools have also benefited from the Foundation’s small grants scheme this year. School residential trips and home delivered High Teas to older people during lockdown are just some of the projects the Foundation has supported so far this year. The Courtyard Pantry also accessed funding which helped them keep their food stocks topped up as their new community enterprise flourished, providing people with access to affordable food and groceries in the local community. The Pantry now has over 900 members and around 200 people shop there each week. The Foundation is proud to support this excellent local initiative.
Pantry Manager Dale Todd said: “Since opening the Pantry last year we have seen firsthand the need for people to have access to quality affordable food. Our food enterprise is new and we have been fortunate to receive support from many funders to get started, and we are particularly grateful to the support from the Queens Cross Community Foundation”