South West Community Benefit Fund: Trowbridge Futures
About
The aim of Trowbridge Community Area Forum (TCAF) is to develop the capacity and skills of local residents in Trowbridge, to enable them to better identify and meet their needs and to participate more fully in their communities. TCAF are involved in a number of initiatives, including a programme of informal youth services known as the “Brighter Aspirations Programme”. This programme offers safe spaces for young people to come together in three of the most deprived areas of Trowbridge.
They also provide drop in sessions and a 1:1 mentoring programme for young people at the John O’Gaunt School. They undertake youth work at Stallard’s Skate Park. Youth Cafes are regularly run in the three locations, offering informal educational opportunities and a range of activities aimed at tackling social isolation and reducing loneliness. TCAF also distribute leftover food from Greggs twice per week for young people.
Request for funding
TCAF requested a grant of £1,000 to be used during the periods July 2019-to June 2020. They wanted to use this funding toward the cost of the hub manager (2 hours per week over a period of 40 weeks). The hub manager will be able to deliver a 2-hour digital workshop for frail elderly residents, people with mental health issues and those people who are most marginalised in communities. TCAF are helping some people for the first time to access the internet using their smart phones. In addition to this, they will also use the funding to contribute to a two hour ‘Kindness Café’, which will provide a safe space where vulnerable residents can meet, have coffee and a chat. There will be at least 5 volunteers involved and 50 residents who will benefit from the grant.
Meeting the aims of the fund
The two projects that this grant will support involve a wide range of vulnerable residents and also at least 5 volunteers. The projects appear good value for the amount of support funding that they are seeking and also includes an element of digital inclusion.
Trowbridge does have areas of high deprivation and it has been challenging historically to get residents involved in their communities in the areas that these projects will focus on.
This application meets the overall aim of this fund as it will be supporting those most in need in communities to engage in community activities both as volunteers and as participants and aims to bring a real change in those people’s lives through their engagement.
The purpose of the fund
Members of SWPA work with South West Community Matters to distribute grants of up to £1,000 to local projects and causes. The overall aim of the programme is to increase community facilities and community benefits particularly for those most in need, in local communities.
The focus will be on activities that enable people from diverse backgrounds to become engaged in their neighbourhoods and communities and to support those organisations that are bringing about real change to the lives of the people who live in those communities
