David Biggs and Nichola Marshall of Knutsford Together receive a laptop from the Town Mayor

Knutsford Together among this year’s recipients of Community Grant Scheme

Our community grant scheme was introduced with the intention of supporting local organisations, charities, and CICs that are actively supporting Knutsford and providing community services. The grants come in either the form of donations of up to £200, small grants of up to £1,500, or large grants over the value of £1,500.

This year, one of our beneficiaries is Knutsford Together, a new charity that understands that it isn’t always easy accessing the help you need or knowing where to look.  Knutsford Together are committed to ensuring that people in Knutsford are directed to the right services relevant to their situation and are encouraging people to sign up and become Local Connectors to help make this happen. Becoming a Local Connector only takes one hour of training!

Knutsford Together received a grant in kind of two laptops, which have already helped the day-to-day running of the organisation. Nicola Marshall, chief officer at Knutsford Together said: ‘’We are so grateful for the laptops that we kindly received from Knutsford Town Council. They’ve already proven invaluable since I joined Knutsford Together in July. It has enabled me to put together a directory of services that will be listed on our website as well as carry out day-to-day admin tasks. Going forward, they are going to prove even more vital in being used to signpost and connect members of the community to local groups and services as well as securely enabling us to case manage clients when we work with them on a one-to-one basis.’’

The Town Council aims to fund organisations and projects that provide improved services or opportunities for those aged under 18 or over 65; create or improve services and facilities benefiting a significant percentage of residents or which enhance the profile or reputation of the town. If you would like to learn more about our community grant scheme and see if your organisation could be a good fit, visit: https://www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/services/community-grants.

If you would like to learn more about the work of Knutsford Together or become a Local Connector, visit: https://www.knutsfordtogether.org.uk/.

The mayor holding a big cheque with just drop in charity

Youth Counselling Service ‘Just Drop-In’ receive grant from Knutsford Town Council

‘Just Drop-In’, the Macclesfield-based youth counselling service, is one of the three organisations this year that have received support through Knutsford Town Council’s community grant scheme.

Our Community Grant Scheme is one of our initiatives that aims to support local charities, organisations or CICs that are making a positive impact on the community. We offer donations of up to £200, small grants of up to £1,500, and large grants of anything over £1,500. You can read our grants policy and more information on how to apply here.

Just Drop-In has been significantly impacting the lives of children and young people struggling with their mental health and well-being. The service is available for people aged 12-24 who live in the north of Cheshire East (Macclesfield, Poynton, Wilmslow, Handforth, Knutsford, and the villages in between), and is completely free and accessible!

They have been working diligently to achieve excellent satisfaction rates, stating that around 80% of young people who use their service have an improved well-being score at the end of their sessions, and 98% would rate their services as good.

Knutsford Town Council has awarded the service £1,460, which will go towards the costs of two volunteer Counsellors to deliver their services in Knutsford. This will include clinical supervision, travel, and training expenses for six months.

Ann Wright, the Chief Officer, said: ‘’Our charity is committed to providing emotional health support to children in Knutsford and this wonderful grant from the Town Council will help us to achieve this commitment. We greatly appreciate the support.’’

We are excited to be supporting their work and admire the impact the charity has on the lives of young people in the area. If you’d like to learn more, visit their website: https://www.justdropin.co.uk/

the mayor holding a big cheque

Together for Theatre receive £200 from Community Grant Scheme

Knutsford Town Council has donated £200 to Knutsford Together for Theatre Productions as part of our Community Grant Scheme.

The donation will be put towards the production costs of their upcoming performance ‘’Rent’’, which is set to take place in August 2023 and tells the story of a group of young bohemians and their battle against AIDS.

Ben Evans-Clarke, the vice-chairman and treasurer of Knutsford Together for Theatre, said ‘’ Together for Theatre Productions is a newly formed musical theatre society, aiming to bring together local performers from all walks of life. The grant we have been kindly provided by Knutsford Town Council will go towards allowing us to bring our forthcoming production of Rent to the Knutsford Little Theatre stage, supporting our members to display their skills to a wide audience.’’

The Community Grant Scheme was introduced to support projects such as this one, or any groups and ventures that serve the community of Knutsford. Organisations, charities, and CICs can receive either a donation of up to £200, a small grant of up to £1,500, or a large grant of anything over £1,500.

It’s easy to apply, your charity or organisation just needs to hit at least one of our funding objectives! Have a look and find out more here:  https://www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/services/community-grants

If you’re interested in joining Together for Theatre or would like to book tickets for Rent, check out their website here: https://www.togetherfortheatre.co.uk/

Town Mayor presents cheque to the Crosstown Community Orchard

Support for new Community Orchard

Knutsford’s first community orchard has received a funding boost from Knutsford Town Council.

The Crosstown Community Orchard, on Mobberley Road, was created in February after a new charity was set up to convert an underused open space into a thriving community asset. The charity has secured a range of grant funds to support its work and Knutsford Town Council is providing funding worth £1,500 through the provision of a bench and a sign which are due to be installed later this month.

The charity saw the planting of almost 40 fruit trees, over 100 wild harvest saplings and many wildflowers. Last month the group installed bird and hedgehog boxes to accompany the log piles and bug hotel created to promote wildlife on the site. The group is now arranging the installation of benches, bins and picnic tables to create a true community space and later this year will be creating a nature trail around the site.

Crosstown Community Orchard trustee Lyndsey Keppel-Green said “We are really grateful for the support from the Town Council and look forward to welcoming the Town Mayor back to the orchard for our official opening on August 22nd

The Town Council Community Grant Scheme is open to community organisations delivering services or running assets which benefit Knutsford’s residents. It looks for projects which provide improved services/opportunities for those under 18 or over 65, which provide a new or improved asset or service or projects which enhance the profile or reputation of the Town.

The council operates two schemes; a small grants scheme makes awards of up to £1,500 three times per year and a large grant scheme which considers applications for over £1,500 annually. The next deadline for the small grants scheme is 29th October and the 2021 large grants deadline is 31st August.

Mayor presents cheque to Netball Club

Community Grants Deadline Approaches

The deadline is approaching for groups in Knutsford to apply for funding from the Town Council’s community grants scheme.

Grants of up to £1,500 are available from the Town Council for projects which meet one of its grant outcomes: providing improved opportunities/services for under 18s or over 65s, providing new or improved assets or services which benefits a significant percentage of residents and projects which enhance the profile or reputation of the town.

Previous grant awards from the council have included £1,500 to 2nd Knutsford Scouts towards resurfacing the driveway at their scout hut and £650 to the Knutsford Talking Newspaper to purchase new equipment.

“We’ve been able to fund some excellent community projects through our grant scheme in the past and invite community groups, sports clubs and charities to submit applications to us at any time throughout the year” said Town Clerk Adam Keppel-Green.

The council will not fund salaries, hospitalities, religious organisations (except for non-religious activities), core school expenditure or projects with party political links.

The deadline for the final round of applications in the current financial year is 11th December, with decision being made by the council in January 2021. More information on the grant scheme and the application forms are available at: www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/services/community-grants