We’re delighted to support a range of incredible projects, including a social enterprise café that will support unemployed young people and a church that has stood proudly for over 800 years.

 

Find out more about some of the recent projects to receive funding through our Community Impact and Building Improvement grants programmes:

Table Church has a vision to make better connections with its community and support those in need. In the past, the church has engaged well with disenchanted young people and those who feel lonely and isolated, but without a dedicated community space it’s hard to build lasting connections.

 

The church feels the town would benefit from a coffee house where people can come together and interact, and it would also be a base for resilience courses, grief groups, and occasionally function as a ‘crisis café’ for counselling sessions.

 

A grant of £3,200 will help with the initial set up, and the hope is that it will become a self-funded social enterprise, acting as first port of call for those who are struggling, and a place that can offer opportunities for young people who are at risk of long-term unemployment.

 

Lache is a disadvantaged area of Cheshire with around 22% of children living in low-income families. St Mark’s Church is looking to relocate its debt advice centre from the church to Hawthorn House, so that the debt support is at the heart of the community, where it’s more accessible, and where there’s scope to partner with other support services. The church, alongside the other services, will provide free support to people who are socially isolated, those in debt, and people suffering with mental health issues.

 

A Community Impact Grant of £3,000 will help to establish the debt advice centre in its new home.

 

Prospects Across Scotland supports churches to be more inclusive, giving them the tools and training they need to provide a warm welcome to adults with learning disabilities and autism.

 

Prospects now wants to develop its training programme to help even more churches to be inclusive spaces. 

 

A £4,300 Community Impact Grant will support the development of the training, which will include raising awareness in church communities of the needs of people living with disabilities and their families.

 

 

St Peter’s is a dynamic city-centre church in Brighton. Over 3,500 people engage with the church every year, from all ages and backgrounds. 200 years ago, the foundation stone was laid and to mark this anniversary the church is running a range of activities to bring the community together and celebrate Brighton’s rich history.

 

However, after significant stone fall in 2014, a full protective scaffold has encircled the building’s tower. As part of the 200th anniversary celebrations, the church wants to undertake the tower restoration work and preserve its rich heritage for another 200 years, and beyond.

 

A Building Improvement Grant of £9,500 will support the restoration work.

 

St Mary’s Church has been a feature of the Totnes landscape for over 800 years, and a site of spiritual significance for over 1,000 years. Sadly, the church is currently on the ‘at-risk’ register and urgent work is being undertaken to secure the future of the church.

 

Essential repairs will be made to the Victorian floor, new accessible entrances and toilets will be installed, and there will be a new focus on energy efficiency.

 

A £28,000 Building Improvement Grant will support energy efficiency measures and urgent repairs.