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Cash For Your Community
Voting form page 3 Your votes count in funding bid
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GROUP of 25 worthy causes have been chosen as finalists for the Bristol Post Cash For Your Community awards. But only 12 of the shortlisted projects will receive a share of the £10,000 pot donated by a local hotel. To have a chance of securing funding, groups need to gain as many votes as possible. Voting forms are printed in today’s newspaper and every day until November 29 – some will offer multiple voting. Once filled in they must be sent to the Bristol Post. There are three levels of funding available – £2,500, £1,000 and £500. The £10,000 that makes up the prize money is coming from the Double Tree by Hilton, Cadbury House complex – through the Hilton Community Foundation – which has a private club and spa. Organisations applied for the funding through the Bristol Post last month, with a joint committee from HCF and the newspaper choosing the finalists.
Colin Badcock – general manager at DoubleTree by Hilton, Cadbury House – said: “We had a phenomenal response from across the area which highlights how many good causes and charities there are. All of them are very worthy and do fantastic work in their community, which made choosing the finalists very difficult. “We hope that those selected will drum up as much support as possible to secure one of the grants, while at the same time raising their profile to those who might not have heard about them before. “We are delighted to be able to provide local charities and good causes the opportunity to fund a project or initiative that needs a little financial support. “We hope our help will enable young people realise some of their dreams and will make a big difference to those within local communities who need our help.”
ONLINE
FOR MORE DETAILS Go to BRISTOLPOST.CO.UK/CYFC
TRIPLE H TRUST Applying for £500 ● TRIPLE H Trust is looking to raise funds to provide a respite Christmas holiday in Herefordshire for children from underprivileged backgrounds. The trust, based in Bedminster, provides support for children aged 7 to 12 from urban areas by sending them on respite holidays. Staff offer emotional support, access to confidential advice and a breathing space from difficult home and social situations through the family-style holidays. The organisations’s partner schools are located in built-up areas of high deprivation, suffering from generational unemployment and lack of community cohesion. The holidays are aimed at raising
aspirations and providing a safe educational environment to give the children a boost in confidence. The holiday to Herefordshire will include sports, bush craft, swimming, orienteering, adventure walks and indoor crafts. The activities are designed to encourage cooperation, communication and awareness of and respect for others. The children will also be treated to a Christmas Day experience including a visit from Santa. Many of the children suffer from low self-esteem, behavioural problems, learning difficulties and challenging home situations. The Triple H Trust aims to help develop good habits and establish suitable boundaries with the children involved.
MUSICSPACE
YOUNG CARERS
Applying for £500
Applying for £500
● CHARITY MusicSpace provides music therapy for around 350 disabled children and young people each week at its Southville centre. MusicSpace has applied for funding to pay for new musical equipment and growing community work. The charity works from its base on Bauley Road but also provides sessions at early-years centres, special and mainstream schools and Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. MusicSpace says many of its existing instruments are in desperate need of updating or replacing due to general wear and tear.
All the children who attend MusicSpace sessions have some form of disability, such as autism or cerebral palsy. Many of the children have no language and struggle communicating. The charity says that through music they can express themselves, find their voice and be heard. Children develop communication skills and are encouraged to reach their full potential at the charity’s sessions. As one parent said after her autistic son’s lesson: “I do not always understand what it is that you do, but I want to bottle it and keep it with me all week. It makes such a difference.”
ENOUGH Applying for £500 and raise aspirations for players, many of whom come from difficult backgrounds in a neighbourhood which falls into the top 3 per cent of the nation’s most deprived. Enough supports the club and helps the players apply for jobs and training. The project also works with the players’ families. During successful stints with the club, many of the young players have used Enough to gain employment and stay out of trouble. The money would be used to cover costs of training, the pitch and the team’s kit, enabling the Saints to keep supporting the 40 members and their families.
chance to “be children” and take a break from caring. The organisation is also working on a new Young Carers’ zone at the Vassall Centre where carers can come to spend precious time away from caring. The new zone will include an outdoor play area, with volunteers on hand, and a barbecue for the summer months. The fun day, in March, will include activities and sports run by the organisation which has applied for £500 for sports coaches, equipment hire and craft workshops.
BRISTOL YOUNG PARENTS ALLIANCE PRIORITY COURT Applying for £500 ● A SUPPORTED-housing project is looking to set up a child-safety week to raise awareness of the way youngsters are looked after. Elim Housing is a supported-housing organisation which provides accommodation for 15 vulnerable young parents and their children. The parents arrive at the charity seeking help with everything from parenting to budgeting skills. The organisation enables the young parents to develop through on-site educational opportunities, eventually allowing them move on to independent accommodation in the community.
The child-safety week will help raise awareness of the importance of keeping youngsters safe. There will be discussions, and demonstrations from project staff and outside agencies such as emergency services. Elim helps young parents to become independent by making them aware of tenancy obligations, ensuring they access the correct benefits or financial assistance and helping them to acquire missing life skills. The cash would benefit the 15 young parents and 15 children supported by Elim and help open up to the community the organisation’s work.
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● ENOUGH is a Christian project based in Hartcliffe helping young people not in education, employment or training. The charity is applying for cash to help with the running of Hartcliffe Saints Football Club. The club was set up by the a local police beat officer as an activity for older teens who were, or had been, involved in antisocial behaviour in the local community. Working with the Saints teaches players to take responsibility and offers them an affordable way of engaging in team activities and exercise. Organisers claim it also helps set goals
● YOUNG Carers applied for funding to support its yearly fun day which offers young people caring for family members a respite break. Based in the Vassall Centre in Fishponds, above, Young Carers works with around 80 carers as young as eight years old who are doing jobs normally expected of adults. The carers have complex roles at home, looking after family members. Their workload at home is often balanced finely with school life. Young Carers takes youngsters away each March on a trip, offering them the