We have Community Champion Grants for members of our community who want to spread some happiness with a grant of up to £600 towards an event, workshop, cultural celebration – whatever would bring a smile to people’s faces and enrich our community!

We have had some fabulous events and activities at the Centre thanks to these grants, including social dances, poetry sessions and cultural events, and have several ongoing activities that have come about as a result of this grant and the enthusiasm of the people who run them. And more great news is there are still grants available if you feel inspired to do your own thing!

Some of the activities and events that people have done in the past include:

A Little Bit of Hope toddlers and elders get-together for members over 55 and parents with children under 3 years old, bringing the generations together.

Cake and Conversation, a welcoming class for those with English as a second language, set up by Corinne and overseen by an ESOL tutor.

Brian from our Men’s Shed started a New Age Kurling group every Wednesday in the Studio at St Luke’s, 2-3.30pm. Who needs ice for traditional curling when you have a fabulous wooden floor and special kit to play with?!

Brian says: “We’ve had our first game of New Age Kurling and it was great fun with everyone interacting and laughing! I’d played it before and knew people would enjoy it, that’s what gave me the idea. I’m really grateful I was able to get a helping hand from the Community Champion Grant to get this up and running.”

Mono Printing with Gel Workshops is printing without the fuss of a press. Cathy applied to become a Community Champion so she could purchase equipment to run four sessions for adults.

Upcycling with Irfana. Irfana is very passionate about upcycling household items and turning them into household treasures. She used different materials such as beads, twine and recycled materials like glass jars to make beautiful pieces for the house. Irfana was very keen to share her passion, skill and creativity with other women and the sessions were a great success.

Do you have an idea for a community group or event that could benefit from a Community Champion Grant of up to £600? We’re open to ideas, so please contact Alexis, Community Engagement Team, if you would like an application form or more information about the initiative.