Comic Relief Community Cash grants of up to £1,000 each have been awarded across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to 47 smaller voluntary organisations and charitable groups carrying out great work helping local people living tough lives. The funds totalling £46,174 were raised earlier this year through Red Nose Day and are being distributed by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) – the county’s largest grant-making organisation.
Gilly Green, Comic Relief’s head of UK grants said, “The Comic Relief Community Cash initiative enables us to help more than a thousand smaller projects all across the UK. The grants awarded today can be used for a wide variety of needs, from equipment for disability sports clubs, to activities bringing communities together, to specialist training for volunteers providing essential support.”
Good Mental Health Cooperative, Portsmouth, Grant Award: £1,000
The Good Mental Health Cooperative ‘Human Library’ project in Portsmouth was awarded £1,000 to identify and work with volunteers who have experienced stigma and discrimination to train them in the art of public speaking and personal narrative.
The ‘Human Library’ project is effectively a pop-up library where members of the public have the opportunity to speak informally with these trained up ‘people on loan’ about mental ill-health, gender transition, old age, disabilities and other experiences of stigma and discrimination at fairs, festivals (such as Wickham Festival), hospitals The project is designed to help reduce prejudices and encourage understanding, enabling groups to break down stereotypes and stigma by challenging the most common prejudices in a positive way through personal stories. It is a concrete, easily transferable and affordable way of promoting tolerance and understanding throughout the local community.
Sue Dovey, Chief Executive at Action Hampshire and supporter of Good Mental Health Cooperative advised: “This is a group that has established a strong reputation for its work to promote good mental health. Though a small group themselves, they have built strong partnerships and worked with a range of other organisations, including Solent MIND, which is about the largest MIND in the country. The Human Library project is a particularly innovative way to address mental health issues, whilst giving confidence to its participants that their experiences are important and can help others.”
Jakes Ferguson, Chief Executive of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation commented: “We are delighted to be working closely with Comic Relief and to have identified these great causes to receive the Community Cash initiative grants. These are inspiring projects where a small grant can make a huge difference, and HIWCF works hard to ensure that our grant-making focuses on the areas of greatest need. Last year we were able to target 70% of our £1.1m grant spend to the 50% most deprived wards in our area.”
If you would like to find out more about HIWCF and our valuable work across Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Southampton and Portsmouth please look at www.hiwcf.com
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Comic Relief Community Cash Initiative Grants Awarded by Area
| Grant Application Name | Amount Awarded | Grant Application Name | Amount Awarded | |
| Basingstoke & Deane | New Forest | |||
| Basingstoke Food Bank | £1,000 | Compass Counselling Service | £1,000 | |
| Hampshire Fostering Network | £1,000 | Home-Start New Forest | £1,000 | |
| Test Valley Men’s Shed | £600 | HOPe New Forest | £1,000 | |
| Tune For Life | £1,000 | New Forest Disability Information Service | £1,000 | |
| 8th Alton Scout Group | £1,000 | SCARF | £1,000 | |
| Bridges Support Project | £1,000 | |||
| Portsmouth | ||||
| Eastleigh | Bivol Trust | £1,000 | ||
| Dwarf Sport Association UK South Central Region | £1,000 | Compass Carers Support Group | £1,000 | |
| Eastleigh Borough & Romsey MENCAP | £1,000 | Dis-Play App CIC | £1,000 | |
| Joyful Jams CIC | £1,000 | Frontline Debt Advice @ Paulsgrove | £1,000 | |
| Young People’s Wellbeing Service Ltd | £1,000 | Good Mental Health Cooperative | £1,000 | |
| Portsmouth Autism Support Network | £1,000 | |||
| Gosport | Portsmouth Voices | £1,000 | ||
| Harbour Cancer Support Centre | £1,000 | |||
| Loud and Proud | £1,000 | Rushmoor | ||
| Marvels and Meltdowns | £1,000 | Home-Start Rushmoor | £1,000 | |
| Hart | Southampton | |||
| Junction 5 Money Advice | £1,000 | Apna Group | £1,000 | |
| Caulkhead Strollers Walking Football Club | £1,000 | |||
| Havant | Families First Southampton | £1,000 | ||
| Artscape | £1,000 | Friends of St James’ Park | £1,000 | |
| MSLipreading | £1,000 | Merryoak Computer Club | £1,000 | |
| Sailing Therapy | £1,000 | New Dawn Child Contact Centre | £1,000 | |
| Southampton (Hardmoor) Opportunity Group | £1,000 | |||
| Isle of Wight | ||||
| Cowes Sailability Club | £824 | Test Valley | ||
| Cruse Bereavement Care (Isle of Wight) | £1,000 | Andover Child Contact Centre | £750 | |
| Isle of Wight Beach Soccer | £1,000 | Andover Foodbank | £1,000 | |
| Our Place – West Wight | £1,000 | James’s Place Community Group (JPCG) | £1,000 | |
| Shanklin Voluntary Youth & Community Centre | £1,000 | |||
| Winchester | ||||
| Home-Start Meon Valley | £1,000 | |||
| Winchester Go LD | £1,000 |
NOTES TO EDITORS
Contact details for Editor:
Name: Lucy Sweet
Title: Marketing Manager
Organisation: HIWCF
Telephone: (01256) 776101
Direct Dial: (01256) 776116
Email: lucy@hiwcf.com
About Comic Relief
Comic Relief is a UK charity which aims to create a just world, free from poverty – where everyone is safe, healthy, educated and empowered. Since 1985, Comic Relief has raised over £1 billion. That money has helped, and is helping, people living incredibly tough lives, both at home in the UK and across the world.
For information about Comic Relief and the work it carries out, please visit www.comicrelief.com
Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)
About Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation
Registered Charity No: 1100417 – Registered Company Number 4534462
The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) is an independent charitable trust established to inspire local giving for local need. The Community Foundation works both with donors who want to give something back to their local communities and voluntary groups providing vital services for local people where often a few hundred pounds can make a real difference to their lives. Companies, individuals, families and trusts can establish a fund with the Foundation, which supports a growing programme of grant-making to communities. HIWCF is part of a national network of 46 Community Foundations, one of the fastest growing philanthropic movements in the UK. Local groups can take a look at the HIWCF website to see if they might qualify for a grant: www.hiwcf.com or email HIWCF at grantsadmin@hiwcf.com
