The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) is delighted to announce that they have made grants worth £297,000 to benefit 35 charities, community groups and voluntary organisations throughout Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, to help vulnerable local people whose lives have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Grants of up to £5k were awarded to local voluntary and community organisations to help people develop skills for the future; larger strategic grants of up to £15k were awarded to support local voluntary and community organisations working with young people to help rebuild their volunteer base and future resilience and ongoing sustainability.
In 2021, HIWCF enabled funding of nearly £2million in total throughout Hampshire & the Isle of Wight.
Inspero (above), a Basingstoke charity promoting healthy food and wellbeing with an aim to support vulnerable young people in the community, was awarded £14,132.00 to help train the staff and volunteer team to provide services to young people including ‘up-skilling’ and helping those with learning disabilities to live more independent and positive lives.
Catherine Waters-Clark, CEO of Inspero said: “Thank you to HIWCF, this grant will give Inspero the capability to further develop our education and well-being programs for local children and adults as well as train up our dedicated volunteer team for future service sustainability.”
Isle of Wight Youth Trust (above) has received £15,000 to develop counselling services for young people aged 16 to 25 years across the Isle of Wight. Throughout the world, young people have suffered significant impacts from the COVID19 pandemic, particularly in terms of their mental health.
Jo Dare, Isle of Wight Youth Trust CEO, said: “The Isle of Wight Youth Trust are extremely grateful for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation’s continued support. Through this funding, we will be able to increase our capacity to work with young people on the island and improve mental health outcomes. The Bridging the Gap project will see our Wellbeing Practitioners deliver early intervention work to support young people to build self-confidence and resilience, so they have the skills they need to deal with life’s ups and downs. This project will also expand our capacity to reach young people through youth-led projects, empowering young people through increased volunteering opportunities.”
A grant of £4,650.00 to Move Momentum (above) in Winchester is providing vital funds to their Gems dance project for over 65s – a friendly and relaxed dance class which includes a mixture of seated and standing movement with a focus on going “at your own pace” and having fun.
Amanda Watkinson, CEO of Move Momentum said: “We have been running our Gems dance project since July 2018 and have seen increased demand since the pandemic. We currently have 23 beneficiaries taking part in our classes and we expect this number to increase over the next year. This grant will enable us to keep our classes running for another year – classes make a significant difference to our participants lives, making them feel more connected with their community, increasing social interactions and mental and physical wellbeing”
Jacqui Scott, CEO at HIWCF, said “Because of the continuing pandemic, we know that voluntary and community organisations in our local areas are struggling to deliver services that are now more in need than ever. Our recovery fund, and strategic youth recovery fund will go some way to helping these organisations continue to provide vital services to their beneficiaries, many of whom are young people or face additional challenges or barriers to inclusion.”
The groups that received 2021 grant funding are as follows:
| Grant Applicant | Local Authority Name | Project Area |
| SCARF (Supporting Special Children and their Relatives & Friends) | New Forest | Across the New Forest, Hampshire |
| Tadley & District Community Association | Basingstoke and Deane | Tadley, Baughurst, Pamber, Silchester |
| Aspire Ryde | Isle of Wight | Ryde |
| Vision 4 Youth (C/O The Council Office) | Hart | Yateley |
| Mayfield Nurseries | Southampton | Southampton |
| Boogie Mites Community Projects Portsmouth CIC | Portsmouth | Portsmouth |
| Andover Swimming and Water Polo Club | Test Valley | Andover and surrounding villages, Hampshire |
| Mountbatten Hampshire (Countess Mountbatten Hospice Charity) | Eastleigh | Southampton and west Hampshire |
| Age UK Southampton | Southampton | areas of Southampton demonstrating higher risk of loneliness |
| HOPE Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Portsmouth |
| Spark Community Space | Portsmouth | Portsmouth |
| Move Momentum | Winchester | Winchester |
| Isle of Wight Marlins Swimming Club | Isle of Wight | The Isle of Wight |
| Andover Young Carers | Test Valley | Andover and surrounding villages |
| Basingstoke & District Young Carers | Basingstoke and Deane | Basingstoke & Deane |
| Brendoncare Clubs | Gosport | Gosport |
| Portsmouth Voices | Portsmouth | Eastney and Milton, but we have participants from all over Portsmouth |
| Rushmoor Healthy Living (RHL) | Rushmoor | Across Hampshire, particularly Rushmoor, E Hants, Basingstoke & Hart |
| Street Reach | Winchester | Stanmore, Weeke and Harestock |
| Recreation Ground | Test Valley | North Baddesley |
| Monty’s Community Hub | Southampton | Sholing, Thornhill, Hightown (Southampton) |
| Fusion Plus trading as Music Fusion | Havant | Havant |
| Oarsome Chance Foundation | Gosport | Gosport |
| Suicide Prevention & Intervention (SPIIOW) | Isle of Wight | Newport |
| MAST Mayflower Studios | Southampton | Southampton |
| Fleet Phoenix | Hart | Fleet & surrounding areas |
| Level Land Farms | Isle of Wight | Brading town and evirons |
| Fluid Motion Theatre Company | Basingstoke and Deane | Basingstoke |
| Hart Voluntary Action | Rushmoor | Farnborough and Aldershot |
| Inspero | Basingstoke and Deane | Buckskin, Kempshott, Popley, Oakridge, South Ham areas of Basingstoke |
| Isle of Wight Youth Trust | Isle of Wight | Across the Isle of Wight |
| It’s Your Choice | New Forest | New Forest |
| Romsey Young Carers Project | Test Valley | Lower Test Valley |
| Spirit In Sport | Portsmouth | SOUTHSEA, PORTSMOUTH |
| Youth Options | Eastleigh | Hampshire-wide, although predominantly Southampton, Eastleigh, Test Valley |
