HIWCF has awarded grants totalling £45,000 to ten community organisations across the region, thanks to funding from the #iwill Campaign and generous match funding provided by HIWCF donors.
The #iwill Campaign is a UK wide programme aiming to make youth social action a regular part of life for young people, particularly in deprived areas. The programme encourages the development of volunteering, fundraising, campaigning and leadership skills that will help to build confidence and improve skills for younger people while significantly benefiting local communities.
The organisations across the region to receive a grant are:
| Organisation | Area |
| Spotlight UK | Basingstoke and Deane |
| Aspire Ryde | Isle of Wight |
| Suicide Prevention & Intervention (SPIIOW) | Isle of Wight |
| Ventnor Exchange | Isle of Wight |
| River Studios Music CIC | New Forest |
| SPUD | New Forest |
| St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery | New Forest |
| Motiv8 | Portsmouth |
| Hampshire Cricket Board | Southampton |
| Marine Society and Sea Cadets | Winchester |
Kate Shurety, Interim Chief Executive at HIWCF said “Young people have great energy, enthusiasm and passion for the causes they support. By taking action on the issues that matter to them, they leave a legacy to benefit local people and places while developing valuable personal skills that appeal to potential employers, improving their outlook and their opportunities. We would like to thank the National Lottery Community Fund, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and HIWCF fund holders and donors for their contributions that will enable our local young people to get involved in these fantastic social action opportunities in the heart of their communities.”
Hampshire Cricket Board has received a grant from the #iwill Fund to develop leadership skills and opportunities for younger girls through the implementation of cricketing activities in Southampton town centre.
Michael Pollard, Cricket Development Manager at The Ageas Bowl said “The grant will be used to support us in the development of females aged 16 years of age and up by supporting them through training to deliver cricket projects in the Southampton area to inspire and enthuse more girls to take up the sport of cricket. Southampton is an area with very little cricket provision, no cricket club as such and therefore not many opportunities for young people to participate in cricket. The project will be delivered during the summer holidays by females who will be mentored by our Women & Girls Development Officer.”
A grant to St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in Lymington is enabling young people to get involved in the Wild Project, where participants will work both individually and collectively to deliver a series of activities and events promoting wildlife conservation. This project will reach out across the New Forest area through hubs in Blackfield, Totton, New Milton and Pennington.
Michelle Kirwan, Marketing Manager at St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery said “St Barbe invites young people to get involved with our forthcoming WILD exhibition from March 2021. Join our project and help wildlife conservation in the UK… together we could create a social media campaign, photograph competition or giant artwork – what will you decide? Ideas welcome: marketing@stbarbe-museum.org.uk.”
A grant to Ventnor Exchange on the Isle of Wight is enabling the Brave Island Project to support young people to create online radio and podcast content from initial concept right through to final product. Participants will devise programmes exploring youth culture and identity, and present, interview, record, edit and promote these audio shows.
Jack Whitewood of Ventor Exchange said “Brave Island is the creative network for young people on the Isle of Wight. A new type of platform created by Ventnor Exchange to provide opportunities, experiences, training and career development for young people in the arts and creative industries. This year, thanks to support from #IWILL and HIWCF, we’ll be launching a new Brave Island Podcast, created by and for young people, working with industry professionals to produce the content they want to hear. Find out more at braveisland.uk/.”
Aspire Ryde on the Isle of Wight has received a grant to encourage young people to get involved in the running of a weekly lunch club for older residents.
Steve Johnson of Aspire Ryde said “We want to develop our Aspiring Citizens Project, (ACP) where young people will develop their own ideas around the planning, preparation, cooking and serving nutritious meals alongside our trained chef and then deliver these meals to isolated vulnerable people within the community. We want young people to have a platform to build on these fantastic ideas and make real social change within their community. Young people within our community are reflecting on social issues and we want to support them to take this further.”
HIWCF is committed to supporting the resources and projects of smaller local charities, community groups and voluntary organisations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. During 2020 the Foundation raised over £2.3 million to help disadvantaged and vulnerable people impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Contact details for Editor: Lucy Sweet, Marketing Manager,
lucy@hiwcf.com, 01962 798691
- The 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
- The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £40 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.
- The #iwill campaign is a collective effort involving over 900 partners from across the public, voluntary, education and business sectors with a vision to make meaningful social action part of life for 10- to 20-year olds, wherever they live and whatever their background.
- UK Community Foundations (UKCF) is the membership organisation for the national network of 46 accredited Community Foundations. Its priorities include raising the profile of the Community Foundation movement, building skills and capacity amongst its members, promoting local philanthropy and championing grassroots grant-making. UKCF has secured the #iwill funding on behalf of the network to fund projects supporting the aims of the #iwill Campaign.
- The National Lottery Community Fund is largest community funder in the UK. It awards money raised money National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since June 2004, they have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people
