Asda’s charity, The Asda Foundation have today announced that substantial funding has been awarded to 31 local community projects across the UK to enable them to transform community spaces and places where local people can come together and thrive.
The £600,000 awarded has been split across 31 groups and are grants between £10,000 and £25,000 with the aim of improving community spaces in local communities across the UK.
The funding can be used for renovations, repairs or transforming outdoor spaces, with projects ranging from upgrading a community kitchen and café, to roof repairs, to refurbishing a whole community building to improve accessibility, to creating an outdoor nature and sensory trail.
The challenges faced in local communities are complex and bigger than ever with the challenges to get appropriate space and the funding for general running expenses. It is often small, grassroots groups which are the lifeline for many, but funding is needed to ensure these vital spaces from where they operate don’t vanish from local communities and are supported not only for today, but for generations to come.
Alexandra Preston, senior manager for Asda Foundation, says: “Every community needs a safe inclusive space for people to be together and be themselves. Community spaces can be a lifeline, but we know many are in desperate need of funding to maintain, develop and repair these spaces to enable community groups to continue delivering their vital services and activities. That’s where Asda Foundation can help with funding. We want to continue playing our part in uniting communities and reducing loneliness by improving community spaces for people to be together.”
One of the groups to receive a vital grant is Grounded Manchester CIC will use the £15,000 grant awarded by the Asda Foundation to create a café and event space which will allow them to train, employ and bring the local community together. The group was set up in 2021 to train vulnerable adults – especially those struggling with their mental health – in barista and hospitality skills. They offer an inclusive, welcoming space for people to meet, and the café will be an extension of that. Asda Longsight Community Champion Harry Yarnell want to surprise them with the news: (video link here)
Natalie, co-founder of Grounded Manchester CIC, said: “I was shocked and bowled over when we received the grant from the Asda Foundation. I’m feeling an immense amount of gratitude. The Asda Foundation funding will make such a huge difference by enabling us to create a really sustainable space in the community. This is what community is – people chatting and supporting each other – and thanks to this grant, we will be able to accommodate more people with a new outside space and support vulnerable adults. Thank you to Asda’s Community Champion Harry for supporting us through the application process and to Asda Foundation for this life-changing amount of money!”
Harry Yarnell, Asda community champion at Longsight store, said: “The impact this grant will have on our local community is immense. This group is taking a different approach to employment, building confidence and skills and giving people who struggle with anxiety the chance to be completely themselves at work. Not only does the group train and employ people but Grounded Manchester CIC is a welcoming space for people from the local community to be together. I’m so glad they got the funding from the Asda Foundation because they are an amazing group.”
Today, The Asda Foundation told 31 groups who submitted an application, that they had been successful and they would be receiving one of their Investing in Spaces and Places grants.
