Archived press release

Date Published: 22/04/08

Stoke Mandeville Stadium

Voluntary and community groups in Aylesbury Vale are to benefit from grants totalling almost £590,000.

The cash has been awarded to local organisations as part of the Community Chest fund managed by Aylesbury Vale District Council and the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust.

After the grant applications were assessed, a total cash award of £588,436 was then approved with individual sums ranging from £725 to £75,000 being allocated to selected groups.

Nine organisations will receive long term revenue grants, totalling £495,000 over the next three years, which will help ensure that their important work can continue and that valuable services remain secure.

The Healthy Living Centre in Aylesbury will get £75,000 in recognition of their work to improve the health and wellbeing of those living and working in Walton Court and Southcourt. Facilities at the centre include a community café, crèche and computer suite.

Wheelpower, the national charity for wheelchair sport based at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, has been awarded £66,000 to improve the quality and variety of leisure opportunities available to local people with disabilities. The charity is aiming to encourage a number of national and international teams to train at the stadium in the run up to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Aylesbury-based charity Aylesbury Vale Youth For Christ (AVYFC), which runs a number of youth cafes in the district, has been allocated £61,500 to cover the costs of equipment, training and support for a team of volunteers at each venue. The cafes provide a range of activities for young people, including music, dance, sport, art and IT.

Vale Volunteers has been awarded £60,000 to help people with support needs to find and sustain volunteering placements; Aylesbury and District Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has been granted £60,000 to provide a debt management advice service; and Buckingham and Winslow CAB will receive £59,250 to provide an outreach service for its customers.

Other groups to benefit from long term revenue funding include Carers Bucks – awarded £54,750 to organise regular meetings and outings for young carers; Ryder-Cheshire Volunteers – granted £36,000 to help local people with disabilities access learning and leisure opportunities; and Mediation Buckinghamshire – given £22,500 to help address issues such as neighbour disputes and family conflict.

Eight voluntary and community groups will receive project grants worth more than £84,000. Among the successful groups was the Halton-based Chilterns MS Centre, which has received £20,000 towards the construction of a new custom-built centre.

The Aylesbury Development Education Centre, which offers information, support, training and resources to schools, youth and community groups, has been allocated £17,500 to provide demonstrations and workshops in dance, music, art and poetry from around the globe.

Horses Helping People has received £17,000 to provide a riding therapy programme for children and adults with special needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The project will be based at a stable yard near Aston Clinton and will include facilities for riding, learning and respite care.

Other organisations to benefit from project grants include:
• Youth Concern (Aylesbury) – awarded £16,000 to fund a youth worker
• Dagnall Village Hall – allocated £15,500 to provide a multi-purpose recreation track
• Wheelpower – given £15,000 towards new tennis courts at Stoke Mandeville Stadium
• DisabledGo – awarded £2,800 to update local accessibility information on their website
• Aylesbury Credit Union – allocated £1,000 for publicity materials
A further nine local groups will receive micro grants of £8,286 to fund community projects. The Aylesbury Child Contact Centre has been awarded £1,000, as have Future Inspiration, St John’s Men’s Club in Aylesbury, Whitchurch Parish Council and Weston Turville Parish Council.

Stewkley Parish Council has been granted £911; Aylesbury Vale Youth Theatre, £850; Ivinghoe Parish Council, £800; and Southcourt and Walton Court Community Project, £725.

The Community Chest grants fund awarded £319,000 to community groups in the Vale in the last financial year (2007/8). The scheme will award around £5 million in grants by 2017 to support projects for local people.

Community and voluntary groups can apply for a micro-grant of up to £1,000, which can be applied for at any time, or a project grant of up to £25,000, which is reviewed on a quarterly basis. The long-term revenue grant stream is now closed until 2010.

To be eligible to apply, groups must be formally constituted, not-for-profit and operate within Aylesbury Vale, for the benefit of local residents or visitors to the area.

Councillor Pam Pearce, AVDC Cabinet Member for Community Matters, said: “It’s a great pleasure to be able to give such a large sum of money to groups which have a real impact on the lives of many different people across Aylesbury Vale. We are very keen to support local community and voluntary organisations and view the work that they do as crucial to improving the quality of life of residents in the district.”

Matthew Applegate, Chief Executive of the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust, said: “One of the major advantages of the Community Chest is that it can provide both short term and long term investment in our communities. All the projects that we can help support bring lasting benefits to everyone in the Vale, whatever the duration of the grant.”

The deadline for the next round of project grants is 18 July. For more information about Community Chest grants, call the Community Chest grants officer on 01296 585634 or email communitychest@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk