Clockwise Credit Union hands community grants to local organisations

Midlands-based Clockwise Credit Union has updated members on the recipients of its Community Grant Scheme, which supports organisations in its area.

The credit union, which serves Leicester, Leicestershire, Coventry, Warwickshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Rutland, has given funds to organisations in areas such as family support and the arts.

In July it awarded £250 to Grove Farm Community Centre, Nuneaton, to help with costs for its fun day.

Michelle from Grove Farm said:: “The grant will be used to support a fun day. We are hoping that by involving the local community in a fun, positive activity, that we can improve local morale and encourage more local residents to get involved in local actvities in the future.”

Also in July, £250 went to Little Bird Baby Bank, which supports ocal families by providing pre-loved baby essentials such as clothing, cots and pushchairs. Founder Julie wanted to honour the memory of her best friend after she died of cancer, and came up with the idea of a baby bank in Stratford-upon-Avon.

“Since we started just over six years ago,” she said, “it’s been our mission is to ensure that no child goes without the basic necessities for a healthy and comfortable start in life.

“Just this year so far we have helped over 100 such families, who have been referred to us, with a combination of generously donated pre-loved essentials like bundles of clothes, blankets and toys as well as new items such as toiletries, milk formula and nappies. We also get referrals for items like car seats which are often more difficult to facilitate on public donations alone, but also make such a huge difference so we are thrilled that this grant can help us provide for those most in need.”

Rugby-based Baby Collective was also awarded £250. It provides urgent baby care items and the cash was used to secure storage space.

“As a new organisation, we are really excited about being awarded this grant, which will enable us to fund a long term storage space for our donated baby items,” said Gloria from Baby Collective.

“Having a dedicated space like this will help us to run our operation more efficiently and sustainably, accept and hold more donations from our local community ready to distribute to families and pregnant women who need them, and take on volunteers. This will put us in a strong position to expand our organisation and help even more families and their babies in Rugby. We look forward to sharing our progress with you.”

Nuneaton youth group Aspire in Arts CIC, which aims to provide a safe, social and creative environment that supports the transition of young people into adulthood, got £250 to provide hot, healthy meals and teach cooking workshops.

“We are incredibly grateful for the £250 grant, which will help us provide hot, nutritious meals to over 200 young people who attend our weekly youth sessions,” said CEO Amina Mamoojee. “As more young people access our services, our food budget has struggled to keep up. This funding will also enable us to teach essential cooking skills, giving these young people knowledge they can carry with them into adulthood.

“Support like this may seem small to some, but it makes a significant difference to grassroots organisations like ours. We rely on funding to keep our programs running, and every contribution helps us reach more young people and provide the support they need.”

Christ Church in Brownsover, Rugby, got £250 for its weekly meal programme for local families who would otherwise struggle. Brian from the church said: “The grant will be used to support our “Warm Hub” project which supports young families who are struggling with high energy bills over the winter period.”