Four local Bridgemary community groups have received a slice of £16,000 funding to make the community safer and more resilient.
Marvels and Meltdowns, Brave Heart, Crisis Food Gosport, and Bridgemary Young Family Help all received £4,000 from the Great Bridgemary Fund Off. The funding was provided by Hampshire Constabulary and Abri, one of the south of England’s largest housing providers, which is investing in Gosport to improve health and wellbeing, increase employment and empower the community.
A total of 16 new or up and running projects made bids for the funding. The event saw 120 local residents come together virtually, give feedback on the projects and vote for the ones they felt would make the biggest difference to residents’ lives.
Step by Step, a local walking bereavement group, were also awarded £670 by Abri prior to the event starting.
The event was a real celebration of life in Bridgemary, bringing the community together. Residents said:
“I’ve lived in Bridgemary all my life and I have never been more proud of this amazing community.”
“Amazing individual projects but how exciting to know how much we will be able to do now that we are all working together.”
The bidders were amazed with the level of community support for their plans and many of them hope to work together over the coming months.
“It was great to see so many people come together for the Great Bridgemary Fund Off. The funding will make a huge difference to those living in Bridgemary and we’re so proud to be a part of it. We’re committed to investing in Gosport, helping to improve the health and wellbeing and employment opportunities, and empower the community. We hope the connections made at the event will also support all the organisations that submitted bids to grow and develop,” says Michelle Dawson, MD of Community Services at Abri.
Marvels and Meltdowns is a local group who support families and children with autism and ADHD. Having secured premises in Bridgemary they were seeking £4,000 to equip a kitchen in the building. Having seen the bids from other people they are hoping to develop the building into a community hub that can be used by other groups. Shandrika Day said they were amazed to have secured funding, “however, the event was so much more than the winning bids. The opportunities that have arisen are far richer than that and Marvels and Meltdowns were honoured to have been voted for by the community.”
Brave Heart is the work of a local man who wants to mentor men on the estate who are suffering with isolation, depression and loneliness and channel their togetherness to support others. Ian Derrick from Brave Heart said that the event demonstrated “just how important such a service is to the Bridgemary community. The money we have received will be our first big step into positively tackling the issue of men’s mental health and preventing some of the tragic outcomes that have occurred in the past. The event just showed what a lovely, supportive community we’re part of.”
The Great Bridgemary Fund Off was the first of five similar events to take place in Hampshire. The next event – Community Come Together: Funding Our Future - will be held in April in Swaythling.
The events are organised by local people and agencies supported by MutualGain, a national organisation committed to community engagement and building social capital in communities.