Coach4u, who are an education and sports provider which delivers in the Mansbridge area among others areas, was awarded £1,500 funding from Abri to support their summer active events for children aged 5-11 years.
Coach4u uses education as the power to change lives, through delivering a diverse range of sports, health and wellbeing provision. The funding from Abri allowed them to deliver summer events for 30 children each day in Mansbridge covering a total of just under 100 children over the two weeks, giving them access to positive, healthy activities in a safe environment.
Dan Martin, Head Coach and Managing Director at Coach4u, said: “We applied to Abri's Community Fund because we identified a lack of activity for children in the Mansbridge area. We wanted to ensure that, during one of the longest and toughest times of the year for parents, that we could support them by providing provision for those parents and their children. Without Abri's funding we simply would not have been able to engage and provide development for those children.”
The Community Fund is part of Abri’s commitment to empowering lives and creating thriving communities, making them better places to live. Abri is one of the south of England’s largest housing providers and has awarded over £40,000 from its Community Fund to support local organisations and projects since April 2021.
Applications are decided on by its customer panel – Thriving Communities – made up of customers and those living in its communities. The panel said: “Following lockdown, children and families were in even greater need of activities such as this to help increase activity levels and help children and families re-build social skills and confidence. This was an excellent opportunity for many children to access sports during the school holidays and provided activities for children who normally would not have these opportunities.”
Dan wants to make sure that he can continue to provide support for the community. He added: “In the future we would like to continue to provide activities and sports for the local community, especially those that engage and are inclusive to all regardless of social or financial standings. That means we want to offer free provision, so we are always looking for funding opportunities to be able to support this.”
Other successful applications for Abri’s Community Fund include:
● Driven Forward, received £3,000 to support the ongoing sustainment of the community fridge in Clewer and Dedworth, and to help families and adults who are financially struggling to provide food for their families and the community.
● St Peters Community Centre, in Yeovil, received £3,000 to support their food pantry and set up toddler activity sessions.
● Buzz Action Foundation received £3,000 to provide youth club activities at the Bowman Centre in Amesbury, giving young, socially isolated people alternative opportunities for socialising and discharging physical energy.
● Marvels and Meltdowns in Gosport, received £1,500, to improve health and safety measures in their new centre. They are a long-established group in Gosport supporting families of children on the autistic spectrum.
“We believe the best ideas often come from the people who know and lie in our communities. And we’re committed to supporting and investing in our communities. We’re proud of the difference our Community Fund makes, driving change, transforming our communities and providing opportunities. It’s what our Community Strategy and five-year £15m investment is all about – empowering communities, improving health and wellbeing, and providing employment opportunities,” says Cita Jagot, Communities & Involvement Manager at Abri.
Abri’s Community Fund opens for applications three times a year, and organisations can apply for up to £3,000 to support a project in one of Abri’s communities. The next application window opens on 1 December 2020 and closes on 9 February 2022.
You can find out more about Coach4u at: www.coach4usports.co.uk
