Small grants make a bigimpact on the community

The Partnership Foundation’s community bursaries have been split between 20 projects which make a big difference to the lives of people across Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport and Havant.

At Fareham, Live Art Local, run by Beth Davis-Hofbauer at Sticks Gallery, in Fareham Shopping Centre, received £500.

The money will be spent on providing art workshops to young people with mental health problems.

Beth said: ‘The aim is to encourage people to use other ways of channelling the things that upset them, in a more positive way.

‘We would not be able to run this five-week course without this funding.’

In Portsmouth The Roberts Centre will use the money to pay for learning play equipment.

Carole Damper, from The Roberts Centre, said: ‘We are thrilled that the Partnership Foundation has granted us £500 to create learning through play boxes.

‘The boxes will include age-appropriate items such as story sacks, books, laminated instructions on how to make salt dough, sock puppets, musical instruments out of food cartons, and also include art and craft items. There are so many activities that we can put into the boxes and each will be tailor-made for each family.’

The Partnership Foundation has been providing grants to community groups for almost 20 years.

Martin Dennison, the Partnership Foundation, said: ‘We are really excited with the range of projects from across south-east Hampshire.

‘These will help these community groups to offer more help to local people of all ages. We look forward to investing in more local groups in 2017.

‘The deadline for the next round of funding will be at the end of February.’

Mr Dennison added: ‘We hope to bring these groups together in future funding rounds to share their stories and good practice, and to celebrate their successes.’

n The Movement Initiative in Milton, Portsmouth. The grant will pay for dance and sports leader accreditation for children and young people aged 13 to 25.

n Keep Milton Green’s grant has paid for exhibition and marketing costs for a green art exhibition at Lakeside, North Harbour.

Part two of the project is the unveiling of the top two green artworks and takes place at Lakeside on February 10.

n Southern Area Domestic Abuse Service (SDAS), Leigh Park. The grant will pay for a portable projector and speakers for group work.

n Tongue and Grooves poetry group, Portsmouth. The grant will pay for a PA and technical recording equipment to develop and extend the use of live literature in community, healthcare and educational settings, conferences, mental health and wellbeing events.

n Motivational speaker Gethin Jones’s grant will pay to take his motivational talk on volunteering around Portsmouth, targeting deprived areas.

n South East Hampshire Community Outlook’s (SEHCO) grant will enable the charity to take the Activate creative project and exhibition to Fareham housing estates.

n Tonic Music – the grant will provide free music lessons and access to performance opportunities for people experiencing mental health problems.

n Portsmouth Samaritans – to cover costs for an anniversary event to encourage more of a diversity of volunteers.

n Dis-Illusion, Fratton will use their grant to develop awareness and understanding of disability in schools.

n Spirit in Community, in Somers Town. The grant will pay for a luncheon befriending scheme for isolated people in the city aged over 50.

n Sticks Gallery Fareham. A project run by Live Art Local to provide creative art workshops for people with mental health problems.

n Most Wanted Street Dance, Portsmouth. The grant will pay for web development and marketing to improve access to dance for all children, not just those who can afford to pay.

n The Roberts Centre, Portsmouth. The grant will pay for development costs for learning through play for families using the centre and outreach services.

n Alverstoke Community Infant School, Gosport, for the promotion of a community hub in school grounds, a noticeboard and promotional information.

n Kroma, a new support group for LGBT communities working with the Portsmouth NHS Trust in Gosport. The grant will pay for promotional costs for a website to increase awareness and support for LGBT people.

n Cookhouse, a social enterprise in Fratton. The grant will pay for Yummy Mummies Canteen – a six-week cooking course for mums in recovery.

n Natty Needles – based at Community Empowerment, Portsmouth. The grant will cover the costs of equipment and stationery for courses teaching over-16s tapestry, embroidery, cross-stitching, sewing and knitting.

n Stacey Centre, Baffins/Copnor, to build wooden compost bins and a wooden honesty box for use for fundraising, and to encourage recycling in the community.

n Streetforce DC Dance, Portsmouth. The grant will pay for marketing, venue and travel costs for external tutors to make dance sessions affordable to poorer families.

n The one-off £500 bursaries are available for new projects which improve the health and wellbeing of the people who live in deprived communities which are often neglected.

For more information call (023) 9229 1482. Alternatively, go to the-partnership.co.uk.