Nine voluntary community organisations in Sutton have been awarded a share of just under £58,000 from Sutton Council’s Community Fund.
The Fund panel has awarded £57,889 in total to nine projects in this round. They are:
Clockhouse Community Association (£6,500)
Community Drugs Service (CDS) South London (£10,000)
Gary Mason Rhythmical Empowerment Charitable Foundation (£5,000)
Jigsaw4U (£5,091)
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen’s and Families Association (SSAFA) (£500)
Springboard Project (£6,450)
Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector (£8,459)
Sutton Seniors Forum (£6,077)
Sutton Women’s Centre (£9,812)
See Notes for Editors below for details of what the funding is for.
Funding to these projects is for a full year and they are expected to commence shortly after signed grant agreements have been returned by the successful organisations.
The Sutton Community Fund is an ongoing £100,000 annual grants programme financed by Sutton Council which supports projects that benefit Sutton residents and meet local priorities as outlined in the council’s corporate plan.
Organisations are able to apply for up to £10,000 over two years. The Fund helps them to deliver important local projects and to develop new services.
Cllr Simon Wales, Deputy Leader of Sutton Council and Lead Member for Finance, Assets and the Voluntary Sector, said:
“We want to congratulate the local organisations that have been successful in their applications.
“There is a strong voluntary sector in Sutton and this funding will go towards securing the future of these local community organisations and supporting them to deliver their invaluable work in our community.
“As council budgets tighten even more, the voluntary sector has an increasingly significant role in supporting our communities. We’ll be working even more closely with them to deliver services, and the Community Fund will help them to prepare for this challenge.”
One of the nine organisations to receive funding from the council is Jigsaw4u, which works to support children and young people through bereavement, loss, trauma and abuse so that they can develop the tools to move forward in their lives. Jigsaw4u also works with children and young people with disabilities and does a lot of advocacy and participation work to ensure that young people have their voices heard. The funding is being used towards the employment of a part-time Disability Support Officer.
Michelle Mullarkey, Children with Disabilities Participation Co-ordinator at Jigsaw4U, said:
“We are really grateful for the invaluable support from Sutton Council as the funding for our part-time Disability Support Officer is enabling us to provide mentoring, befriending and travel training for young people with disabilities.
“Our Disability Support Officer has a disability himself and is a fantastic role model to the young people. Without the money we would have been unable to fund this additional role and the young people would have missed out on invaluable support.”
Another charity to receive council funding through the Fund is the Community Drugs Service (CDS) South London, which provides one-to-one counselling for alcohol and other drug users and their family and friends. The grant will fund a Youth Outreach Worker who will engage with young substance misusers who are not currently receiving treatment due to complex needs.
Franco Toma, Managing Director of CDS South London, said:
“We are really grateful for the grant funding from Sutton Council as it enables us to work with young people who are substance misusers and provide them with support that they would otherwise not receive. Thanks to the funding we can also engage with other high-risk young people to inform them of the dangers of substance misuse.”
Clockhouse Community Association (£6,500)
Community Drugs Service (CDS) South London (£10,000)
Gary Mason Rhythmical Empowerment Charitable Foundation (£5,000)
Jigsaw4U (£5,091)
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen’s and Families Association (SSAFA) (£500)
Springboard Project (£6,450)
Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector (£8,459)
Sutton Seniors Forum (£6,077)
Sutton Women’s Centre (£9,812)
See Notes for Editors below for details of what the funding is for.
Funding to these projects is for a full year and they are expected to commence shortly after signed grant agreements have been returned by the successful organisations.
The Sutton Community Fund is an ongoing £100,000 annual grants programme financed by Sutton Council which supports projects that benefit Sutton residents and meet local priorities as outlined in the council’s corporate plan.
Organisations are able to apply for up to £10,000 over two years. The Fund helps them to deliver important local projects and to develop new services.
Cllr Simon Wales, Deputy Leader of Sutton Council and Lead Member for Finance, Assets and the Voluntary Sector, said:
“We want to congratulate the local organisations that have been successful in their applications.
“There is a strong voluntary sector in Sutton and this funding will go towards securing the future of these local community organisations and supporting them to deliver their invaluable work in our community.
“As council budgets tighten even more, the voluntary sector has an increasingly significant role in supporting our communities. We’ll be working even more closely with them to deliver services, and the Community Fund will help them to prepare for this challenge.”
One of the nine organisations to receive funding from the council is Jigsaw4u, which works to support children and young people through bereavement, loss, trauma and abuse so that they can develop the tools to move forward in their lives. Jigsaw4u also works with children and young people with disabilities and does a lot of advocacy and participation work to ensure that young people have their voices heard. The funding is being used towards the employment of a part-time Disability Support Officer.
Michelle Mullarkey, Children with Disabilities Participation Co-ordinator at Jigsaw4U, said:
“We are really grateful for the invaluable support from Sutton Council as the funding for our part-time Disability Support Officer is enabling us to provide mentoring, befriending and travel training for young people with disabilities.
“Our Disability Support Officer has a disability himself and is a fantastic role model to the young people. Without the money we would have been unable to fund this additional role and the young people would have missed out on invaluable support.”
Another charity to receive council funding through the Fund is the Community Drugs Service (CDS) South London, which provides one-to-one counselling for alcohol and other drug users and their family and friends. The grant will fund a Youth Outreach Worker who will engage with young substance misusers who are not currently receiving treatment due to complex needs.
Franco Toma, Managing Director of CDS South London, said:
“We are really grateful for the grant funding from Sutton Council as it enables us to work with young people who are substance misusers and provide them with support that they would otherwise not receive. Thanks to the funding we can also engage with other high-risk young people to inform them of the dangers of substance misuse.”