Grants for worthy causes in Middleton

Community and voluntary groups in Middleton could earn a grant of anything between £7,000 and £25,000, for any activity that supports young people under 25, as part of a competition by a local charity and grant-making organisation.

The Community Foundation for Greater Manchester (CFGM) has £100,000 available, as part of a £859,000 funding programme for the Middleton area over seven years from the Big Lottery Fund.

The priorities for Middleton are:

• improving young people’s active community involvement
• improve the health of young people
• improving community safety and the environment
• improving access to local services and facilities by children and young people
• developing local voluntary and community groups in the area

The Fair Share Trust was established to make Lottery funding more readily available to areas that have not as yet had their ‘Fair Share’ of Lottery Funding with Middleton identified as one such area.

The Fair Share Trust has already invested £658,000 in Middleton for activity including 3 multi-use games areas, a youth bus, a teenage pregnancy and sexual health project and sports apprenticeships.

Nick Massey, the Community Foundation’s Chief Executive, said: “This competition is a fantastic opportunity for groups and organisations to put forward their proposals for the money that can massively improve lives in Middleton.”

Anyone wanting to find out more about the competition can contact The Community Foundation on 0161 214 0940 or email Tazeem@communityfoundation.co.uk or tom@communityfoundation.co.uk. Deadline for entries is 12pm on Friday 3 December 2010 and entries will be reviewed by a panel of local representatives.