More Than £30,000 Awarded To Isle Of Wight Good Causes By WightAID

More than £30,000 has been awarded to community groups and charities across the Isle of Wight in the latest grant round from WightAID.

A total of £30,381.20 was distributed to 13 good causes during a presentation ceremony in Newport.

The grants supported a wide range of projects, including organisations helping children, vulnerable women, adults with disabilities and men facing loneliness and mental health challenges.

Among the largest awards was £8,241 given to Sporting Opportunities to help send an Island team of adults with disabilities to this year’s Special Olympics Summer Games.

The Wave Project IOW received £6,290 to fund additional surf therapy sessions for children and young people.

Other organisations receiving larger grants included Freshwater Independent Lifeboat, which was awarded £3,000 towards disability access improvements, and Feeding the IOW, which received £3,500 to support Cowes Community Pantry.

Shanklin Men’s Shed was awarded £2,200 to help develop a new facility in Lake aimed at tackling loneliness and mental health issues among men.

Meanwhile, IW Pride received £1,800 to support this year’s event in Ryde, including marketing, entertainment and traffic management costs.

Smaller grants were also awarded to community initiatives including coffee mornings in Wroxall, support services for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, training programmes for vulnerable women in Ryde and commemorations linked to the Polish warship Blyskawica in Cowes.

Geoff Underwood, trustee and founder of WightAID, said the variety of organisations supported highlighted the importance of the charity’s work across the Island community.

He thanked businesses and individuals who continue to support WightAID through donations, adding that continued fundraising is vital to allow more grants to be distributed in future rounds.

More information about WightAID and how to donate can be found via WightAID