WightAID Supports The Island — From Kitchens To Carnivals

A NEW community hub in Chale, support for children learning about the Island’s farm history and family carnival workshops in East Cowes are among the beneficiaries of the latest round of grants from WightAID.

The latest charity cheque presentation was held at IFPL from the March grant round with

Jeremy and Jill Dale from Seasafe, who are WightAID supporters, presenting the cheque for

a total of £13,885.45.

The grant of £5,000 will enable South Wight Area Youth (SWAY) to equip the kitchen at its

community hub in Chale, with stainless steel fittings.

The hub will provide a base for the charity and provide a facility from which to run youth work in the Chale area.

The community café will provide a focal point for the community to meet up; and the café will also provide a supported work environment for youngsters who cannot cope with the

demands of full-time employment.

Other large grants were:

• Arreton Community Hall - £1,890 for new double-glazed front doors to replace the

  original door.

• Sundrum - £1,286.45 for skateboarding equipment, such as ramps, at its skate club

  in Upper Ventnor.

• Cowes Sailability Club - £2,500 to hire the Wet Wheels vessel Hamble to give

  disabled Islanders an experience on water.

There were also seven smaller grants, including £500 for the Royal IW Agricultural Society

to enable it to provide transport for its Education Day, an event which is free to all

participants and is an extremely popular part of many of the schools’ summer terms.

East Cowes Carnival Association received £500 for free bi-weekly carnival workshops for

families, teaching advance and other creative skills as part of their plan to bring back East

Cowes Carnival after 30 years.

Other grants under £500 were:  

St Catherine’s Speech and Language and Communication - £400 for gardening

equipment for residential students’ houses. The students enjoy planting their gardens.

Sensory Space CIC – £500 grant for this group which provides sensory play and

experiences for babies, young children and children with additional needs. Some of the older sensory toys and equipment will be replaced.

Brighstone Community Mosaic Group - £300 for tools and lights for this project to

produce a large panel on the smuggling history of the village to enhance the block of toilets

in the Car Park in Brighstone.

5th Ryde Scout Group - £500 towards purchasing equipment to support the Skills For Life programme’s Outdoor and Adventure and Practical Skills modules, purchasing tents, cooking equipment and lights.

A spokesperson for WightAID said:

“It was a wonderful opportunity for grantees to meet each other.

“Everyone was so interested in hearing about each charitable group and it was a perfect opportunity for Jeremy, our amazing donor, to see directly how he is helping change the opportunities individuals are able to access to improve wellbeing in the community."

Join WightAID at www.wightaid.org/donate