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WightAID Continues Support For Local Good Causes

Paul Thorley from Vehicle Consulting (holding cheque), with WightAID representatives and grant recipients including Independent Arts, Osel Enterprise and IOW Learning Zone.

Seven Isle of Wight groups have received a share of more than £23,000 in the latest round of grant giving by local charity WightAID.

Grant recipients in June included:

  • Ventnor Exchange to assist in a youth project linked to Ventnor Fringe, in which young people were supported to produce three editions of a review newspaper, along with a podcast about the Island’s largest arts festival.
  • Independent Arts received £1,099 for a pop-up gazebo for use at community events.
  • Theatre group First Act received £3,500 towards their production of Beauty and the Beast.
  • West Wight Men in Sheds were given £1,535 to convert a shipping container into a workshop for its group which meets three times a week in Totland Bay.
  • Education and training organisations The Isle of Wight Learning Zone each received funding
  • The Getaway Foundation was awarded £7,341 to support its work to provide summer holidays for families living in poverty.
  • Osel Enterprise Ltd, which runs inclusion programmes to support people with learning difficulties, autism and mental health conditions received £5,000 towards a minibus which will be used for daily pick-ups and drop-offs at Osel’s disability learning centre.

The funding is being used to support three families, covering the cost of taxis, food, activities and accommodation.

Founder of WightAID, Geoff Underwood, said:

“Once more we have the honour of providing funding to a diverse and worthwhile group of organisations on the Isle of Wight who are each making a big difference in our community.

“We are fortunate to have the support of so many generous businesses and individuals, without whose help we wouldn’t be able to sustain our grant-giving programme.

"Thank you to all our partners – for anyone wishing to support our work, please get in touch.”

Grant recipients gathered at Independent Arts in Newport recently to receive their funding from WightAID, where they also had the opportunity to meet some of the charity’s business partners and donors.

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