FAIR DEAL FOR KIDS CAMPAIGN: Fundraising efforts paid for four days of community activities in Spring Boroughs

Chronicle & Echo readers have helped to pay for four days of community activities in Spring Boroughs as part of goodwill pledges towards our Fair Deal for Kids Campaign back in 2015.
Spring Boroughs carnival float.Spring Boroughs carnival float.
Spring Boroughs carnival float.

Now, in partnership with the Northamptonshire Community Foundation (NCF), we have launched this campaign all over again. But we can't help children living in deprivation alone.

The NCF - who dish out grants to improve the lives of the county’s most disadvantaged people - have been lobbying for change after the grant providers published a new Hidden Needs report last month, which reveals 8,400 children go hungry in Northampton every year.

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Following our efforts, three years ago, the Chron and NCF helped to raise £11,559 to support four charitable projects working with children and young people to tackle poverty in Northampton.

Your money helped a community pay for a float in Northampton Carnival.Your money helped a community pay for a float in Northampton Carnival.
Your money helped a community pay for a float in Northampton Carnival.

One of those projects we helped to fund was Spring Boroughs Neighbourhood Forum, who received £3,750, to help fund two preparatory carnival workshops for children on the estate where they could go to design their costumes and prepare the float.

The funds also paid for the float at Northampton Carnival as well as covering the expenses of Spring Festival day - a family day where the community get together from all over Spring Boroughs and take part in donkey rides, circus school, hold birds of prey and eat different foods.

Councillor Danielle Stone (Lab, Spring Boroughs) said: "We build the float and do the costumes with the children. We dress the lorry on the estate so residents can wave us off. We are the only estate that has a float in the carnival. We are very very proud of that."

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"Spring Borough's has got the third highest number of children living in poverty in the county. So these are children who don't go on holiday probably and very rarely have trips out. The festival is for the whole family.

"It's a flat [block] estate, it's hard for children to play and bring friends home. The different communities are isolated from each other because there is nowhere to mix. That's why we do the carnival and festival because it brings everyone together."

The relaunched Fair Deal for Kids fund is a ring-fenced pot of money for community groups and volunteer organisations within Northamptonshire that work to tackle poverty.

Every small donation will make a real difference. To donate go to www.justgiving.com/ncfoundation