Northampton charities, agencies and support groups boosted by Government windfall

Over half a million pounds of funding has been awarded by Northampton Borough Council to boost local charities and services as part of a grant scheme.
Anjona Roy, Saroj Padhiar and Indira Patel at the Dostiyo stand, an Asian women's support group.Anjona Roy, Saroj Padhiar and Indira Patel at the Dostiyo stand, an Asian women's support group.
Anjona Roy, Saroj Padhiar and Indira Patel at the Dostiyo stand, an Asian women's support group.

Groups can apply for a minimum of £3,000 from the Partnership Fund Grant in 2016 if their business case shows it can help grow a vibrant town with safer communities.

Twenty five aspiring applicant groups met in the Guildhall on January 16 to promote their cause and show how the funding helped them.

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"This is what I love about Northampton," said Mayor of Northampton Christopher Malpas. "There are so many people and so many organisations here who want to help their communities. There are groups here who can help so many people from all walks of life. It's just wonderful."

A total of £400,000 was awarded to 29 services across Northampton, including child counseling groups, community centres, and family support agencies.

Other groups reclaimed tools to send to help communities in Africa, offer one-to-one literary support for children in schools and help reform ex-offenders by employing in a bakery.

A total of £150,000 was also given to the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Community Law Service, bringing the total grant funding to £550,000.

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Ellie Blackwell, of The Lowdown, a confidential youth drop-in service, said: "This is the second year we've received funding from the Partnership Grant Fund. This year's money has helped develop our core services, and particularly our LGBTQ support groups. We've been given some amazing support to help keep us running."

Susan Holland, project manager for the Family Support Link, who help the families of people dealing with substance abuse, said: "It's such a relief knowing we can not only maintain our service but also develop it and help it grow. This funding will help us to reach more of Northampton.

"And by networking with other groups here today we can provide a better service for everyone."

Mayor Christopher Malpas said: "Right across the borough, there are people who need all kinds of help and it's wonderful to come down today and see the organisations making the town a better place with the work they do. It's people like this that make Northampton such a wonderful place to live."

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Groups thinking of applying for the 2017 Partnership Grant Fund were also offered training for how to apply and make their application stronger.

Councillor Anna King, Northampton Borough Council's cabinet member for community engagement, said: “This showcase event provides an excellent opportunity for local groups to celebrate their achievements and promote their work, supporting and improving communities.

“The Partnership Grant can make a real difference in helping the organisations to continue the work they do and we encourage other groups to come along to the event to find out more about how the grants can help them so that they can consider making an application themselves.”