After last year’s success, the Aviva Community Fund is back and there are a number of local voluntary groups across the Stokes that are calling on the support of the community to help win funding for their projects.
One of the successful applicants last year was the 1st Stoke Gifford Scout Group, whose project was to install a community defibrillator in Stoke Gifford. Their project received 1,969 votes and was chosen by the judging panel to receive the funds needed. This life-saving piece of equipment has now been installed outside the Old School Rooms in the centre of Stoke Gifford (see photo above); the entry code to remove it from its protective box is held by the ambulance service.
This year, one of the local community groups that have applied for funding is the Stoke Gifford Pre-School, located at the Trust Ground site on North Road. They have applied for the funding level of up to £25,000 and would like to use any funding received to refurbish the Poplar Rooms and update their resources. The pre-school is a non-profit organisation which opened in 1969 and has five members of staff who work to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the 16 children who attend. Treasurer of the pre-school committee, Sam Milkins, said: “Our income is limited, so funding to improve our facilities would hugely benefit our children. Updating resources to support the children’s learning would be invaluable.”
The building is also used by other groups and organisations within the local area, such as the Stoke Gifford School of Dance, meaning any refurbishments would benefit the wider community as well as the children who attend the pre-school.
Other local projects that have applied for funding include:
- Safe Space in Little Stoke, a charity that supports children with additional needs, seeking up to £1,000 to buy new sensory toys to provide relaxation or stimulation depending on the children’s requirements
- Bradley Stoke Youth FC’s U8s team, seeking up to £1,000 to buy winter training clothing to ensure all children are warm and protected during their weekly outdoor coaching sessions. They would also like to buy some new training equipment, such as mini hurdles, training ladders and slalom poles
- Bradley Stoke Radio Ltd, seeking between £10,001 and £25,000 in order to renovate the studio equipment so that they can continue to broadcast live shows across the community
- Bradley Stoke Youth FC, seeking up to £5,000 to buy new equipment in order to keep their local projects operating free of charge
- Friends of Holy Trinity Primary School, seeking up to £1,000 to improve the outdoor learning area for the reception and Year 1 classes by purchasing some tables and chairs
- Bradley Stoke Judo Club, seeking up to £5,000 to develop their club by sending their ten coaches on courses to further their qualifications
- Aretians RFC in Little Stoke, seeking up to £10,000 to install floodlights around their second pitch, enabling more age groups to take part in midweek training
How to vote
Now that all of the applications have been submitted, the entrants are vying to get enough votes from friends, family and supporters in the community to get their project entered into the finals, where a judging panel will award the funds. The voting for the competition is open from 24th October until 21st November 2017. Anyone who lives in the UK and registers on the Aviva Community Fund website will have ten votes to use during this time and can vote for just one project or spread their votes across different projects. The finalists will be chosen later in November and the winners will be announced in January 2018.
This article originally appeared in the November 2017 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 20). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,500 homes in Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke and Stoke Lodge. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
Postscript (16/11/17)
Here are direct links to the voting pages for local groups:
- Aretians RFC: New Training Lights
- Bradley Stoke Judo Club: Develop coaching skill
- Bradley Stoke Judo Club: Funding Olympians of the future
- Bradley Stoke Radio Ltd: Renovating Studio 1
- Bradley Stoke Youth FC: Football coaching for free in the community
- Bradley Stoke Youth U8s: Winter training equipment
- Friends of Holy Trinity Primary School: Outdoor learning area development
- Safe Space: Sensory toys and games
- Stoke Gifford Pre-School: Poplar Rooms repairs
