Funding boost for 31 Salford community projects

A total of 31 Salford-based projects and initiatives picked up a share of £52,000 during the ‘Your Salix, Your Say’.

Now in its fourth year ‘Your Salix, Your Say’ provides the opportunity for community groups and projects to bid for funding of up to £4,000 to help finance worthwhile initiatives that will help improve the area where they live.

Decision Day took place on Saturday, March 29 at St Sebastian’s Community Centre in Lower Kersal, where the competing bidders were able to vote for the projects they believed should get the cash.

The Kersal Vale Allotments Association picked up the most votes on the day for their disabled gardeners project and members were delighted to receive £2,548.

The gardeners already have a well-used greenhouse for people with disabilities at their allotment site in Lower Kersal, but members were limited in what they could grow inside the greenhouse.

The money will be used to expand the disabled gardening facilities by building raised planting beds with wheelchair accessible pathways. It’s hoped the project will also encourage more people with disabilities to take up gardening.

Disabled gardener Ray Unsworth said: This means such a lot to us to receive this money. There are quite a few of us with disabilities who enjoy gardening, but inside the greenhouse we can only grow limited vegetables as the soil is only 6-10 inches deep, but with the raised beds we’ll be able to grow potatoes and all sorts. We’d like to thank everyone who voted for us.

The able-bodied gardeners at the allotments on Littleton Road have volunteered to build the raised beds and it’s hoped they will be open by August in time for the annual horticultural show.

Other winners included Langworthy in Bloom, which received £3,500 for the annual floral display, St Luke’s 60 Kurling group, which secured £1,500 to help keep the club going and HAT FC, which received £1,195 to start a football team for young homeless people in Salford.

This year, projects run by young people were also invited to take part and the Fitness4Fun project picked up the most votes, securing £484 to hold fitness classes in Salford for people aged 12-16.

The ‘Your Salix, Your Say’ funding pot comes from savings made within the organisation, as well as external sources. An additional £6,000 was also handed out on the day due to the quality of the projects involved.

Sue Sutton, our interim chief executive, said: This year’s ‘Your Salix, Your Say’ has been our most successful yet and we’ve handed out a record amount of money.Rather than us decide where money should be spent in the community, ‘Your Salix Your Say’ lets the people of Salford decide and we are very proud to hand over this well-deserved money which will help sustain projects and initiatives that can make a real difference to an area and the lives of residents.

Decision Day was a tremendous success and it’s wonderful to see just how dedicated some people are to improving their communities for the benefit of others. It just goes to show that community spirit is very much alive and well in Salford.

The 31 projects to receive funding were

• Kersal Vale Allotments Disabled Greenhouse – £2,537.80
• Mucky Knees adventure club – £3,840
• Broughton Trust Youth Project – £4,000
• Ordsall Juniors FC – £1,310
• Spike Island After School Club – £2,100
• Grow in Brought’on Meanwhile Site – £3,125
• St Luke’s 60 Kurling Team – £1,500
• Duchy Bingo Girls – £2,661
• Just Youth – £3,866
• Queen Alexandra Socially Active and Having Fun Project – £1,813
• Beechfarm Residents Association – £3,999
• Langworthy in Bloom – £3,500
• Duchy Residents Group – £4,000
• Emanuel Home From Home – £1,000
• Rialto Gardens Young at Heart – £1,500
• HAT FC – £1,150
• Old to New Furnishings – £2,562
• Ordsall Community Arts Mural – £3,744
• Broomedge Gazebo Project – £1,000
• Women Working Together Arts and Crafts – £1,000
• Springbank Communal Room Project – £1,000
• Celebrating Diversity – Weddings from Around the World – £1,000
• Rainbow Pathways Community Arts – £1,000
• Cowherds – £1,000
• Fitness4Fun – £484
• Friday Night Project – £495.40
• New Weaste Youth Group – £450
• RECLAIM – Party in the Park – £500
• RECLAIM – Futuremakers Conference – £500
• RECLAIM – Challenge Day – £500
• Just Youth Day Trip – £484.80
• Brownies – Grow, Cook, Eat – £500