PR Date: Tuesday, 29 June 2021 - 12:00pm
Three community groups are to receive grant funding, following a meeting of North Hertfordshire District Council’s (NHDC’s) Baldock and District Committee on 21 June*.
Ashwell Playgroup was awarded £570 to assist with room hire costs for the summer term. A registered charity which has been operating since 1975, it currently has 19 children in attendance. The playgroup has been struggling due to the Covid-19 Pandemic with months of closure, reduced numbers attending sessions and reduced opportunity for fundraising.
Merry Smith, Trustee and the Treasurer of Ashwell Preschool Playgroup, said: “The staff and management of Ashwell Preschool Playgroup are delighted to have received a grant from NHDC, to help with running costs this term, during what has been a challenging time for providers of Early Years education"
Magic Moments Pre-School was awarded £500 to purchase role play furniture for indoor play & a new laptop. The group is a registered charity that has been operating since 1996 and currently caters for 32 families. It has also been badly affected by the current pandemic which has reduced its opportunity for fundraising.
Jo Durkin, Manager at the pre-school, said: "All the children, staff, committee and parents at Magic Moments Pre-school are over the moon to receive the award. We would like to thank NHDC for their support and Councillor Michael Muir for the additional donation - the financial support has come at the end of a particularly challenging time and will be used to replace the pre-school laptop and roleplay furniture for the children."
Greening Ashwell, a new environmental group, was awarded a start-up grant of £250 to assist with publicity, venue hire and tree planting costs. The group, which was set up in 2020, aims to reduce the carbon footprint of Ashwell through environmental initiatives such as native tree / hedgerow planting, sowing wildflower areas and conserving native habitats, particularly on public verges and green spaces.
Cllr Jim McNally, NHDC’s Baldock & District Committee Chair said: "We hope this grant funding will enable these groups to continue to run successfully for many more years to come and look forward to hearing how the projects develop”.
More information on our Community Grants can be found at: www.north-herts.gov.uk/home/community/grants/community-grants
*subject to completion of the necessary formalities
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