Support from community organisations, HSF

First of the community grants have been funded

We are thrilled to announce that the first of our community grants have been funded!

Our initial application window for organisations to apply for funding opened in mid-November 2024. We have successfully started providing funding as of late December 2024.

Community organisations who can help

Organisations who are funded by us and offering support.

Organisations offering support Island wide

Aspire Ryde

Aspire Ryde have been awarded a total of £29,230.95 funding to provide a number of different forms of support, most of which will be held at their Dover Street premises in Ryde, but are available to struggling households from across the Island.

Food hampers – Fresh food hampers to the value of £50 each were provided to 100 Island families in need over the Christmas period. Each hamper contains fresh vegetables and proteins, along with other essential items to help families enjoy a nutritious festive meal together.
Community lunch – Aspire’s community hub in Ryde offers a hot meal, to those in need, 4-days per week. Funding has been provided so the provision can be extended to assist an additional 10 meals each day.
Family cookery – Aspire will be running slow cooker and air fryer cookery sessions for 6 different families over a 12-week period. Families will be able to develop their cookery skills and be provided with the appliance they are taught to cook with.
Bags of warmth – Offering 200 bags of warmth, Aspire will be offering energy-efficient heating solutions such as wearable blankets, hats and gloves, hot water bottles and thermos flasks and mugs along with electric blankets and heated throws, all helping to reduce energy costs.
Wootton community lunch – Aspire have recently established a warm hub in Wootton and will be offering a weekly coffee morning providing advice, and information to residents in need, as well as hot drinks and snacks. They will also be holding a community lunch provision, working with a local provider to supply a hot meal once per week.

To contact Aspire about any of these schemes call 01983 716020

Baby Box

The BabyBox Charity have been awarded a further £11,000 to support residents across the Island in need with essential baby items such as nappies, baby formula and milk in addition to items such as nursery furniture, changing mats and toys. Items for toddlers and maternity wear are also available.

To contact Baby Box email babyboxiow@gmail.com

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice have successfully applied for £18,973.50 to run a warm space and community kitchen from their premises at 11 South Street, Newport. They will be offering cookery sessions using energy-efficient appliances, which attendees can receive, along with the relevant ingredients and a recipe card. From their warm space, there will also be soup and hot beverages available along with access to their advice and budgeting services.

For more information, or to book a place on the cookery session please contact 01983 684684

Daisy Chains

Daisy Chains have successfully applied for £11,819.50 to support families of a child with a long-term health problem or life-limiting condition or disability, as well as the parents of premature babies that have been transferred to a mainland hospital. The funding has been awarded to assist these families (not eligible for free NHS travel) with ferry costs when they are visiting the hospital, as well as heated blankets and a food hamper.

To contact Daisy Chains, please call 07801 424 645 or email: info@daisychainsiw.co.uk

Footprint Trust

The Footprint Trust have been awarded £31,216.00 to continue their support of assisting financially vulnerable Island residents with reducing their energy costs. They are able to offer telephone advice, home visits, small energy-efficient kitchen appliances, utility vouchers for pre-payment meters or pre-paid cards for utility accounts, along with air-fryer demonstrations.

To apply for any of their support please call 01983 822282 or email info@footprint-trust.co.uk

Isle of Wight Council Homeless Prevention team

The Homeless Prevention team at the Isle of Wight Council applied for £350 to purchase warm clothing for Island residents sleeping rough, or those placed at Howard House in Newport. The gifts have been provided as a small Christmas present to these residents.

To contact the Homeless Prevention team please call 01983 823040

Isle of Wight Learning Zone

The Isle of Wight Learning Zone have applied for two grants through the DWP Household Support Fund. They applied for £7,200 to provide fresh fruit and vegetable hampers to Island households that home educate their children, and also £4,000 to provide warm coats and wellington boots, hats and gloves to financially vulnerable households for their children. The items are able to be loaned to the families until the child has grown out of them, at which time they will be returned to the charity for use by another child.

To contact the Isle of Wight Learning Zone please email iwlearningzone@outlook.com or view their website IWLZ.org

Southern Housing

Southern Housing applied for £18,660 to run cookery sessions for those renting properties from them, experiencing financial difficulties. Working in partnership with The Footprint Trust, who will deliver the sessions and provide guidance on the reduction of energy costs, attendees will be awarded an air fryer and a hamper of fresh food provided by Briddlesford Farm. There will be sessions held across the Island.

For further information and to book your place, please contact Southern Housing on 07596 571774

SNG

SNG Housing Association applied for a grant of £8,505 to support for their tenants, including a 3-month subscription to a Venner nutrition box for 10 households, a 13-week food education programme for 20 young people residing at The Foyer, in Ryde teaching them cooking skills, healthy choices, budgeting and shopping skills. Those that attend at least 5 sessions will also be providing with a kitchen-starter kit for when they move to independent living. They are also offering 80 warm packs that include hot water bottles, blankets and thermal socks.

To contact SNG please contact 0300 5000 926 or email FIDI@sovereign.org.uk

SupperReady

The SupperReady team exclusively support young people in receipt of Free College Meals studying a full-time course at Isle of Wight College, CECAMM, Platform One or UKSA. They have applied for £15,246.00 to continue provision of weekly food packages, nutritionally balanced for three evening meals for the student. These meals include noodles, dried fruit, protein bar and UHT milk.

To enquire about receiving this support please contact team@supperready.com

Ventnor Independent foodbank

The independent foodbank in Ventnor has successfully applied for a total of £8,000 to boost their provisions of food, hygiene and essential household items such as washing powder. The foodbank is open to all residents in crisis across the Island.

To contact Ventnor foodbank email vcfbankiow@gmail.com

Organisations offering support in Cowes

Apex Church

The Apex Church have been awarded £1,470 to support residents living in Cowes and Northwood that attend their warm space. The application was agreed to fund heated blankets and wheat bags that will help to keep warm whilst reducing their energy costs.

To contact the Apex Church please call 01983 221222 or email hello@theapexchurch.org

Northwood Parish Council

Northwood Parish Council’s weekly warm space has been funded £2,080 for food and drink provisions for their weekly warm space, along with a weekly cookery demonstration giving ideas for multiple ways of using everyday items.

Northwood Parish Council have also applied for £349.00 to fit draught excluders that sit under internal doors for 30 of their more vulnerable households. The excluders will be fitted by a member of the Parish Council.

To contact Northwood Parish Council email clerk@northwoodparishcouncil.org

Organisations offering support in Shanklin

YMCA

The YMCA have been awarded £5,507 to provide weekly cookery lessons to residents staying at Winchester House. These residents will also be provided with the means to shop independently for the relevant ingredients. Residents moving into properties where they will live independently will be provided with an air fryer so they are able to continue cooking the meals they have learnt, whilst keeping their energy costs lower.

To contact YMCA please call 01983 862441 or email info@ymca-fg.org

Organisations offering support in The Bay, Newport & South Wight

Community Rail Partnership

Community Rail Partnership successfully applied for £20,000 to extend the provision of their Food on the Move project, which sees weekly food hampers of essential cupboard staples, provided to those in need living in Sandown, Shanklin, Brading, Newport & Ventnor.

To contact Community Rail Partnership please call 07583 897693 or email manager@iowcommunityrailpartnershipcic.co.uk

Organisations offering support in Ventnor

Ventnor Town Council

Wellbeing café – The wellbeing café, run by Ventnor Town Council has applied for £1,608 to provide 2-course hot meals for those attending the group. Group members will assist in the planning of the meals. Ventnor Town Council have applied for funding for multiple projects to support their community, totalling £10,298.
Warm packs - warm packs including blankets, hot water bottles, heated throws, adults’ and childrens’ hoodie blankets, hats, gloves, scarves, socks and slippers as well as second hand coats, shoes and boots.
Warm space - operating from St. Catherine’s Church in Ventnor every Thursday, funding has been provided to supply a nutritious two-course meal to 50 people in need. The meals will include plenty of fruit and vegetables, seasonal where possible and catering for all dietary requirements.

To contact Ventnor Town Council about any of these schemes, email Catherine Hammond at catherine@ventnortowncouncil.org.uk or call 01983 857848.

Wroxall Parish Council

Wroxall Parish Council have received £640 to provide heated throws to 20 residents living in the village. Residents on a low household income or those previously eligible for the Winter Fuel Allowance will be able to contact the Parish Council to apply for assistance.

To apply for assistance from Wroxall Parish Council please use the online Contact Wroxall Parish Council Form

Organisations offering support in West Wight

Freshwater and Yarmouth CE Primary School

The school based in Freshwater, applied for £400.84 to provide warm coats and wellington boots to 11 identified children. Each child will receive both a coat and wellington boots.

The school can be contacted on 01983 760345

For details of other organisations that have received funding from us in previous grant rounds, check out our ‘HSF projects - work so fa r’ page. They might still be able to help you.

This is just the beginning, and we are excited to see the positive impact these grants will have on our community!