£17,000 windfall for Bishop's Castle charity as another closes
One charity's closure is another's bright future, as a Bishop's Castle campaign has received thousands from a nationwide charity after it shut up shop.
Trustees of the SpArC charity in Bishop's Castle, which recently campaigned to save the town's leisure centre from closure, are celebrating after they received £17,000 from a charity called the Christian Adventure Trust after it decided to close.
The trust decided to close and transfer its remaining funds to SpArC on the condition that the monies would be invested in the provision of opportunities for local young people to acquire skills, experience and qualifications in an educational or working environment.
Graham Hemmings, SpArC trustee and treasurer, said they were thrilled to receive the funds, which will go a long way in providing the young people of Bishop's Castle with opportunities.
"We are delighted to have been chosen to receive this funding and to be able to use it for the benefit of our local young people," he said.
"We hope that it will enable our young people to contribute to a wider range and improved quality of services in the future for the benefit of everyone in the local community."
Sensible
Graham, who was also a trustee of the Christian Adventure Trust, said the Essex-based charity was struggling to find "sensible" uses for the money.
"I was a trustee of the Christian Adventure Trust, which is actually based in Essex, but I moved up here a long time ago and remained a trustee," he said.
"We found it difficult to find sensible uses for the money and because I became involved with SpArC, which a chunk of what we do revolves around young people, we thought it could be better used there.
"So we sought permission from the charity commission to close the Christian Adventure Trust and transfer the money."
The total money SpArC has raised in the past year now totals £37,000 with this donation, and the trustees aim to continue fundraising this year as well.
Trustees are currently in talks with Shropshire Council, which is taking over the running of the leisure centre from Teme Leisure in April, about how they will work together as partners.
