Shropshire communities in line for major charitable boost with new schemes

The Community Foundation, which awarded nearly £750,000 in grants last year to support charities across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, launched three new schemes last week.

An event held at the Ironbridge Gorge museum, was opened by Deputy Lieutenant David Stacey, who was followed by Dean Harris, former High Sheriff of Shropshire and a trustee of The Community Foundation; and Steve Adams, Chief Executive of The Community Foundation.

Communities in Shropshire will now benefit from a revitalising initiative, an endowment scheme, and a scheme which will shine a light on hidden needs in the county.

Dean Harris said: “What a pleasure and an honour to be able to help head up a fantastic group of local people who are going to be working together to support communities across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

"During my time as High Sheriff I saw some of the exciting work that goes on across the county, and it is only right that a county as significant as Shropshire has access to a community foundation that can help to support our excellent local communities."

The launch of the Revitalising Trusts initiative, a joint initiative between UK Community Foundations, the local community foundation and the Charity Commission, will make it easier for existing trusts and charities to maximise their work , whilst minimising the costs.

It is designed to bring moribund and dormant charitable funds back into use for the benefit of local communities. It is estimated that there is more than £1million locked in such trusts. In addition it will offer services to existing charities, helping them to be more effective in their financial management.

The Community Foundation is also offering a new scheme of endowments, which allows local businesses and individuals to effectively have their own charity, without the costs and management time that is associated with it.

Faye Williams, business development manager at The Community Foundation, said: "Through working with individuals and businesses we can increase their local impact on the area, particularly when it comes to charitable giving and local involvement.

"Before people have often had to make do with the best fit for their charitable giving, whereas we will work with them to help them achieve exactly what they want to, at costs far lower than if they were trying to run their own charity."

The third initiative has been tentatively titled Vital Signs, and is designed to shine a light on hidden need that exists in the county, looking at issues that affect people in our local communities that might not yet be on the radar of people.

Steve Adams, chief executive at The Community Foundation said: “We look at the hidden needs in our local communities, whether that be related to health, education, work, community safety, or even a sense of community belonging, to identify issues that may be affecting people.

"We want to use our findings to take a pro-active approach to funding, so that we can direct our grants to the causes that are most affecting people, rather than simply reacting to a problem after it has arisen.”

People who are interested in getting involved with The Community Foundation, or learning more about it and its work, can call 01743 295900, email [email protected] or visit shropshire.foundation.