A COMMUNITY knitting and sewing group will still have a place to meet thanks to a charitable grant.
The group, based at Stoke Heath Community Centre, has received £400 from the Heart of England Community Foundation to help with the cost of room hire for its weekly meet-ups.
The two hour meetings every Friday give attendees the chance to socialise, knit and help each other improve their skills – later selling some of what they make to help fundraise for the group.
Up to ten people attend each week and sessions cost members just 50p.
Edwina Jones, treasurer at Stoke Heath Community Centre, applied for the funds on behalf of the knitting group.
She said: “If we didn’t get donations like this we wouldn’t be able to keep going, it’s fantastic.
“It’s good for those who attend, they can sit down, have a chat and socialise, that’s the idea behind a lot of the clubs that we hold here at the community centre.
“We’ve had some ladies come along who learned to knit from scratch and that was a real bonus for them.
“One lady and her daughter came along and couldn’t knit at all, after a few sessions she can now knit little baby jackets which is great.
“The grant means they don’t have to worry about putting money in to the bank to fund their meet-ups.
“The room hire is what is expensive and these funds will help cover that for the group.”
A previous donation from the Heart of England Community Foundation, which is the only one of its kind in the region, helped to first set-up the group.
The Foundation, based in Coventry, awards grants ranging from £400 to £20,000 money to groups and organisations who make a lasting difference at grassroots level in Coventry, Warwickshire, Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country.
Tina Costello, CEO of the Heart of England Community Foundation, said: “It’s excellent to have been able to award funding to so many groups across the region in the third quarter of 2016.
“Our running total of grants distributed this financial year is £315,517 and every single one has been awarded to community groups and organisations making a difference in their community.
“We have set ourselves an ambitious target to raise our endowment from £9.16 million to £12 million by 2019 which will enable us to create a strong legacy for future generations.
“We look forward to supporting even more groups and organisations throughout the rest of the year.”
Visit www.heartofenglandcf.co.uk for more information about the Heart of England Community Foundation.
