A WORCESTER-based company which generates grant funding for community organisations has been celebrating the work of some of its many innovative partners as its work nears the £2million mark.
Community Boost has now generated more than £1.75 million in total in grants for community organisations and played a central role in an emergence of the community and voluntary sector in Worcester.
For Keith Slater, the man behind the Boost, the emergence, post lockdown, of the sector was at first gradual but is now accelerating rapidly.
“A fascinating feature of this emergence is how much stronger the community organisations are in their determination not just to set their own agenda but to ensure they succeed,” he said.
“I think we are beginning to see the evidence of how covid and lockdown convinced many people they could not only do something different but something which would both help to protect each other as well as improving the quality of life for many others.
“For example take just two environmental organisations; Worcester Environmental Group is planning to establish a way-marked route around Worcester, helping residents to explore green spaces in the city, learn about nature and to improve their physical and mental health.
“Meanwhile Worcester Community Garden at Pitchcroft must rank as one of the city’s finest examples of what an amazing job a group of volunteers can deliver to transform a piece of land into a living garden
“The Boost has just started helping a group of local people to look at a major refurbishment of the village hall in Kempsey. Now when a large number of local people decide to act together to improve their local facilities you know, almost instinctively, that action will follow and will follow soon as a result of the commitment of local people.
“St Stephen’s Church in Barbourne has an outstanding approach to its work in the community and this year is supporting, amongst others, different groups of women many of whom are lonely and depressed to seek help and support in a variety of community settings.
“Embodied Communities, a relatively new organisation to the city, is taking this project a step further by offering yoga and yoga therapy to these distinct groups of vulnerable women.
“The winners in this partnership of course are local women who are suddenly beginning to see a brighter future, an outcome reflecting a growing national trend the pandemic has generated a far more widespread concern about inequality.
“And then there are the arts organisations whose projects can generate so much happiness in peoples’ lives.
“Authentic Inspiration is creating quiet wonders by not just offering arts and crafts skills to women but by enabling many of these women to fulfil a potential that had remained dormant for too long.
“Artists Clubhouse is a wonderful idea, borne out of a personal crisis, which is now seeing women sketching and developing a skill to help many of them begin to move out of a dark place.
“Over the last few months The Boost has been able to generate £50,000 for these organisations, but we are confident by the end of the year we will have doubled this amount,” Mr Slater added.
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