Community groups are being urged to apply now for grants from the Manx Telecom It’s Our Community scheme which over the past few years has donated tens of thousands of pounds to good causes across the island.
Grants can be given for a wide range of purposes from buying equipment, to decorating club rooms or other meeting places. Your organisation can request anything from £100 to £1,000 and each application is judged on a case by case basis.
Last year a total of around £5,000 was donated to 12 organisations from across the island with projects ranging from buying gardening equipment, to paying for new doors for a community centre, and to cover the costs of printing advice leaflets.
Recipients in recent years have included primary schools, Scout groups, over 60s clubs, veterans’ associations, church groups, sports clubs, and youth bands.
The 2012 awards included grants to Castletown Over 60s Club for new UPVC double doors at Morton Hall, and for the Manx Workshop for the Disabled to buy equipment for its woodworking department. Hand bell ringers at St German’s Cathedral bought new hand bell pads thanks to an It’s Our Community donation, and the Burma Star Association received a grant to help pay for taxis to transport veterans to meetings and lunches.
Other recipients were Ashley Hill School Gardening Club, Manx Eating Disorders Support Group, Isle of Man Sport, Crossroads Care, Ballakermeen High School Learning Support Services, Maughold Social Club, Peel Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, and Victim Support.
Mike Dee, Manx Telecom chief executive, said: ‘The It’s Our Community scheme is ideal for small groups and clubs to obtain funds to pay for a whole range of projects. The application process is very simple as we understand that the volunteers who run many groups haven’t got the time to spend on filling in lots of forms to apply for grants, so we make it as quick and easy as possible via an online form. There are now only a few weeks to go before the application deadline so we want to hear from as many groups as possible about their ideas to put It’s Our Community grants to good use.’
To apply for a Manx Telecom It’s Our Community grant, go to www.manxtelecom.com/itsourcommunity. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2013.
Ben Carling, strength and conditioning coach at the Isle of Man Sport Institute, is pictured putting 15-year-old Douglas RFUC player George Blackwell through his paces at the NSC using the electronic equipment bought with a 2012 Manx Telecom It’s Our Community grant.
