Press Release – Grants – October 20th 2014

After some months in setting up the Community Trust and an initial appeal for grant requests to be brought forward, the Trustees are delighted to award its first two grants.

Pensford Primary School has received £1,500 towards their innovative iPad project. This will help equip the school with iPads which will be used to access the modern learning resources which children enjoy. The school is also looking at the launch of an iPad training scheme run by the children for the benefit of local residents.

Andrew Hillman, Chairman of the Trust, said ”the Trustees were delighted to make this award, particularly as it will not only benefit the school children but residents of all ages. We all need to improve our connectivity skills if we are to take advantage of the wide range of services, shopping and information available to us online.”

Lorna McIsaac, Head teacher of Pensford Primary School, commented “we are excited by this project, which is designed to benefit the whole community. It is great for us to see the Community Trust making such a generous award and gives us real stimulus as we move forward with our fund raising.”

Pensford Memorial Hall have also benefitted with a grant of £500 for the installation of security equipment, which had been donated by others, following a spate of break ins earlier this year. Andrew Hillman said, ”the Trustees were very pleased to make an early award to the Hall as it is absolutely necessary to protect this hugely important resource, available to all in the area, from vandalism and theft.”

Dave Lewis, Vice Chairman of the Hall Management Committee, said, “this is brilliant. We are making a big effort to maximize the use of our facilities and the grant from the Community Trust to install the gift of security equipment is a real help at a time when we need it. The Trust is a great idea and will, I am sure, help keep our wider community together”

Andrew Hillman went on to say “interestingly it has so far proved hard work to encourage people to bring community good causes forward. I expect this is because the Community Trust is not yet well known in the wider community. The Trustees hope that the word will spread and the Community Trust will be able to make a growing contribution to the lives of residents in the villages of Pensford, Publow, Woollard, Stanton Drew and Stanton Wick. Thanks to the growing membership of the 100 Club and some very energetic fund-raising, the Community Trust is very much open for business across all the villages , and anyone wishing to apply for a grant can obtain information, application forms and contact us through www.ppsct.org.uk, or via the Parish Clerks of Stanton Drew or Publow with Pensford Parish Councils.”

Notes: The PPSCT was formed in 2013 and has a Constitution to provide assistance where possible to projects and individuals within the geographical limits of Publow, h Pensford, Woollard, Stanton Drew and Stanton Wick. Funds are raised through the successful 100 Club, fundraising events and donations. The Trustees are Andrew Hillman, Judith Chubb-Whittle, Tony Heaford, Ken Payne and Sue Osborne.