Community initiative breaks £60,000 barrier

Tags: Community Matters Awards

The Loughborough Building Society has broken the £60,000 barrier in the support it gives to voluntary projects in the East Midlands as part of its Community Matters scheme.

The initiative began six years ago and to date this financial year alone, the Society has given £8,500 to help 25 separate projects in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Chief Executive Gary Brebner said: “The Community Matters award is one of the things that make us different from other types of financial institutions and we are very proud of it. The Loughborough is firmly rooted in the East Midlands and this is our way of investing in the fantastic voluntary efforts of our local community.

Among the most recent projects to receive backing was the Leicestershire 4x4 Fire and Rescue Response team, which was given £500 for protective equipment.

Its Chairman, Simon Dale, said: “The money from the Community Matters awards has helped us at events and during the rescues. With the help they have given, we can now look at expanding the organisation to nearby counties such as Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.”

Among the other recipients of money were:

• Loughborough Town Swimming Club received £500 to buy an underwater camera to allow swimmer analysis as part of the development of individual swimmers.

• The Proactive Community Endeavour (PACE) organisation in Loughborough, a charity which offers general and debt advice along with children’s and youth activities, received £290 for its ‘dance it off’ night

• Breaston Pre-school Playgroup’s £240 has paid for new toys and accessories for the 55 children who attend regularly

• Girlguiding Leicestershire Topstones in Cold Newton, a six-campsite complex with a modern toilet block, showers and a traditional wooden chalet for indoor holidays is using its £487 gift to buy materials to make the storage area accessible to wheelchair users

• Chesterfield and District Athletics Club’s £331 gift went towards pole vault equipment for young athletes, and

• Loughborough Baptist Church Film Club got £380 towards a new projector.

The panel meets three times a year in January, May and September when all the applications are reviewed and decisions made on which will be successful.