Uttlesford organisations receive share of bumper grant funding

Three Uttlesford charities are among nine organisations sharing £19,237 of funding from The Saffron Building Society Community Fund, working in partnership with the Essex Community Foundation.

It is the biggest grants pay-out in a single year since the fund began in 2001.

The Uttlesford organisations who will benefit are Enterprise East Group CIC which provides support to people facing barriers to employment, Thaxted Centre for the Disabled to help subsidise transport costs for people to attend a day centre, and Uttlesford Buffy Bus Association to fund good quality play and educational activities for pre-school children, their families, and carers.

Further afield, the REACH community project in north Braintree has successfully attracted funding to support residents who are experiencing hardship issues, and Bishop's Stortford Mencap's will receive funding to support west Essex people who have learning difficulties.

Colchester projects run by Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse, counselling charity Ending Life’s Taboo, African Families in the UK CIC, and Colchester Toy Library will also benefit.

Claire Hunnable, the Community Business Partner at Saffron Building Society, said: “This is the most we have issued in grants in a single year.

"The array of different charities that apply for the grants provides us with quite a challenge when choosing which to fund.

"The whole society are proud of the work that we have been able to fund over the last decade and beyond, helping the local communities to navigate some very difficult times.

"Following the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, our communities now face a cost of living crisis - worse than we have seen in a generation.

"Households are going to be more reliant on charities and community groups than ever before, and we hope – through the grants and with our hands on community projects – that we can make a difference and help our communities in these increasingly difficult times.”

Free resources are available at https://www.saffronbs.co.uk/about/community/community.

Since the fund began in 2001, they have given out over £100,000 to small projects that support local communities.