Three Cheshire charities have secured cash from the annual Aviva Community Fund.
Children Today, Deafness Support Network and the National Communities Resource Centre have all been successful in their bids for money after they were nominated by a Chester-based insurance broker Risk Services (NW) Ltd.
Deafness Support Network has received an award of £9,388 to run its popular Deafness and Dementia Café service across Cheshire for a second year.
The café helps to break down barriers for individuals and reduces isolation by promoting and encouraging social inclusion.
Children Today has received £5,000 to host a circus-themed Family Fun Day.
The Chester-based charity provides specialised equipment and services for children and young people with disabilities throughout the UK.
The final recipient is the National Communities Resource Centre which has also been given a grant of £5,000.
The charity, based in Chester, provides training and support to people living in disadvantaged communities and the money will go directly towards buying new equipment, furniture and entertainment facilities for its Youth Futures programme.
The funding for the three charities was made possible because of Risk Services’ close partnership with Aviva which runs an annual community fund to support good causes across the UK.
Managing director of Risk Services Steve Lowe said: “We are thrilled to be able to support these three exceptional charities to the tune of almost £20,000.
“In the case of Children Today, it continues our partnership of last year when they were our chosen Charity of the Year.
“The Aviva Community Fund provides an opportunity each year for brokers to help charities submit applications for crucial funding. There is strong competition from good causes across the UK and every application is subjected to rigorous scrutiny.
“We have a number of clients within the charitable sector and part of our commitment to them is looking for opportunities, such as the Community Fund, to provide added value.”
CEO of Northwich-based Deafness Support Network Bob Birchall said: “We are delighted to receive this money and it will help us to continue to run our successful pop-up cafes. Deafness can leave people feeling socially isolated, but our cafes give people a place to meet and chat and help them to understand that they are not alone.”
Chief executive of the National Communities Resource Centre Sally Wyatt said: “This donation will be put to great use by the young people we support.
“We’re going to create a dedicated space with sofas, table tennis tables and football tables where they can interact and relax after being on one of our training courses.”
Regional fundraiser for Children Today Paula Hanford said: “This generous grant is an incredible start to our year as our charity relies totally on voluntary donations. We are all really looking forward to putting these funds to good use with a fun-filled family fun day where the community can all come together to help support our work and raise funds for specialised equipment for children and young people with disabilities.”
