Since 2021, Ashford Leisure Trust Fund, managed by Kent Community Foundation, has distributed over £300,000 to vital sports initiatives across the Ashford borough.
The Ashford Leisure Trust Fund is dedicated to supporting community sports projects that genuinely make a difference in people’s lives.
The purpose of the fund is to support local charitable projects delivering healthy recreational activities in Ashford, with a focus on encouraging those who do not currently engage in positive recreational activities, perhaps because of lack of opportunity, confidence or finance, to get active.
Bruce Topham, Grants Manager Kent Community Foundation said: ‘We are keen to hear from groups that are setting up an activity not currently offered in their area and/or providing physical activities in parts of the district that currently do not have any on offer. We will consider activities such as dance, walking groups, table tennis, martial arts, golf, archery, chair exercise, bowling, and all types of sport and athletics, together with exercise forms including Yoga, Pilates and Zumba. Activities can be targeted at any age group and any sector of the population.”
Grants are available for project delivery costs including activity and overhead costs, while capital costs for new purchases or upgrades of existing equipment will also be considered. Grants up to £10,000 are generally awarded, but exceptional applications may be awarded more.
One group that has recently benefited from an Ashford Leisure Trust Fund grant is Uprising Youth and Community, which received £7,229 to deliver weekly sessions of free-to-access sports activities including football, swing ball, badminton, and Panna ball.
Andy Richardson, CEO of Uprising Youth and Community said: “Last year Uprising wanted to upscale and deliver ‘Roadshow’ versions of our popular Hang10 project during the school holidays. We approached Kent Community Foundation to see if there was any funding pots to support this and they linked us in with Ashford Leisure Trust who loved the idea and funded the pilot in full.
“Thanks to their funding, we were able to provide a range of fun activities, but the real privilege was witnessing the impact these sessions had on the young people. We saw their confidence grow as they engaged with peers, made new friends, and, in some cases, even stepped up to become helpers and young leaders. None of this would have been possible without the support of Ashford Leisure Trust and Kent Community Foundation, who believed in our vision, understood its importance, and made it a reality through their generous funding.”
If you run a sports initiative or physical activity project benefiting the Ashford borough you can find out more about the Ashford Leisure Trust Fund here www.kentcf.org.uk/funding#ashford-leisure-trust-fund or email questions about the Fund to bruce@kentcf.org.uk
About Kent Community Foundation
Leading grant-maker Kent Community Foundation has been finding, funding, and supporting some of the smallest voluntary groups in the county for twenty four years. In this time, it has distributed £60 million to support thousands of small charities and deserving causes where a modest sum of money can make a significant impact.
Kent Community Foundation is part of a UK wide accredited network of forty-seven Community Foundations who are committed to improving the lives of local people and communities, particularly the most vulnerable, isolated, and disadvantaged.
Responsible for more than one hundred philanthropic funds, Kent Community Foundation is unrivalled in its knowledge of local causes and assists individuals, families, and businesses who want to help, to establish and administer their own charitable funds.
Kent Community Foundation has five funding priorities –
- Children, Young People & Families
Supporting disadvantaged children and young people’s physical and mental health, encouraging positive choices and staying safe. - Vulnerable Adults
Helping those who may need extra care dealing with challenging issues or those at risk of social exclusion or discrimination.
3. Elderly and Isolated
Enabling elderly adults to stay well, healthy, independent and free from social isolation.
4. Employability, Skills & Enterprise
Creating opportunities to develop skills and confidence and have a positive impact in areas and groups of people with high unemployment.
5. Environment
Encouraging community action to improve and protect local spaces with support sustainable ways of living.
