Article by young NQ writer prompts foundation to show how it helps

Northamptonshire Community Foundation unveiled an exhaustive survey of the county’s problems which prompted the NQ’s Elisha Dexter to respond with her take on life in Corby. Here the NCF takes Corby as a case study of the range of interventions it can make in a community…

The Foundation staff team read with interest the great response from Elisha Dexter to our Hidden Needs Report in the Nenequirer and we welcome her comments on the strength of community within Corby. In fact Northamptonshire Community Foundation funds many great community groups and charities in Corby which is a testimony to what Elisha rightfully calls ‘a town built on community spirit.’

 The purpose of the Hidden Needs Report is to highlight needs and concerns impacting on the wellbeing of all communities across Northamptonshire. We intend to help build on the already good work being done and boost the funds and resources of the people making a real difference.

 We wish to highlight a small snapshot of the talent, activity and civil society work happening across Northamptonshire:

KHL Big Local Community Chest Fund: The Foundations manages and administrates this fund on behalf of a dedicated and passionate partnership of local residents across the Kings Ley and Hazelwood estates of Corby. The local residents support and fund a range of projects to help their local communities thrive and provide a support network.

Time 2 Talk: The youth counselling services based in Daventry and covering the surrounding district and South Northamptonshire provide specialist youth counselling and supporting the emotional and mental wellbeing of young people.

Corby Community Arts: This organisation helps to create a community that has a sense of belonging, pride and responsibility to each other and provides an entry to a network of arts and activities in the town. A recent successful project included providing after school activities for young people.

Pearls of Peace: The women-led local group based in Northampton promote ‘peace, respect and understanding’ between different faiths, backgrounds and cultures and help to tackle hate crime and islamophobia as well as providing support for vulnerable women.

HD Media CIC: This group in association with Made in Corby staged Corby Big Film Week. The organisation gives on-going help to young people (media trainees, local students and others) to increase self-esteem, pride in their town, media literacy, professional industry training and the experience of being involved in a public high profile event.

South Northamptonshire Volunteer Bureau: The Charity provide the Brackley Area Volunteer Car Service which provides a lifeline to elderly, vulnerable and disabled clients to help get to appointments, go shopping and attend social activities.

Adrenaline Alley: World renowned and award winning, Adrenaline Alley is Europe’s largest urban sports centre offering facilities for BMX, SK8 Board, Blades, MTB and scooters to name a few.

 The Foundation welcomes and hopes the Hidden Needs Report will generate debate, discussion and importantly raise the profile of the work carried out by local communities funded by the Foundation. We are committed to engaging wIth a range of partners and donors on how we can best work together to build a better future for all in Northamptonshire.

 Here are the top eight ways in which we know Northamptonshire Community Foundation is helping improve people’s lives:

• We help new groups get started with their first experience of funding
• We provide capacity building support for community groups through workshops and advice on applying for funding
• We celebrate the unsung heroes of Northamptonshire through an annual awards ceremony
• We are committed to raising the profile and promoting the generosity of our donors and the good work happening in Northamptonshire
• We are highlighting the needs of our county so that we can build resources and funds to help improve wellbeing for local communities
• We have a wealth of local knowledge about the good work happening in Northamptonshire which we highlight through local press and social media
• We take a community leadership role and help facilitate tackling urgent concerns such as food poverty
• We are building an endowment so that Northamptonshire will have funds to tackle future needs for future generations to come