Community Shop volunteers welcomed successful applicants to their premises in Cinque Ports Street on October 16 to receive the latest round of grant awards. Amber Rudd MP, the charity’s patron, handed out the cheques, asking each recipient to outline how the grant would be used. Cheques were presented to:
1. Encompass Care (Rye) Community Interest Company (CIC), £2,000 to buy a minibus to transport local physically disabled adults to a day centre and on outings.
2. Ferry Road Nursery, £1,200 to fund new equipment and toys for the sensory room for children aged three months to five years.
3. Friends of Rye Primary School and Pugwash Nursery, £1,000 to help create a Forest School by clearing a stream, building a bridge and creating a gardening club.
4. Iden Bowls Club, £100 to buy two sturdy folding tables for use when hosting visiting bowls teams.
5. Northiam Nursery, £600 to create a nature corner with action trail and healthy eating programme for nursery school children aged two to four years.
6. Pett Older People Project, £2,000 towards transportation costs for older residents to enjoy day-care facilities.
7. Rye Cricket Club, £400 towards the installation of a wheelchair ramp and gazebo.
8. Rye & District Community Transport, £1,000 to help continue to support the 326 bus route.
9. 1st Rye Scout Group, £2,500 to enable the purchase of a large storage shed for the groundwork and sleepers creating an outside area for the scout, brownie and guide groups.
10. Rye News (UK) Ltd CIC, £1,000 to fund the cost of office accommodation for a local online newspaper.
11. St Bartholomews Court, £500 to help with the maintenance of the gardens for all residents to enjoy in a local sheltered housing complex.
12. The Oliver Curd Trust, £1,200 to purchase replacement bed linen for the two respite holiday caravans for the 2019 season offering respite care for families of life-limited children.
13. The Music Well CIC, £1,500 to help with the cost of providing music therapy sessions for children and young people in Rye and the district.
Amber Rudd said: “I genuinely enjoy my regular visits to the Rye Community Shop and the honour that they give me in asking me to present so many cheques to such worthwhile charities, community groups and clubs within Rye and the surrounding area. It gives me real pleasure to see how many groups benefit from the hard work of the volunteers, led by the trustees.”
Chairman of trustees, Kate Sims, thanked the volunteers for their hard work and commitment shown towards the shop. “We seem to be going from strength to strength with an increase, not just in takings but with the recycling noticeboard and also online and book sales. The overall total raised since the shop opened in January 2016 is just over a hugely impressive sum of £55,000.”
With the new volunteers who have recently joined, the Community Shop team now numbers 20 people. “ We continue to receive very many positive comments on what a great shop it is with such a friendly and happy atmosphere,” said Kate Sims.
Image Credits: John Minter .