Q3 community support scheme winners

The Equilibrium Foundation community support scheme was set up in 2015 and provides the opportunity for charitable organisations operating in Greater Manchester, Cheshire East and Chester and District to apply for a grant of up to £500 each quarter.

And the winners are…

Greater Manchester – Citywise

Citywise exists to help young people unlock their potential, flourish in all areas of their lives and contribute positively to their communities. They support children and their families living in disadvantaged areas of Manchester through in-school mentoring, after-school clubs, holiday camps and family drop-in days.

“We are thrilled to have the support of the Equilibrium community support scheme, which will go towards our Character Mentoring Programmes in schools in Rusholme and Moss Side. Children are paired with volunteer mentors, mainly university students, who work together to boost their confidence, build their resilience and grow in character strengths to help them succeed in all areas of their lives.” – Jess Roper, Manchester Programmes Manager

Cheshire East – Just Drop In

Just Drop In’s mission since its inception in 2000 has remained the same, to benefit the young people of Macclesfield and surrounding areas by establishing a centre which will provide:

• A welcoming and comfortable environment hosted by volunteers from the community.
• A one-stop centre providing assistance and information relating to their needs.
• Expert advice from the voluntary and statutory agencies represented/working in the centre.
• Coordinated access to information, such as education, employment, training, housing, health, benefits and leisure matters.

“We are truly delighted to receive a donation from Equilibrium’s community support scheme. We will be using the money on World Mental Health Day (10 October 2022) to make personalised wellbeing kits for young people who are struggling with their mental health. The boxes will be given out to young people using our services, who need extra help in keeping well and safe. Thanks for making this possible.” – Ann Wright, Chief Officer

Chester and District – The Countess Charity

The Countess Charity is the fundraising team for The Countess of Chester Hospital. All money raised is used to improve the patient experience, focusing on areas not fully supported by NHS budgets.

Their latest fundraising goal is to build a garden balcony in their intensive care unit so that patients can benefit from the outdoors in a safe and infection-controlled environment. All patients, their visitors and staff can enjoy this innovative improvement that will make it easier and safer to move patients outside with no loss of space in the existing unit which opened in 2014.

“We are delighted to receive a £500 grant from the Equilibrium community support scheme. This donation will go to our ‘Blue Skies Balcony’ appeal. This is an appeal we launched in 2020 at The Countess Charity to build a balcony onto the Intensive Care Unit at The Countess of Chester Hospital. Once built the balcony will allow our most poorly patients to have access to fresh air in a safe and infection-control supported area which will aid their recovery.” – Nicola Stubbs, Corporate and Events Fundraiser

We are happy to announce that the community support scheme has now expanded its reach to any charitable organisation in North West England. Applications will be reviewed every six months and five winners are chosen each time.  

For more information on the eligibility criteria and application form click here.