London City Airport awards £40,000 worth of grants to charities and not-for-profit organisations

LONDON, UK, 2019-Sep-18 — /Travel PR News/ — The first round of grants for London City Airport’s £75,000 Community Fund have been awarded, with 16 charities and not-for-profit organisations from 10 different London boroughs receiving a lump sum.

In total, £40,000 worth of grants have been distributed, to provide a financial boost to local groups, such as youth clubs, mental health charities, community gardens, disability groups, and sports teams, including Dalmain Athletic Girls Football Club in Lewisham and the Kings Cross Steelers in Newham, London’s inclusive Rugby Club. The airport received over 140 applications since announcing the Fund in May.

Each grant, of up to £3,000, supports a diverse range of initiatives that enable positive and significant change within the community, and that represent inclusive and diverse communities. The common themes across all the recipients, who were selected by a judging panel, are that they either:

• build stronger, safer and healthier communities
• create more sustainable and greener communities
• raise aspirations of East Londoners
• or; create pathways into employment

Nazmin Begum, Corporate Responsibility and Community Engagement Executive at London City Airport, said:

“We are proud to champion the work of grassroots organisations that make a real difference to families and individuals on the airport’s doorstep. The breadth of applications received for the Community Fund demonstrates the dynamic character supportive spirit of East London, and I congratulate all the successful recipients.

“I hope that the airport’s financial contributions help these groups continue to do great work that contributes positively to our communities and reflect the values of the airport. We look forward to working with more groups during the next round of grant-giving and would encourage people to spread the word.”

Flybe joined the Fund’s board of trustees following the airline’s leading noise performance in 2018, accruing the highest number of credits as part of the airport’s incentives and penalties scheme.

Maja Gedosev, Director of Communications, Flybe, said:

“Flybe is committed to contributing in whatever way we can to the communities we serve. We were therefore delighted that our community-friendly Q400 aircraft were last year recognised at London City for living up to their reputation as being one of the quietest aircraft in the world.

“Flybe established early links with the local community when we started our operations at London City some five years ago and we are so pleased to have the opportunity to play a role in this very worthwile Community Fund initiative.“

Matt Webb, Chairman of the Kings Cross Steelers rugby team, said:

“The Kings Cross Steelers are extremely grateful for the support we are receiving from the London City Airport Community Fund. For 24 years it has been the mission of our club to provide an environment where everyone can play, excel and enjoy rugby regardless of their sexual orientation.

“Our Pathway to Rugby programme helps us to introduce our great game to those who have never played the sport through lack of opportunity and those that didn’t think they would be welcomed into a rugby club. This autumn up to 60 new players will learn new skills, play a team sport and make lifelong friends.”

The second round of Community Fund grants will be announced in November, with prospective recipients able to apply up until the deadline on 25th October 2019.

The full list of successful organisations by borough are:

Newham

The Magpie Project
The Magpie Project supports mums with under-fives who are struggling with issues of homelessness or living in unsuitable temporary accommodation. They run twice-weekly drop-ins where mums can gain practical, material and social support with professionals. They are also working with London Rhymes to use singing to help build healthy attachments with new babies.

Kings Cross Steelers RFC
This Newham-based rugby club is “London’s inclusive Rugby Club” open to all players gay, bisexual or straight, and of all rugby-playing abilities. With 300 members, they run 4 full squads in both league and friendly matches, from Memorial Park in West Ham. The airport’s grant will contribute to the club’s Pathway To Rugby programme, with the aim of introducing rugby to those who have self-excluded or not been confident to try a team sport before.

Mind in Tower Hamlets & Newham
The airport’s grant will go towards Mind’s Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing event in collaboration with the Royal Docks Adventure Centre, to bridge the gap between mental health and physical health. The event will be an opportunity for local people, with lived experience of mental health, and their carers, to come and find out more about what is available in Newham and try some physical activities and workshops.

Barking & Dagenham

Free Your Mind CIC
A not-for-profit service that supports children and young people affected by witnessing domestic violence, offering therapy, peer support and empowering healing services.

Thames Ward Community Project
An initiative to design and develop a community garden on a strip of land located directly in front of nursery, primary and secondary schools in Barking Riverside, the UK’s largest growth area.

Thames View Tenants & Residents Association
Funding to support the Association’s community garden and a project to increase the number of raised bed plots, which used by residents to grow produce, including vegetables, fruit and flowers.

Redbridge

Samaritans – Redbridge Branch
The Redbridge Branch of Samaritans provides emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope, or considering suicide. The grant will help towards the delivery of its Schools Project, educating young people about emotional health.

Healthy Living Projects Limited
Healthy Living Projects, based in Ilford, provides relief of poverty and the provision of education and recreation in the interests of social welfare, from its Day Centre, The Welcome Project. The charity helps and supports homeless people, refugees, asylum seekers, ex-offenders, people at risk of offending, and the long-term unemployed.

Lambeth

Lambeth Libraries
The public library in Brixton has partnered with iHateIroning.com to provide smart clothes that people can borrow for a few days to attend interviews, to help with more confidence and ensure they can dress for success. The airport’s grant will go towards the purchase of more women’s clothing plus additional items that have not been donated, to be used in this scheme.

Tower Hamlets

The Poplar Partnership
The Partnership provides local disadvantaged children with educational support to help them achieve their best at school, focussing on numeracy and literacy. The programme runs on Saturdays over the academic year and will benefit 60 children, aged 8 to 11, who are facing multiple disadvantages, including those with range of Special Educational Needs.

Canaan Project
Canaan Project is a youth work charity based in Tower Hamlets working exclusively with marginalised young women aged 11-19. Their objective is to help young women flourish; to see them have broadened horizons and raised aspirations. The airport’s funding will enable the Project to offer more opportunities for adventure for the young women it supports.

Waltham Forest

Inspire! Education Business Partnership
Inspire! is an education charity working in north east London to raise the aspirations and employability of local young people. The funding will help them run a specialist employability programme for a group of 10 vulnerable Year 11 students with Social Emotional and Mental Health Needs (SEMH) from Belmont Park School.

Hackney

Hackney Association Youth Club
The grant will contribute to a 40-week Basic Skills course run by the youth club, providing career development support for 40 unemployed young people aged 18 to 30 years who are ex-offenders from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic in Hackney, who are experiencing most disadvantage in the labour market to acquire basic skills that are necessary and can lead them to future employment.

Lewisham

Dalmain Athletic Girls Football Club
The grant will go towards the football club offering 36 young people the chance to attend 3 AQA coaching courses to gain experience and accreditations to take their volunteering to the next level, via a programme of multi skilled courses and life learning courses.

Havering

Havering Association for People with Disabilities
The grant will support the association help its 160 clients with a series of events to promote healthy living including mindfulness, well-being and healthy eating to adults with physical and/or sensory disabilities living in Havering.

Greenwich

Samuel Montagu Youth Centre
The grant will help the youth centre provide a weekly girls and women’s fitness evening, focussing on self defence, Zumba and boxercise sessions. It will be primarily targeted at young women and girls who do not regularly engage in physical activities, to encourage them to start undertaking regular exercise and work towards a healthier lifestyle, as well as focusing on empowering them to feel more confident and increase their physical and mental well-being.

Notes to editors

• More information on the Community Fund can be found at http://www.londoncityairport.com/corporate/responsible-growth/community-fund. Prospective applicants with questions or queries can contact Community.Fund@londoncityairport.com.
• The second and final deadline for Community Fund applications is 25th October 2019 at 17:00. These grants will be announced on 25 November 2019
• The London City Airport Community Fund is a registered charity. no.1182642
• The Board of Trustees comprises:
  • Duncan Alexander, London City Airport Consultative Committee (Independent Chair)
  • Tessa Simpson, Head of Environment and Technical Operations
  • Liam McKay, Director of Corporate Affairs
  • Anna Boss, Sustainability Manager
  • Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader of the Council, Barking and Dagenham
  • Joy-Caron Canter, Centre Director at RDLAC, representative from Newham
  • Maja Gedosev, Director of Communications, Flybe

Contact:
Andrew Scott
Andrew.Scott@londoncityairport.com
07801579273

Source: London City Airport

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