Thousands in funding available for community projects across Oldham

The Jigsaw Foundation funded a project at Oldham school Spring Brook Academy last year

A share of a £450,000 community fund is once again available for local residents, groups and charities across Oldham to bid towards and make a difference to lives within their communities.

The Jigsaw Foundation fund was set up in 2019 by housing provider Jigsaw Homes Group, which manages 35,000 homes across the North West and East Midlands.

Over the last four years more than £45,000 has been given to groups across Oldham.

In 2022, Young Enterprise received £37,487.00 in funding to deliver a range of careers and enterprise workshops to high schools and sixth form colleges across Oldham, Manchester and Tameside over a two year span.

Viv Couche, Philanthropy Manager at Young Enterprise, said: “Young Enterprise and the Jigsaw Foundation share the same goals of making a difference to our local communities and enabling young people to achieve their true potential, whatever their starting point.

“Jigsaw’s support has been instrumental in raising aspirations and increasing young people’s readiness for the future world of work.”

The fund also provided:

·         £3,000 to My Coldhurst – a football coaching project to reach out to children throughout Jigsaw’s neighbourhoods in Oldham.

·         £2,750 to Spring Brook Academy – a grant to fund forest school equipment, including campfire cooking, waterproof clothing and a pull-along trolley, for a specialist school in Oldham.

·         £1,894 to Community Revival UK – a training provider helping to deliver ESOL classes to residents.

Since its inception, foodbanks, local theatres, befriending services, community gardens, youth clubs, school workshops, sports activities, community centres and social enterprise start-ups have all benefitted from the Jigsaw Foundation.

Sarah Keenan, Rewards and Scrutiny Manager at Jigsaw Homes Group, said: “The Jigsaw Foundation has continuously been a real support system to those in our local communities by ensuring a wide range of projects can receive a transformative amount of funding that they may not have otherwise had access to.

“I am proud that we can continue to enrich the lives of our residents thanks to the positive impact of the projects we support and continue to invest in our neighbourhoods, especially in these challenging times.”

Applications from resident groups, local or charity projects, voluntary organisations, social enterprises and partner agencies are welcome now via the Jigsaw Foundation website.

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