Hounslow Council has awarded over £295,000 to thirteen local voluntary groups in the latest round of Thriving Communities Funding (TCF), taking the total financial support to £1.2m this fiscal year.
Published: Tuesday, 23rd January 2024
Among the beneficiaries are five projects geared towards young people, totalling over £150,000. These include Capture Minds’ ‘New Hope’ mentoring project on the Ivybridge Estate in Isleworth, free arts projects across four estates for 7-12-year-olds through Feltham Arts, an holistic family orientated project delivered by Hounslow Action for Youth, a new Youth Club provided by Heston in the Community and a multi-faceted project for young people delivered by Rise and Thrive in Feltham and Hanworth that includes arts, boxing, cooking, holiday provision, music and outreach work.
There are two projects that deal with financial resilience with funding for debt experts Crosslight to provide vital support in partnership with the Community Solutions team, including group workshops and one-to-one budget coaching sessions. There is also a financial inclusion project for Convent Way Estate residents in Heston, provided by GOS&D that features multi-lingual financial support and advocacy, one-to-one sessions, and the training of residents to become financial inclusion mentors.
Councillor Shivraj Grewal, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities and Culture, said: “Once again, we are thrilled to see such an interesting mix of projects funded; activities that will increase wellbeing and improve the lives of residents and their families. I’m particularly pleased to see so many local youth groups bolstered to deliver work that is vital to our community given the decade of under-funding we’ve endured through Government austerity measures.”
Darren Beecroft, Director of Rise & Thrive, said: “We know from the success of our youth clubs in Feltham and Hanworth that there is a need for these services amongst young people and their families due to the high demand. This funding will ensure we can provide some exciting new projects and bring more services to our community.”
Adnan Ali, Co-Founder of Capture Minds, added: "We are honoured to receive Thriving Community funding from Hounslow Council. This support is testament to the long-standing support of our local authority as well as our dedication to educating and empowering the residents in Isleworth. This opportunity enables us to expand our impactful programmes and continue our mission to nurture young minds and improve community well-being."
This set of projects were framed with the following priorities in mind:
- A Healthier Hounslow through strengthening social connections and improving well being
- A Safer Hounslow through keeping young people safe and building confidence
- A Liveable Hounslow through building resilience