Aims/priorities: The new Maternity Equity Fund is part of the Henry Smith Foundation Getting Started programme, which supports early intervention from conception up to and including birth, helping give babies and families the best start in life.
Oldham
Oldham
National Garden Scheme - Community Gardens Grants
Aims/priorities: The Community Gardens Grants scheme was set up in 2011 by the National Garden Scheme and managed in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society. From 2019 the Award became wholly managed by the National Garden Scheme. In November 2024, the Julia Rausing Trust announce a £1.5 million grant to the National Garden Scheme for the Community Garden Grants programme.
The Award was set up in memory of Elspeth Thompson, a garden writer and journalist and supporter of the National Garden Scheme who died in 2010.
Edge Fund
Aims/priorities: The Fund supports efforts to create long-term change in society by addressing the causes of injustice and inequality by achieving social, economic, and environmental justice, and ending imbalances in wealth and power. It also gives people a say in where the money goes and is an alternative fund for those who struggle to get funding elsewhere.
Screwfix Foundation
Aims/priorities: The funding is intended for both national and local charities across the UK so that they can fix, repair, maintain and improve properties and community facilities specifically for those in need (by reason of financial hardship, sickness, disability or other disadvantage or distress) in the UK.
Due to the very high number of applications received each quarter, Screwfix will give priority to the following projects:
Greater Manchester Black History Month 2026 Community Micro-Grants
Aims/priorities: Community groups and grassroots organisations across Greater Manchester can apply for up to £500 to support local Black History Month activities, including education, culture, entertainment, heritage, storytelling, wellbeing and community dialogue.
Who can apply: The programme is particularly aimed at smaller, Black-led grassroots organisations, informal groups, cultural and creative groups, youth initiatives and other community-led groups.
Grant amount: Up to £500.
Oldham Team Volunteer at Wildbrook | Employer Supported Volunteering
Employer supported volunteering (ESV), or corporate volunteering, is where the employees of an organisation take time to volunteer during work hours or organise volunteer activities. Employees might choose to support a charity or community group, or take up an opportunity provided by their workplace.
Here at Action Together we like to put into practice what we offer, giving all our employees the opportunity to volunteer. We recognise the importance of volunteering in the community and actively encourage and enable our employees to participate in local volunteering activities.
Employees are entitled to an agreed amount of paid leave, per financial year, to engage in voluntary work with a registered VCFSE organisation whose work benefits communities in Oldham, Rochdale, and/or Tameside.
A fruitful afternoon in the orchards
Members of our Oldham team recently spent an afternoon volunteering at Wildbrook Growing Hubs, helping to harvest an abundant crop of plums from the orchard. The fruit needed picking, sorting, and packaging so it could be shared with the local community.
Hannah Williams, who is the Community Food Growing Co-ordinator with Oldham Council's Community Food Growing Project and supports initiatives across the borough's Growing Hubs, welcomed the team and demonstrated the best techniques for harvesting plums, as well as how to sort the fruit according to quality.
The team then spent the afternoon enjoying the outdoors, filling baskets with freshly picked plums while taking the opportunity to connect with colleagues and other volunteers in the beautifully maintained orchard.
Vanessa shared, "We chose to volunteer at Wildbrook because it was an opportunity to spend some time in nature, visit a lovely local community garden and actually slow down. I really enjoyed spending that time with colleagues, picking the fruit, connecting with nature and the volunteers at Wildbrook, and enjoying some tasty plums!"
Kasim added, "We really appreciate the ESV policy that Action Together provides. It's a great encouragement for us to get out and volunteer in a way that is flexible and accessible. It means we can support local groups in many different ways outside of our regular work."
After finishing the harvest, the lovely team at Wildbrook kindly gifted everyone a bag of delicious plums to take home. The team also visited the kitchen to watch a demonstration on how to make homemade plum jam.
The fruit picking session formed part of the borough-wide Community Fruit Picking Programme, which Hannah coordinates across Wildbrook and several other community orchard sites in Oldham.
Fancy getting involved yourself? There are additional picking events running through to October. Find out more: https://getoldhamgrowing.wordpress.com/upcoming-events/
We would like to thank everyone at Wildbrook for their warm hospitality and for providing our Oldham team with such a rewarding opportunity to connect, contribute, and give back to the community.
Click here to find out more about Wildbrook Growing Hub, or you can email contact@localfoodfirst.org.uk to discuss volunteering opportunities.
How you can get involved
Interested in introducing Employer Supported Volunteering in your workplace?
