Oldham

Oldham

Funding Focus 2025: Heyside Parish Hall

This week, we conclude our month-long Funding Focus campaign with the fabulous case study from Royton-based Heyside Parish Hall, and the support they received from Action Together and our Oldham Community Development Worker, Uzma.

Heyside Parish Hall is a focal point for the local community, being used each day and most evenings, for both church and community organisations to meet and carry out their respective activities. The facility is well used, proving the point that it is a needed facility in the community.

As a member of Action Together, Matt Robinson - Secretary, responded to our shout out for availability of a meeting room to host one of our Community Explorers meetings. Ever since then, Uzma and Matt have had a great working relationship and regularly keep in touch.

In late 2023, Matt requested information of funders he could apply to for grants to modernise the toilets, rewire the property, and install solar panels. Uzma responded with advice on suitable funders they could consider for applications, and Matt also receives our fortnightly Action Together Funding e-Bulletin.

Photo of a newly renovated public bathroom in a community parish hall

In March 2024 and onwards, Matt had begun to submit a number of funding applications and got in touch with us again to request some feedback, and a letter of support so they could apply for a grant from the SUEZ Community Fund to rewire the building.

Uzma happily obliged and supported Matt with some one-to-one advice, along with group discussions at our Community Explorer meetings about The National Lottery Awards for All, one of the biggest funders in the UK for the VCFSE sector.

Photo of a parish hall roof with solar panels installed

We're thrilled to report that, due to several successful funding applications, 2024/2025 has been a great year for Heyside Parish Hall!

With the time, dedication and hard work, Matt has been able to raise an amazing £98,000 through:

Matt, said

“Thanks again for the support of Action Together, especially Uzma for her guidance with these grant applications. The funding has enabled us to complete some long overdue upgrades to the building, ensuring it can continue providing a vital community space in Heyside."

Photo of a newly renovated toilet in a community parish hall

Service Women: Seen and Heard Programme

Aims/priorities: The funding is for projects that address the unique challenges servicewomen face, providing education and information to help maximise their health and wellbeing.

To be eligible, projects must meet one of the four following outcomes:

Empower Her Football Activity

Aims/priorities: The aim of the ‘Empower Her Football Activity Fund’ is to diversify the women and girls involved in football by ethnicity, faith and low affluence, and to provide opportunities to experience football in different communities and settings across Greater Manchester.

The Empower Her Football Activity Fund will do this, by supporting organisations to: 

Create Opportunities To Play: Develop new opportunities for girls and women from diverse communities to play sessional football, local to them. 

Barclays Community Sport Fund 2025 to 2027

Aims/priorities: The funding supports community groups and grassroots sports organisations who are working within the most deprived areas of the UK and are making sport more accessible to women and girls, as well as engaging people from other under-represented groups including people with disabilities, from racially diverse communities and from the LGBTQ+ community. 

Who can apply? Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations including community groups, youth groups and traditional sports clubs.

Farming Futures R&D Fund

Aims/priorities: The Farming Futures R&D Fund comprises two funding competitions focused on innovation in agriculture: the Precision Breeding Competition and the Low Emissions Farming Competition.

BFI National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund

Aims/priorities: The funding is intended to support UK-based organisations in developing and delivering creative project development programmes in feature film (narrative, documentary, animation) and/or narrative immersive media. These programmes should benefit participants and projects, supporting creatives such as writers, directors, producers and immersive artists.

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