THE Daily Echo has teamed up with Sport Relief to give away more than £62,000 to deprived groups and organisations in Southampton.
No matter how small the group, we’re looking to hand out grants of between £500 and £1,000 to organisations in the city that help people leading tough lives.
This is the first time such a scheme has been run and we have £62,500, raised by Sport Relief, to give away.
The two main criteria to be accepted for the grant are that your organisation earns under £50,000 a year and that you are working in a deprived area.
The community cash fund coincides with the launch of Comic Relief ’s sporting campaign, ahead of the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile, which will be held in Southampton on Sunday, March 21.
Last year, Age Concern New Forest East benefited from a similar grant of £1,040 to pay for a keep fit class for pensioners living in and around Totton.
Comedian David Walliams, pictured below, who swam the English Channel in 2006 for Sport Relief, also backed the cash giveaway in Southampton.
The Little Britain star said: “Sport Relief has teamed up with the Southern Daily Echo to give the local organisations that help people living incredibly tough lives in Southampton the chance to apply for a grant of up to £1,000.
“This is part of our £1m worth of grants that will be awarded to groups working to improve their local communities all across the UK.”
Deputy director for Age Concern Hampshire, John Moreton, said: “Grants like these are absolutely invaluable because fitness for elderly people with increasing frailty and isolation is so important.”
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