Tuesday, 5th April, 2022
Cory announces successful Community Fund applicants
Cory has today announced the five successful applicants for the second round of the Cory Community Fund, which will together receive grants totalling £25,000.
The successful projects were selected by Cory’s Employee Community Fund Committee and were assessed on whether their application aligned with Cory’s goals of positively impacting local people in the community in meaningful ways, by:
- Protecting the local environment, supporting the circular economy including building knowledge of recycling and waste management.
- Supporting projects that promote social and community cohesion, diversity, and inclusion.
- Enhancing science, technology, engineering, mathematics and the arts skills.
Almost fifty organisations from boroughs where Cory operates applied for funding, with a maximum cap of £7,500 for individual grants. The five successful applicants and their projects are:
- London Youth Rowing – enabling young people to participate in indoor and on-water rowing across London, regardless of background, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability or ability.
- Friends of Lesnes Abbey – offering education and skills sharing packages to community groups working in green spaces and schools, based in Lesnes Abbey Woods, including teaching traditional green woodworking craft skills as well as the circular economy of woodland management, recycling, and repurposing.
- Churches Together in Crayford – setting up a Community Fridge in Crayford, Bexley, where surplus food from local food businesses, producers and households can be shared.
- Nature Vibezzz – providing free nature-focused activities at Knights Hill Wood for families and children from London Borough of Lambeth areas classified as areas of deprivation. Activities include woodcraft, reuse workshops, litter picking and practical nature conservation activities that will help both increase the safety of the site for users and local biodiversity.
- School of Hard Knocks – working with pupils at risk of exclusion or low educational attainment, using rugby to teach emotional control, develop confidence and practice reactions to challenging situations.
Commenting on the announcement, Dougie Sutherland, CEO of Cory, said:
We are delighted to offer our support to the five successful applicants. Caring for the environment and the people in the communities where we operate are core to Cory’s values, and we want to use the Community Fund as a way of giving back to our neighbours. At a time when a spirit of collaboration and inclusion has been vital to communities across the UK, I hope that these grants will help to keep this ethos alive.
Further information on Cory’s community initiatives can be found here.