Candis - Club-charities-community-awards

Candis Club supports community projects

As a Candis Club member, you now have the chance to help your community with a Candis Club Community Award.

The Candis Club Community Award scheme now has £8,000 available every month to give to community groups and local charities across the UK, with individual awards being made up to a maximum of £5,000.

You can nominate your favourite local group for an award using the application form. Simply pop your application in the post and we will reply usually within six weeks of receipt.

For ideas about what you could ask for, why not take a look at our most recent awards? We look forward to hearing from you very soon!

1ST BRANDHALL SCOUT GROUP community award

1st Brandhall Scout Group, West Midlands received £5,000

PAID FOR: Repairs to community hall
NOMINATED BY: Kim Hall

"My son belongs to the Scout Group so I’ve seen how hard all of the leaders and helpers have to work to raise money to keep the place running and carry out essential repairs. But the building isn’t just for the Scouts. It’s also used by the community church, Neighbourhood Watch, karate club, dog club and various other community groups. Your donation of £5,000 will go a long way to help carry out the much-needed repairs. Thank you!"

FOUR LANES REGENERATION GROUP community award

Four Lanes Regeneration Group, Cornwall received £5,000

PAID FOR: Pathway for the safety of children walking to and from school
NOMINATED BY: Christina Ball

"Four Lanes Regeneration Group was set up to help improve the lives of residents in the village," says Christina Ball. "We’ve raised funds to provide gardeners for the elderly and also installed a CCTV camera in the village square to make the place safer. Thanks to Candis, we’re now able to provide a pathway for children to use when walking to and from the local primary school with their parents. The path is away from traffic and is also used by residents, young and old alike, to get to the local shops. There are also spurs linking the pathway to outdoor play equipment. The pathway has encouraged people to leave their cars at home and walk instead."

ST JOSEPH’S PRIMARY SCHOOL community award

St Joseph’s Primary School, Belfast received: £1,000

PAID FOR: Interactive whiteboard
NOMINATED BY: Gerardina Johnston

"We were delighted to hear that Candis would help us buy an interactive whiteboard for our school. St Joseph’s is a small primary school, with around 200 pupils and eight classes. We rely on our parents’ association to buy items that will benefit the children so are grateful for the Candis Schools’ Award. We’re aiming to have a whiteboard in every class, so that each child will find learning more enjoyable. Teachers can print in various colours, making it easier for children to copy. The school has links with Strandtown Primary School so those pupils will also benefit when they come over to visit."

Croy Community Centre, Glasgow received £1,300

PAID FOR: Gym equipment for the community
NOMINATED BY: Michelle Harkness
"Croy is a small ex-mining village, a socially and economically deprived area near Glasgow," says Candis Club member Michelle Harkness. "Youths need something to do, somewhere to go, and they have made the community centre a worthwhile project, creating innovative displays that have won the respect of the police and officials of North Lanarkshire Council.
"Youngsters will all benefit from being healthier and fitter, so the new gym equipment bought by Candis Club will make an enormous difference. We have been able to buy a treadmill and large exercise mat for 12-16 year olds – both have proved very popular."

Normanton On Soar Jubilee Field, Nottinghamshire received £3,000

PAID FOR: Tables and chairs for the new village hall
NOMINATED BY: Sue Godfrey
"We have a strong community spirit in the village of Normanton on Soar, which has around 450 residents," says Sue Godfrey. "The village needed a new hall as the old one was dilapidated, with outside toilets and no sports changing facilities. The kitchen was also in poor condition. The Jubilee Field Committee has worked tirelessly to raise more than £70,000 for a new village hall and we were proud to open it with the Lord Mayor.
"Candis has really helped by paying for tables and chairs. This means that more people from the community, old and young, can enjoy the new facilities and have a place to meet. It is also much safer for children to play and for mums and toddlers to relax in a pleasant environment. We have opened up the facilities to a wider community, now covering surrounding villages."

Hillside First School, Bradwell, Great Yarmouth received £1,000

PAID FOR: Musical instruments
NOMINATED BY: Deborah Oldham
"Music plays a vital part in children’s education, but instruments are expensive and not everybody can afford to buy them for their children," says deputy headteacher and Candis Club member Deborah Oldham.
"We operate a loan system as we believe that no child should be denied an opportunity because of their parents’ financial situation. Hillside First School became a primary school last September, catering for children aged three to 11. We’re very keen to give every child aged seven and over the chance to learn to play a musical instrument – 150 children in all. We have managed to raise some funds for this, but Candis has enabled us to buy enough instruments for everyone."

Felicia Park Urban Farm received £1,200

PAID FOR: Farm equipment
NOMINATED BY: June Imber

"Felicia Park is an urban community farm, which does not make profits, based in central Gosport. It’s been going since 1983 and we adopt unwanted pets and livestock," says Candis Club member June Imber.
"The farm has a collection of animals including 15 horses, cats, rabbits, chickens, ducks, goats and several smaller animals. These are enjoyed by children and adults from all backgrounds throughout the community. To help keep it running, Candis Club has helped pay for equipment like wheelbarrows, a lawnmower, stable rakes and trugs.
"This means that volunteers can work outdoors, in a safe place, learning how to care for animals and the environment, enjoy teamwork, develop communication skills, gardening and farm management. Thank you, Candis!"

Bonneygrove Primary School received £1,500

PAID FOR: Pots for children's mobile garden and fruit trees
NOMINATED BY: Alice McCormack

"Thanks to Candis, our school has been able to open a growing club, which has introduced more than 400 children to the pleasures of growing for fun,” says parent and enthusiastic Candis Club member Alice McCormack. “I’m one of the volunteers who help run the club and it’s been wonderful to see all of the children planting fruit and vegetables and appreciating green ideas like composting. We hope that they will continue the hobby themselves in their own time out of school and that it will make them think more about eating healthier food."

Thanks to you, the following Community Awards happened in 2007:

* Prattens Westfield Amateur Sports Club, Somerset – £5,000 for modernising the club’s facilities
* 1st Angmering Scout Group, West Sussex – £3,000 for completing the refurbishment of their clubhouse
* Clackmannan Primary School Parent and Staff Association, Alloa – £1,000 for playground improvements and benches
* Harrogate Young People’s Rendezvous, Yorkshire – £1,000 for drum kits and five guitars
* The Welcome Centre, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex – £4,500 for blinds and kitchen equipment
* United Reformed Church Hall, Westleigh, Devon – £1,200 for new kitchen equipment
* Acumen Development Trust, Northumbria – £3,200 for gardening equipment and plants
* Muirtown Primary School, Inverness – £5,000 for community woodland information boards
* Synwell Playing Field, Gloucestershire – £5,000 for a new pathway to the playing fields
* Brigg Wheelers, Wrawby, Lincolnshire – £1,900 to help the skate park keep running
* Stay and Play Family Drop-In Centre, Coalville, Leicestershire – £1,100 for tables, chairs, flooring and décor of cafe
* St David’s Church, St Helens, Merseyside – £4,500 for kitchen refurbishment
* Southbrook Community Centre, Daventry, Northamptonshire – £3,000 for development of a wildlife and sensory garden
* St Bridget’s Community Centre Appeal, West Kirby, Wirral – £3,100 for the renovation of some leaded windows
* Blackburn Community Sports Club, Lancashire – £5,000 for a changing block
* Sundon Park Community Centre Trust, Luton, Bedfordshire – £3,000 for new paving stones in the garden project
* Letchworth Free Church, Coalville, Leicestershire – £2,500 for curtains and china as part of a refurbishment project

Click here to nominate an organisation for a Candis Club Community Award.