Bedford Giving’s Parent Panel has recently awarded grants totalling nearly £80,000 to 11 organisations to help young children in the Borough thrive.
Bedford Giving is a collaborative movement bringing together funders, businesses and residents to help improve the lives of local children and young people.
Under its grants programme, it has brought together parents from the community to form a panel, to share their knowledge of the needs of children aged five and under, their parents and carers.
Latest funding round
In the latest round of funding 11 projects are being funded. These include:
ACL Collective CIC – The Children’s Party Bedford
A free and accessible family-friendly outdoor event of creative and educational activities featuring puppetry, nature art, suitcase theatre, and garden games.
Bedford Mencap Playscheme
A grant towards the costs of running a playscheme for 140 families with children with additional needs.
Early Childhood Partnership – first aid course for families
Providing the knowledge of what to do if first aid is needed and helping develop participants’ confidence in knowing what steps to take should a medical emergency arise.
Elstow Playing Field Association – Elstow Baby and Toddler Group
Providing play equipment and a storage facility for the Elstow Baby and Toddler group.
Embrace – Little Sweet Peas
Specialist sensory play sessions for families with children with additional needs or a disability, including any siblings.
FACES Bedford – Spectrum Support
One-to-one intervention with parents within the home to support them to advocate for their child in school settings and through the diagnosis period, as well as fortnightly sessions to provide peer support for parents to share experiences and feel empowered to voice their challenges.
Baby FACES
Focuses on one-to-one interventions for families through pregnancy and the first few months after birth, with well-being sessions, baby massage, baby yoga, feeding support and emotional support for new parents.
Food etc CIC – Kinder Kitchen
Six weekly cookery workshops where parents and under 5s cook and eat together. It encourages parents and children to eat more healthily, parents to spend positive time together with their children and motivates children not only to try new foods but also to help in the kitchen at home, thereby extending time with their parents further.
i-Learn Bedford – Hi 5!
The Hi 5! group will serve as a vital sanctuary for women and their children of all backgrounds, offering support and resources essential for their wellbeing.
The sessions are designed to promote inclusivity and address the diverse needs of community members, from English language support for non-native speakers to tailored activities for children with SEND.
St Mark’s Church Pre-School – outside play area upgrade
Helping with the cost of replacing the preschool playground with a safe surface.
The Polish School in Bedford CIC – Fun with Music
Musical instruments to provide innovative, stimulating and contemporary sessions to widen children’s experiences and develop strong social, learning, and creative skills.
Making a difference
Bedford Giving Director Paul (PK) Kellett said: “We’re really pleased so many organisations came forward to apply for grants for projects that will make a real difference to the lives of young children in the borough.
“We’ve got a great variety of different initiatives to help a wide range of families to receive support.
“This has been helped by Bedford Giving using community panels to come up with the grant criteria, to address some of the issues they’re facing and make decisions about which projects are funded. This is all about empowering people within the communities impacted.”
The Community Panel Grant Making Programme is just one of a number of projects which have been launched by Bedford Giving.
Others include a volunteer mentoring programme for year 9 and 10s to help students raise their career aspirations, a work experience programme in partnership with local organisations to help young people unable to find placements, as well as a new work experience pilot.
The Bedford Giving Team is currently working with local and national partners to address the research it commissioned to take an in-depth look at young people’s mental health needs, as well as free and affordable activities for young people in the borough.
Guided by the findings of both studies, new programmes are in the process of being set up to help young people with their mental health, as well as look at the provision of free and affordable activities in the borough.
Bedford Giving is the charity partner of the Bedford Independent
