Grants of £10,000 have been given to eight community organisations in Southport to help the community recover from the impact of last summer’s tragedy at The Hart Space.
In response to the violent events in Southport in July, Sefton CVS conducted a comprehensive listening exercise with the voluntary, community, and faith (VCF) sector during August and September 2024.
This initiative involved distributing a questionnaire to sector leaders and establishing the ‘Voluntary, Community, and Faith Sector Southport Recovery Group’ to gather input from across the community and sector.
Based on findings from the community listening exercise, the Community Foundation for Merseyside and its partners granted eight £10,000 grants to anchor organisations based in Southport.
Additional considerations in making the selection:
• Alignment to the Southport Strong Together priorities
• Alignment to the outcomes and priorities from Sefton CVS’s VCF Sector Consultation and Listening Exercise
• The longevity of the organisation’s work, support and physical presence in Southport
• The organisation’s financial stability, track record for both delivery and reporting impact, plus outcomes achieved
• Known to both Sefton CVS and the Community Foundation for Merseyside
Over £350,000 has been donated thanks to the huge generosity of members of the public, with people able to donate here: Southport Strong Together Appeal – JustGiving
The eight grant recipients are as follows:
Brighter Living Partnership
The Brighter Living Partnership is a healthy living centre, based in Southport has served the community for well over 20 years. Fundamental to the centre’s success is creating dynamic partnerships and adapting to community need to deliver projects that improve the health and wellbeing of local people.
The grant will be used to support the centres such as the community café, community library, a shopping service, lifestyle mentorship, cooking classes and nutrition guidance, a variety of social inclusion initiatives (e.g. befriending services, a men’s group) and much more.
Light for Life Sefton
Light for Life is the backbone of housing services and first point of call for those in housing need in Sefton. Based in Southport, the service provides advice and guidance around homelessness, disrepair, landlord harassment, evictions and illegal or retaliatory evictions.
The grant will enable the service to continue and grow its provision of immediate, timely and effective support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or threatened by homelessness.
Parenting 2000
Parenting 2000 has a mission to support families to overcome the challenges of every day life.
Their focus is providing practical support and guidance to young people and families in deprived areas or living poverty, working with some of the most disadvantaged individuals and hard to reach groups.
The Parenting 2000 team is trained to identify and respond to the impact of trauma on mental health and physical well-being.
The grant will be used to increase their work with 11–18-year-olds including counselling, sports and after school activities, youth mentoring, art and baking classes and a homework space.
Youth & Community Partnership CIC (YCP)
Founded in 2012 by experienced and qualified youth and community workers. The YCP creates positive, experience-based learning environments for young people in the Meols Cop Youth Centre, a vital resource for local youth.
Southport Mosque & Islamic Cultural Centre
Following the spread of misinformation in relation to the attacker’s identity the Southport Mosque became a target during far-right riots and experienced severe vandalism, as did other mosques across the country.
The grant will be used to improve the Mosque’s facilities, provide youth education programmes, supply their foodbank, facilitate interfaith discussion groups and support activities for culturally significant events such as Eid.
Homestart Southport & Formby
Homestart Southport & Formby began in 2001 with the aim of offering regular support, friendship and practical help to families under stress to prevent crisis and breakdown.
Their services are free of payment and judgement.
The grant will be used to contribute to Homestart’s operating costs enabling them to help over 150 vulnerable families through hardship support, weekly home visits, support groups and counselling.
Compassion Acts
Compassion Acts was launched in 2019, building on the foundations laid by two important charities in Southport – Southport Foodbank and the Southport and Formby Churches Debt Centre.
Their mission is to provide comprehensive support to individuals in Southport who are in need. They achieve this by providing a foodbank, social wellbeing course, social and family spaces, a uniform hub, and benefits and debt advice.
The grant will be used to support the centre’s operating costs which rose to provide additional support in the wake of the attack.
Sefton Advocacy
Sefton Advocacy aims to help local people who are socially excluded, empowering them to make their own choices and give them confidence to speak out.
The grant will be used to build resilience and mental wellbeing within the older community in Sefton through an outreach programme.
The outreach programme will connect Sefton’s older person forums, develop peer led support groups and a number of community engagement activities.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrownn@gmail.com
