Community Trust Fund

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London Luton Airport has launched its new Community Trust Fund. The fund has been established to support local community initiatives that positively contribute towards the aims and objectives of the Airport’s Community Engagement Strategy. You can view the strategy in our "Publications" section.

The new £50,000 fund is open to groups from Luton, Stevenage, South Bedfordshire, North Hertfordshire, Aylesbury Vale and St. Albans district - which includes Harpenden. It is independently administered by the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation on behalf of London Luton Airport.

For more information or to apply to the fund please visit http://www.blcf.org.uk/grants/londonlutonairport.php

Luton Young Leaders Academy

The Luton Young Leaders Academy exists to nurture and develop the leadership of young African and Caribbean males, empowering them to become the next generation of successful leaders.

LYLA provides educational and emotional support to boys in Luton & Bedfordshire aged 8-18, identified as being at risk of exclusion from school. Students are referred to us by local schools, faith groups, the Police, Social Services, youth agencies, etc.

London Luton Airport has contributed towards a LYLA project that aims to create volunteering and mentoring opportunities for youths aged 13-16 with the overarching aim of building citizenship and empathy amongst their young leaders.

The Airport Community Grant has come at a much needed time and will go towards funding mentoring opportunities for our Young Leaders so they can broaden their horizons and arouse their intellectual curiosity.
- Allan Johnson-Mwangi, Youth Leader

Please click here to visit LYLA for more information about the Luton Young Leaders Academy.

Dallow Development Trust

The Dallow Development Trust and registered charity promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of the inhabitants of Dallow Ward and the surrounding area for the following purposes:

To protect and preserve public health
To advance education and training
To provide and assist in the provision of information and advice to those in need
To provide and assist in the provision of a community centre and facilities for the recreation and other leisure time occupations in the interests of social welfare.

London Luton Airport has pledged to fund a 48 week football coaching project, commencing in July ’09 that will see youths be given appropriate skills to attain a FA football coaching accreditation. The project aim is encourage a greater take up in youth football through having more accredited football coaches in the Dallow ward of Luton, one of the most deprived wards in the Country.

Whitwell Pavilion Project

London Luton Airport has made a contribution to a project to rebuild sports facilities within the village of Whitwell. The new recreation area will have updated facilities for the three main sports clubs of football, cricket & tennis, as well as skateboard and basketball facilities, with the new pavilion area housing changing and amenity facilities.

Royston and District Volunteer Centre

The centre’s aim is to encourage and support, whilst developing and promoting volunteer activity amongst the community of Royston and its surrounding areas. At the same time aspiring to provide a quality service and ensure effective partnerships with a wide range of voluntary sector organisations.

London Luton Airport is contributing towards a project which aims to increase the pool of local volunteers available to local volunteer-using organisations and ultimately, help those that are unemployed or in need of gaining new skills take the first steps back into employment.

"Thanks to the Airport for its contribution towards our project to meet the increased demand for advice and support services in the local community while maintaining the health and self-esteem of those with uncertainties around their paid employment and associated financial pressures. We will now be able to work towards our aim of increasing the pool of volunteers available to local volunteer-using organisations - a benefit to the whole community".
- Denise Graham, Volunteer Centre Manager

The Living Room Project

Founded in May 2000, The Living Room is an independent non-profit making charity offering a wide range of free addiction treatment services. Each year the project works with around 250 people of all ages and from all walks of life to help them overcome their addictions and lead rich and fulfilling lives

London Luton Airport will fund a year long eating disorders project in Stevenage. The project will consist of two weekly group therapy sessions for those with problematic disorders including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia and compulsive overeating.

"At The Living Room we are absolutely delighted to receive a London Luton Airport Grant. The grant will help us to provide the free to access and quality psychological treatment for those with eating disorders in North Herts and North Bedfordshire…. Enabling those attending to develop healthy eating plans and enable a more positive outlook for themselves and their families. We would like to offer a big thank you to Luton Airport and The Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation!" - Simon Bloomfield, The Living Room

Hitchin Community Gardens

The Triangle Garden is a community garden, created and cultivated by local people of all ages and abilities. It is part of a local park in Hitchin and is open all year round.

London Luton Airport is funding a project that will see a part-time horticulturist employed for 26 weeks to deliver structured horticultural therapy sessions for adults with learning disabilities. The work undertaken will maintain the community garden for the enjoyment of local people and as a resource for local school groups to visit.

Wheathampstead for Enterprising Business

London Luton Airport has pledged to contribute towards a nature trail project that will highlight various aspects of the historic village of Wheathampstead centred on its 13th century, Grade 1 listed church.

The aim of the trail, which is open to all age groups, is to encourage community use of the outdoors and has both educational and environmental themes.

Luton Irish Forum

Fifty Children from Luton schools gathered at the Hindu Mandir Temple in Lewsey Farm on 30th January to put on a show of dance from different cultures.

The event was attended by around 100 people, including Luton North MP Kelvin Hopkins, Prospective Labour candidate Gavin Shuker and Cllr Mohammed Riaz, Mayor of Luton.

Each school performed dances from a different culture, with St Margaret of Scotland primary performing Circle Dancing, Sacred Heart Primary moving to Afro Carribean music, St Martin de Porres dancing a traditional Polish dance and Someries Junior school jiving a traditional Irish dance.

Nicola Molloy, Cultural and Educational Officer said, “Dancing is a great way to express and enjoy the many different cultures Luton has on offer. As well as being a great way to teach children about other peoples faiths and ways of life it is also highly enjoyable and fun.”

Noelette Hanley, Chief Officer, added, “Luton in Harmony really reinforces the message we want to get across and teaching children what Luton in Harmony stands for is a great opportunity to improve cohesion.”

After the event, all the children signed the Luton in Harmony pledge, promising to continue to meet and make friends with people from different cultures, encourage peace within Luton and tell others about the Luton in Harmony message.

The event was organised by the Luton Irish Forum and is their third multicultural event in recent years and was funded by the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation.

Grassroots

Funds from London Luton Airport will support the delivery of a multicultural event during One World Week which showcases various groups to give a varied and diverse evening’s programme.

‘Grassroots has been working in Luton since 1991 supporting community initiatives and undertaking inter faith work to contribute towards a plural and cohesive society. The charity run a range of programmes and events designed to help people have confidence in their own cultures and understand those of each other in order to build mutual respect. We are grateful to the London Luton Airport Community Fund for contributing towards the costs of this year’s event being held at Denbigh High School on 23rd October.’

-Jenny Spounge, Grassroots

Cruse Bereavement Care

Cruse Bedfordshire offers people in Bedfordshire one-to-one bereavement support from a team of 100 trained volunteers, either in the client's home or at one of the drop-in centres in Luton, Biggleswade and Bedford. The service is free, confidential and open to anyone over the age of 16. Their policy is to treat each bereaved person as an individual with their own needs and to offer the support that is appropriate to them at this particular time in their life.

"We are delighted that London Luton Airport has chosen to support Cruse Bedfordshire. The financial support received is very timely and gratefully received, as is the endorsement of the service we provide. This contribution towards our cost will ensure that we can continue meet the needs of bereaved people in Bedfordshire and help them to understand their grief and cope with their loss".

Lois Wright, Area Co-ordinator

Batford Community Action Group

Funds from London Luton Airport supported the transformation of a derelict plot of land in Batford into a fantastic new natural play area.

Harpenden Town Mayor, Councillor Daniel Chichester-Miles opened the Town Council’s first play area at Porters Hill Open Space on Saturday 22 May 2010.

Groundwork Hertfordshire designed the play area following community consultation with local young people. The theme of the Play Area is natural play and local children wanted a zip-wire, basket swing, slide and a wooden climbing frame to be incorporated into the design. A grass mound has been constructed for a slide.

The new play area was achieved through a partnership which includes:

St Albans City and District Council, Harpenden Town Council, Batford Community Action Group, The Harpenden Trust, County Cllr Bernard Lloyd’s Locality Budget, Hertfordshire Police Authority, London Luton Airport Community Trust Fund and RWE Npower Renewables.

Team Luton

Team Luton, the town’s leading competitive swimming club, is one of the latest projects to be awarded a grant by the London Luton Airport Community Trust Fund. The grant of £750 was used by the newly formed club to support a number of merger projects following the merger of Luton Swimming Club and Lewsey Centre Swimming Club.

Team Luton has over 250 swimmers ranging from five year olds just starting out in the pool to athletes that represent the club at County, Regional and National Level. They also have swimmers who are currently competing for Team GB at international competitions including Paralympic and European Championships medal winners. The club competes in the Chiltern League, Home Counties League, Junior League and also has a team in the National Arena Swimming League, the highest level of league competition in the country. The club trains at Wardown Swimming Centre, Lewsey Park Pool and Lea Manor Recreation Centre.

Gary Jesson from the club , said ‘Team Luton is delighted to receive a grant from the London Luton Airport Community Trust Fund. This will greatly assist the newly formed swimming Club complete a number of merger projects including a ‘fun’ launch event and it will help subsidise the purchase of a new team shirt for all members so we can unite under one new identity from the start.’

Milton Keynes City Orchestra

Milton Keynes City Orchestra is a vibrant classical music resource for Milton Keynes and the surrounding area. It plays an important part in the cultural life of the city, engaging particularly with the education sector, the business community and as a valuable arts resources.

The orchestra aims to promote a balanced programme of live orchestral music at high professional standards. This is supported by a programme of education and outreach activity- Music for Life- which focuses on reaching audiences outside the concert hall, who might not otherwise have access to live music making.

Funds from London Luton Airport have supported Milton Keynes City Orchestra to provide the project ‘Musical Libraries’ The provision of a family-friendly musical tour/music workshop working with the theme of ‘Song and Dance’. The tour will visit a variety of communities in Central Bedfordshire using local libraries as host venues and joint promoters of these events.

Jackie Allen Education and Outreach Officer at Milton Keynes City Orchestra said ‘“It has been both creative and rewarding to work with libraries in Central Bedfordshire with the support of London Luton Airport through the Luton Community Foundation and to see the excellent response from the children at each of the areas we have visited.”

Friends of Manor Park

This local committee works to develop and maintain Manor Park and works to give local people and users of the park an opportunity to have their say in the parks development.

Money from London Luton Airport will support improvements to the Manor Park Victorian Rose Garden, including supporting a community planting/education event where local people can work to develop skills and knowledge in horticulture.

KYC keep Yourself Clean

This local project provides encouragement, education and awareness for people in recovery from alcoholism. Funding from London Luton Airport will support the group to further publicise their work and reach out to as many communities as possible.

The Wildlife Trust

This charity works to protect local wildlife and to encourage everyone to enjoy wild places in towns and countryside.

Funding from London Luton Airport will support the restoration of the chalk down land habitat at Totternhoe Quarry nature reserve in Bedfordshire.

Dunstable Salvation Army

The Salvation Army offers a free, confidential, professional service to all people of the Bedfordshire area. Funds from London Luton Airport will support the delivery of this free service.

Ethnic Minority Training Project

This Luton based group offers mentor support, counselling and employment advice to ex-offenders, and those at risk of offending, to leave the life of crime. They aim to empower individuals to enter employment, education or training. Funds from London Luton Airport will contribute towards staff costs at the charity.

"We are delighted to receive a grant from London Luton Airport Community Trust Fund. The money will be used towards staff costs enabling our community based organisation to help ex-offenders on their journey away from crime and into work or study. " said Mr Farasat Latif, Ethnic Minority Training Project

Bedfordshire Music Festival

The Festival is a showcase for the wealth of talent in the amateur performing arts in Bedfordshire. It offers a wide range of classes for all ages covering most musical genres including classical, rock and pop, jazz and Asian music as well as many varied speech and drama classes including verse speaking, acting, mime and improvisation.

Funds from London Luton Airport supported the festival which took place from the 6th-13th of March.

Harpenden Christmas Carnival

Funding from London Luton Airport will support the Harpenden 2010 Christmas Carnival, a free event which unites the whole town and the community, widely embracing all age groups, all faiths and in particular family groups.

Shanthona Women's Group

Funds from London Luton Airport will support the ongoing running costs of the Shanthona Women’s Group.

Shanthona is a charity organization aimed at Asian women & different ethnic backgrounds. The group provides support and information for girls and women from disadvantaged communities in Luton (primarily Asian Communities), promoting physical and mental well being.

Involvement in the group gives women and girls the opportunity to access a range of Arts & Craft activities such as;

Fresh Flower Arranging
Dry Flower Making
Glass & Vase Painting
Fabric Painting...& much More..

Within the Shanthona Girl’s Youth Club they provide various activities for the young girls such as;

Homework Club
ICT – Free Internet Access
Art & Craft Sessions
Girls Combat Sessions

Other services includes health related learning activities such as Indian head massage. Information and advice is given on physical and mental health, healthy lifestyle, stress management, depression etc generally improving qualities of their lives and families. The women projects focuses on enhancing lives of young women to empower them and to raise their self confidence and self esteem.

Dallow Primary Children's Centre

Funding from London Luton Airport will support the provision of a three week Summer play-scheme for children aged 4-11, providing creative, sporting and community experiences for children and their families from the Dallow area of Luton.

Calibre Audio Library

This charity improves the quality of life of people who are blind, partially sighted, physically disabled or dyslexic, by bringing them the pleasure of reading through a free, nationwide postal service of recorded books.

Funding from London Luton Airport will allow the charity to improve their stock of CDs, USB sticks and postal wallets helping the service to reach more people in the local area.

Biggleswade Parochial Church Council

St Andrew’s Church in Biggleswade, provides facilities for many church, youth and community groups including, Parent and Toddler groups, youth organisations, the NHS, and the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.

Funding from London Luton Airport will support the church council in their plans to improve these facilities, helping to fit out the kitchen and improve access.

Luton Churches Education Trust

Funding from London Luton Airport will support the ‘Look Before You Leap’ Summer Camp 2010. The camp provides support and a range of activities for 80 young people from Luton that have been facing and trying to deal with big emotional pressures, which have greatly affected their lives.

St Albans Sea Cadets

Funding from London Luton Airport will support training for adult instructors in a range of waterborne and other outdoor activities. These adults will then be equipped to teach these skills to the cadets attending the St Albans unit.

Out and About

This charity enables disabled children and young people to become fully included in local, universal activities such as cubs, brownies, sports clubs and after school clubs. Their approach is to recruit young people as volunteers and train them to provide support to their disabled peers within leisure activities.

Funding from London Luton Airport will allow the charity to recruit a further 10 young volunteers to provide support for 25 disabled children living in Luton and North Hertfordshire to take part in everyday leisure activities.

Groundwork Luton & S. Beds

This environmental charity works in deprived neighbourhoods to build sustainable communities through joint environmental action. Funds from London Luton Airport will support the development of achildren’s play facility and garden on the Marsh Farm estate in Luton.

Headway

Headway Luton is a local charity providing quality care and support to adults who have acquired brain injury, including strokes, meningitis, tumour trauma and road traffic accidents.

Funding from London Luton Airport will support an exercise tutor for a year to deliver a ‘low impact’ exercise group for those with physical disabilities. This will help users to maintain and improve their physical functioning after their injury.