Bath Half Marathon Fund Awards Grants to Help Local Communities Stay Fit and Healthy

Each year donations from runners entering the Bath Half Marathon are channelled through Quartet Community Foundation into sports, exercise and play projects organised by community groups within Bath & North East Somerset. The aim of the grant programme is to improve physical health and wellbeing close to people’s homes, reaching out especially to residents who are isolated or facing disadvantage. Using runners’ donations from this year’s race the grants panel have now awarded £15,000 in total to twelve charitable groups, including Timebank Plus in Twerton, Threeways School in Odd Down, and First Steps (Bath).

 

An additional grant was also directly awarded to Bath junior parkrun.

 

Over the last fifteen years the Bath Half Marathon Fund has awarded a total of £197,000 in cash grants to 175 projects delivered by 110 local community groups.

 

Since setting up the Fund through Quartet Community Foundation, the Bath Half Marathon Fund has grown a sizeable endowment fund, of £240,000, to provide a permanent source of future funding for local community groups.

 

Race organisers, Andrew and Mel Taylor from Running High Events said, “We are truly grateful to the runners that opt to donate to the community fund when they enter the race. The fund was started in 2003, specifically to support local charitable groups, too small to benefit through our official race charity scheme. Working with Quartet Community Foundation puts us directly in touch with these groups, where relatively small grants can make a big difference. If you are thinking about running this year please consider making a small donation when you enter, your help goes a very, long way in the local community.”

 

Claire Wynne Hughes, Philanthropy Executive, Bath and North East Somerset at Quartet Community Foundation, said, “Demand for this round of grant funding was high, and we received a wide range of applications for projects

 

supporting people- old and young- into sporting and play activities.” She went on to say, “For many projects, a small amount of money can make all the difference.”

 

One of the projects given the green light this summer is First Steps (Bath) towards the redevelopment of their outdoor play and learning area at Twerton Children's Centre. Chief Executive of First Steps, Roz Lambert, explained “the grant from the Bath Half Marathon Fund grant programme helped towards replacing a soft surface beneath a piece of climbing equipment, something which was much needed. Outdoor play is vital for children’s health and wellbeing, particularly in disadvantaged communities, and the improvements in the outdoor play area will make so much difference. The children are thrilled with the new soft surface, they actually use the space in a very different and positive way, enjoying the bouncy texture and keeping their wheeled toys away from the area.”

 

A grant was made to Timebank Plus in Twerton which will contribute to enabling them to continue to offer local people the opportunity to take part in successful gardening, food growing and walking groups. Viv Talbot, the Manager of Timebank Plus, explained that “Feedback from our members consistently shows an improvement in confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing and we have many examples of individuals whose lives have been turned around as a result of their involvement with Timebank Plus. The walking groups, in particular, provide an opportunity to spend time outdoors and to meet and engage with others in the local area”.

 

For information on Quartet Community Foundation grants programmes, visit www.quartetcf.org.uk

 

For information on the Bath Half Marathon see www.bathhalf.co.uk

 

For details of the Bath Half Marathon Fund see www.bathhalf.co.uk/charities/donations-to-the-marathon-fund/