Six months on from donating £60,000 to 29 of
Leicestershire's charitable and not-for-profit organisations,
Highcross Leicester's Community Bursary is still giving back to
local communities. From sports projects to learning materials and
from shelters to solar panel roofs, the Bursary has gone a long way
in improving the lives of people across the county.
Amongst the recipients was first step Leicester - a charity that
provides help for adult male survivors of sexual abuse and their
supporters. Following a £5,000 donation from Highcross, first
step has invested in its marketing to make more people aware of its
service, which has resulted in it more than quadrupling the number
of patients that it sees weekly.
Leicestershire Interfaith Gardening Project was one of ten
recipients of a £2,500 bursary, which enabled them to
continue with the group in 2010 and provide accommodation, food and
transport for 10 volunteers from across the world.
Additionally, a £1,000 bursary received by Leicestershire
& Rutland REMAP Panel has enabled the charity to help more
disabled people across the county than ever before by developing
support aids to install in their homes, such as specially adapted
hand rails and hand-held finger-tip pressure pads.
Michael Holland, marketing controller at Highcross, said:
"Highcross is a key part of the community and we wanted to ensure
that the bursary touched as many local charities and organisations
as possible.
"It's brilliant to hear that so many of the charities and
organisations that received a cut of the Community Bursary are
benefitting enormously from the funds. So many of the recipients
have done more with the money than originally planned, so it's
great to hear that the money has given them the boost that they
deserve."
More than 400 applications from across the East Midlands were
made to Highcross when the Bursary was launched at the end of 2009,
with the total funds - raised through the VAT reduction at
Highcross' car parks - ultimately shared by organisations receiving
either £1,000, £2,500 or a £5,000 fund.