Bridgnorth Aluminium’s Community Fund has handed out £15,000 to six causes tackling rural isolation, with more than 2,000 people set to benefit.
Charities ranging from a befriending service to a community hub repairing hearing aids have been chosen as recipients of the firm’s first fund launched in partnership with Shropshire Community Foundation.
The £15,000 is part of a wider £25,000 donation for charitable causes in what is a landmark year for the UK’s last surviving aluminium coil rolling mill, as it celebrates 25 years of being part of the Greece-based Viohalco Group.
Adam Thorpe, Learning & Development Supervisor at Bridgnorth Aluminium, said employees at the company had been involved in choosing the where the funding was directed
“Around 10,000 people in Shropshire are living with chronic loneliness and many rural communities face additional barriers such as poor transport links and reduced access to services. “We wanted to help address those challenges while also supporting programmes delivering real impact in communities. “One of the projects will see young people with special needs supporting older members of their community in their gardens, and another will provide funding directly towards funding transport for mental health outreach. “We’re a company with a long history of supporting our community here in Bridgnorth and this new Bridgnorth Aluminium Community Fund marking our 25th year as part of Viohalco is a great way to celebrate a milestone and give back.”
A full list of the recipients includes:
BizEd Projects CIC – The Whitchurch based charity will deliver a project recruiting young people with special education needs (SEN), aged 16-25 into a team delivering garden maintenance and other tasks for older, vulnerable and isolated members of the community.
Chetton & District Parish Hall – The Chetton Active Friends project has been running for eight years and provides supervised seated exercise, with those living in rural isolation benefitting from physical and mental well-being.
Feed the Birds – The organisation offers a unique, nature focussed befriending service in Shropshire, to help those living in rural isolation. The grant will go towards new stocks of feeders and food for clients.
Omega (Ending isolation, Ending Loneliness) – Through their telephone and pen pal befriending service, the organisation will use grant money to provide one on one support for an additional 35 people socially isolated in Shropshire.
Shropshire Mental Health Support – Funding will go to providing a vehicle with two mental health support staff, who will travel to communities providing direct support, guidance, information and emotional support for those who need it.
Community Resource – A grant will go to providing two Bridgnorth Hearing Loss Hubs across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, offering practical help, social interaction and hearing aid maintenance.
Shropshire Community Foundation trustee Roger Pemberton added: “The Bridgnorth Aluminium Fund will go a real way to helping tackle loneliness and isolation in communities across Shropshire. “There are a lot of people who are going to benefit from this vital funding, and full credit to the company for prioritising this cause and stepping up to address something that is a real issue in the county.”
For further information, please visit www.bridgnorthaluminium.co.uk or follow the company across its social media channels.
