It has been a strange few years to feel optimistic. The news moves fast, problems feel enormous, and it’s easy to forget that most of the things that make life worth living happen around the corner and not on our doomy news feeds.
This summer, MK Community Foundation launched Community Roots, forty grants of £1,000 each, being offered to the community groups and small charities of Milton Keynes to make the community better. The process is a short form and a ninety-second video explaining how the money can be used to bring people together. The team have been delighted with the response and enthusiasm for the campaign.
The Community Roots Project
Accustomed to carefully reviewing written applications, the project means the panel sees the faces behind the projects for the first time. It brings home the dedication, passion and hard work of local people doing extraordinary things to support their communities.
Just a few weeks in, Community Roots grants are already having a positive impact on local communities. For Men in Sheds Milton Keynes, the grant will fund bike maintenance training and specialist tools. Many members already possess a wealth of practical skills. Engineers, tinkerers and lifelong problem-solvers will soon be helping residents repair punctures, adjust brakes and bring neglected bicycles back into use, encouraging more people to get cycling.
For Hoda Community Bridge, the funding supports Flavours Without Borders, a monthly cooking club that brings Afghan women together with women from other communities. Using food as a shared language, the project helps tackle social isolation, build confidence and create meaningful cross-cultural connections.
Meanwhile, One Love Luncheon Club supports older people who may be living alone and are no longer able to cook the cultural dishes that connect them to home. The grant covers ingredients, venue and craft materials, to keep this vibrant club open to people who rely on it for a weekly dose of joy.
Scot Bowls Club is growing its membership and needs equipment to welcome new players, particularly women. Little Miracles Milton Keynes gives children with disabilities and additional needs their first experience of sledging and karting in sessions designed around them, and gives their parents a rare chance to sit together and relax. MK and Broughton Village Hall will use the money to keep the lights on and the kettle boiling at its weekly warm hub. Mindfulness Inspired Art is returning with its Autumn Light festival in Broughton, which drew 425 people last year. Two Mile Ash Community Council is doubling the Christmas Lunch offering and making sure it reaches more people who need it most.
Community Roots would not be possible without the generosity of local donors and businesses who understand that one of the best investments they can make in a place is in the people already working every day to make it better.
To find out more about supporting MK Community Foundation’s grant programmes visit their website.
