Community Fund Annual Report 24/25
The SKylight Community Fund supports projects which make a difference to the lives of Stockport Homes’ customers and the wider community. With an annual budget of £50,000, local groups can apply for up to £2,000 to support projects and activities that benefit their local area. For the financial year April 2024 to March 2025, the SKylight Community Fund Customer Panel awarded the full annual budget of £50,000 with funds distributed to 29 local groups across Stockport.
In total, 39 bids were received valued at £62,935.22. The average amount awarded per project was £1,785.72. ROUND 1
£40,631.61
ROUND 2
£9,368.50
How the fund was awarded by Ward Areas Central Stockport £30,152.66 Stepping Hill £8,414.80 Heatons & Reddish £4,000 Cheadle £3,977 Marple £1,985.65 Werneth £1,820 Bramhall & Cheadle Hulme £1,650
How the fund was awarded by project aims
The fund’s objectives align with supporting groups and projects falling within at least one of five designated categories:
Health & Wellbeing
£16,464.57 9 Projects
Digital Inclusion
£4,000.00 2 Projects
Younger People
Community Spirit
7 Projects
6 Projects
£12,622.39
£11,230.00
Older People
£5,657.50 5 Projects
Some of the groups and activities made possible by the fund OLDER PEOPLE
OLDER PEOPLE
Brinnington Savers
Offerton Activities
Awarded £524
Awarded £1,234.50
Their funds hosted a festive day out to the Sheffield Christmas Markets. The trip aimed to combat isolation during a difficult period for many, and support people in making new friendships and enjoying new experiences.
Offerton Activities brought together older residents in the community for their famous Annual Shindig. The fund contributed to the cost of food and live music entertainment.
DIGITAL INCLUSION
Coming Home Awarded £2,000 This award contributed to the delivery of digital skills and employability sessions for women leaving prison or previously involved in the criminal justice system. Through a four-day workshop, the project focusses on: digital skills, employability and building resilience. The fund covered facilitation costs, venue hire, materials and marketing.
Some of the groups and activities made possible by the fund DIGITAL INCLUSION
YOUNGER PEOPLE
SAZ Media
Cheadle Hulme Ladybridge Cricket Club
Awarded £2,000 Delivered five bespoke photography and filming workshops with young people aged 12 - 17. The project aims to increase digital skills among young people and encourage artistry, selfexpression and collaboration, providing free equipment for participants to capture their local neighbourhood. The fund also supported the development of a photography booklet as a memoir of their work.
YOUNGER PEOPLE
Awarded £1,650 Supported the delivery of targeted taster cricket sessions, aimed at 40 local young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds. The fund contributed to a kit bank, and contribution to junior memberships.
YOUNGER PEOPLE
Stockport Music Project
Rising Stars NW CIC
Awarded £2,000
Awarded £1,950
Their grant launched a pilot of their musical youth club in the Offerton area, where low cost out-of-school music tuition was not readily available. Through their youth club style safe space, their weekly music sessions champion accessible learning, creativity led by the young people, encouragement and self-learning.
The group hosted silent disco events in local libraries. This project, ‘Hush Hush’, aimed to bring communities together through music in a traditionally quiet space. The project focussed on socialising, creativity, confidence-building and community connection.
Some of the groups and activities made possible by the fund HEALTH AND WELLBEING
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Riverside Café and ICY Bar
Fikawelie Caribbean and African Mental Health CIC
Awarded £1,985.65 ‘Our Space’ provides a safe space for young people and adults with autism, and their carer, to connect with others, form friendships and take part in group-led activities form friendships and take part in group-led activities. The fund contributed to the cost of arts and crafts materials and volunteer expenses.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Different but the Same Awarded £1,480 This newly formed group were funded to run weekly coffee mornings to support residents with special education needs and disabilities, and their families, in Brinnington. The aim is to give people a safe space to get to know people with shared experiences, and provide some reassurance and understanding.
Awarded £2,000 With their grant, this group delivered ‘Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MSBR) Training’ to help people cope with mental or physical conditions in daily life. The project had 5 aims to: reduce stress, improve physical health, enhance mental health, better relationships and increase resilience.
Some of the groups and activities made possible by the fund COMMUNITY SPIRIT
COMMUNITY SPIRIT
Cheadle Civic Society
Stockport Branch CRA & MVRA
Awarded £1,977
Awarded £1,000
Combined arts, crafts, creativity and nature for their project ‘Art and the Allotment’, based at the Socially Yours allotment. Their many successful sessions included plant-pot painting, picnic painting, planting your own food and a celebration day.
This fund helped to deliver a memorial event to commemorate the Battle of St Julien (31st July 1971); a significant event in the Stockport Military calendar. The memorial service was followed by a social gathering at the barracks. COMMUNITY SPIRIT
Lancashire Hill Family Group Awarded £1,599.47 LHFG ran a trip to the zoo to conclude their success Summer Holiday Club in 2025. The trip was an opportunity for families to enjoy a fun and interactive day out and provides an opportunity for children who had never been to a zoo before. The fund supported the cost of entry for all, and a coach.
Community Fund Case Studies
The Oromo Foundation
The Oromo Foundation is a community-led group based in Lancashire Hill, Stockport. The foundation is a welcoming space for the Oromo community, particularly those who have recently moved to the borough. The group meets every weekend to provide information, advice, and to support cultural heritage. During lockdown restrictions in 2020, members of this minority ethnic group faced increased isolation and loneliness. The group came together to provide mutual support, but as restrictions eased, they needed a sustainable way to maintain this connection and continue their community activities. Stockport Homes supported the Oromo Foundation by providing a dedicated community room where the group could meet and continue their activities, such as: • Providing quality social time for members. • Supporting vulnerable individuals within the community. • Teaching children Maths, English, the Oromo language (Afaan Oromo), and cultural traditions.
• Offering support to Oromo asylum seekers through social activities like shared lunches. • Promoting cultural exchange with neighbours. • Organising community activities to strengthen relationships.
• Improving digital literacy The group has grown from strength to strength, particularly in securing funding from the Skylight Community Fund, and Forever Manchester, in 2024. Some of their successes include: • Social Connection: Group members remain well connected, significantly reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness. The community is now better informed about local services and can assist those in need.
• Community Engagement: The group organised a community trip to Manchester Metropolitan University. This event aimed to inspire children by showing the value of education and was positively received by both children and their parents.
• Educational Support: Thanks to the Community Fund, the foundation • Positive Youth Development: The has been able to work closely with foundation remains committed to children, offering lessons in Maths, empowering children to recognise English, and Afaan Oromo. All children their potential and avoid negative involved can now read and write in influences, such as crime, by providing their native language, helping preserve positive role models and opportunities. their cultural heritage.
Stretching Our Support Further: Introducing a New Funding Stream for 2025-26
In response to valuable feedback from the Community Fund Customer Panel, the SKylight Community Fund has revised its funding structure. These changes are designed to maximise long-term impact and better support the diverse needs of local groups and initiatives.
A: Community Grassroots Fund
This fund offers up to £2,000 for unincorporated community groups, to be used over a 12-month period. A total of £40,000 has been allocated for grassroots initiatives this financial year, ensuring vital support reaches those working at the heart of our communities.
B: Local Impact Fund
Designed for Community Interest Companies (CICs) and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs), and small Stockport-based charities, this fund provides up to *£5,000 (£10,000 across the financial year) to support longer-term projects. The aim is to help initiatives grow in scale and sustainability, to deliver meaningful, lasting change.
They Said, We Did…
We’ve also made some key improvements to ensure the funding process is clearer and more inclusive: • Clearer Application Guidance: The application process has been simplified, with clearer expectations around content and length to support community groups in submitting strong proposals. • Cost Breakdown Example: A detailed example of a cost breakdown is now provided to help applicants create more accurate and transparent budgets. • Improved Evaluation Process: The evaluation form has been updated to capture richer feedback and better measure the impact of funded projects within communities.
• Regular Feedback Loops: Evaluation insights are now consistently shared with the panel to inform future funding decisions. • Increased Accessibility for Grassroots Groups: Additional measures have been taken to ensure grassroots organisations can access and benefit from the fund. • Streamlined Review Process: Administrative processes have been refined to make it easier for the panel to manage and review a high volume of applications efficiently.
SKylight Community Fund Customer Panel
Eligible bids are put forward to our SKylight Community Fund Customer Panel, who ultimately decide how the fund is spent. Panel members bring skills and experience from their own community work. With the introduction of our Local Impact Fund, we are now recruiting for new panel members, who can choose to be part of the Community Grassroots Panel, or the new Local Impact Fund. We are currently looking for… • People aged 18+ • Who live in Stockport and have experience in volunteering in their local community. • Have a genuine interest in community work in Stockport. • That are happy to take part in a minimum of two panel meetings per year, either online or in person • Are willing to attend training that will support you in your role.
Email us at community.fund@stockporthomes.org for more information.