Vernon Jubilee Fund hands out £10,000 to good causes in Stockport

The Stockport County Community Foundation disability adults team
The Stockport County Community Foundation disability adults team

The Stockport County Community Foundation and The Wellspring homeless charity were the two big winners after the votes were counted in the £10,000 Vernon Jubilee Fund.

A record 4,371 votes were cast via the Stockport Express and the Vernon Building Society Facebook page for the 16 shortlisted groups and charities with the top two both receiving over £1,000 each.

All the shortlisted groups had been guaranteed £100 from the fund before the public vote with the rest divided depending on the number of votes received.

The Stockport County Community Foundation, the community section of Stockport County Football Club, will receive the biggest share of the pot – £1,862 – after picking up 917 votes.

The Wellspring homeless charity in Stockport town centre is next with £1,716, followed by AuKids magazine, which will receive £968.63,

Each vote was worth £1.92 to the chosen group.

The Stockport County Community Foundation will use the money to support their coaching sessions and buy equipment for the 120 children and adults with a range of physical and learning disabilities that take part in their football and multi-sport project.

Adrian Rigby-Bates, Disability Football Development Officer, said: “I would like to thank everyone on behalf of the Community Foundation who supported by voting for us.

“We provide weekly coaching sessions and monthly football tournaments for people with disabilities and are desperately in need of new equipment for this project.

“The Vernon Jubilee Fund will make such a positive difference and will be spent on football kits for children and adults, training bibs, footballs, ball bags, wheelchair football, training cones, plastic ladders, plastic hurdles, pop-up goals, water bottles, shin pads, goalkeeping gloves and first-aid kits.”

Jonathan Billings, project manager at The Wellspring, thanked the public for its ‘fantastic support’.

He said: “We would very much like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for us.

“To receive so many votes from the community of Stockport is very motivating for everyone involved in running The Wellspring, to know we have such brilliant backing from our community supporting us in our work with homeless people and those at risk of homelessness is a blessing.

“The funds raised will be spent on running all the services at The Wellspring – the project is a very busy place with the number of people using the service growing by the day.

“Thanks for supporting The Wellspring and helping us to work towards ending homelessness in Stockport.”

The Jubilee Fund was set up in 2012 by the Vernon Building Society and has given away £60,000 to charities and community groups in the Stockport area.

Mike Hanson, chief executive of the Vernon, said: “Our members and community are always at the heart of what we do, so it’s very humbling to see so many in Stockport cast their vote and show their support to these 16 very worthwhile local causes.”

Who received what from the 2017 Vernon Jubilee Fund

  • Stockport County Community Foundation £1,862.25
  • The Wellspring £1,716.20
  • AuKids magazine £968.63
  • Bosden Farm Community Group £693.82
  • The Weekend Day Centre for Dementia Care £624.64
  • Stockport Foodbank £611.19
  • Stroke Information £538.16
  • Friends of St Joseph’s £530.47
  • 1st Hazel Grove Scout Group £482.43
  • Independent Options £409.40
  • MedEquip4Kids £388.26
  • Family Art Attack £326.77
  • Beechwood Cancer Care £247.98
  • Stockport Building Preservation Trust £247.98
  • Love Reddish £224.91
  • Avro Heritage Museum £126.90

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