MELKSHAM Rotary club handed out grants of around £8,000 to local groups and organisations on Thursday 4th July, using money raised at the Arthouse café.
President of Melksham Rotary, Rita Sanders said, “Over the past year Melksham Rotary has raised in the region of £14,000, mostly through the efforts of the Arthouse café, which is run by the Rotary Club.
“It is largely due to the hard work of the volunteers, who give their time freely at the cafe on a regular basis that we were able to pass on around £8,000 to local charities and organisations at our grants presentation evening.
“It was a pleasure to welcome mayor Jon Hubbard as well as all the deserving organisations, which Melksham Rotary is delighted to have been able to support, whether it has been in a large or a small way.
“The Arthouse is always in need of extra volunteers, who will help to ensure that in the years to come, we will continue to be able to support other organisations who do great work in our community.”
The recipients of the grants were:
• Adrienne and Nick Westbrook received funding on behalf of the Melksham 800th Market Charter celebrations which is happening over the 28th and 29th September.
• Bev Pace was joined by two stroke survivors to receive funding on behalf of Back on Track, a stroke rehabilitation service.
• Jenny and Graham Butcher of Bowerhill Residents Action Group (BRAG) accepted funds to continue running the group.
•Brian Roberts of Community Action: Whitley and Shaw (CAWS) collected funding for the phone box renovation.
• Colin Goodhind of Melksham parkrun collected funds for a new defibrillator in King George V.
• Christine Thomson and Pauline Centa of Readeasy Melksham collected funds to continue running the reading service.
• Karen Austin, head of River Mead Primary School, collected funds to help fund their art therapy project and boomwhackers.
• Marcia Cottle and Janet Seal from Short Mat Bowls club collected funds for additional equipment.
• Pam Wornham and Chris Harvey of St Michael’s Church collected money towards new toilet facilities.
• Steve Chudley of Melksham 60+ club collected funding to help fund bus subsidies.
• Barbara Jansen from Stepping Stones collected funding to buy a laptop.
• Brian Warwick on behalf of Thornbank collected funds for a new TV.
• Carolyn Beale CEO of Wiltshire Mind attended to collect funding for a new support group.
• Alan Whetherly of Wiltshire Sight collected funding for running costs to continue the drop-in sessions.
• Friends of Shurnhold Field received funding for materials for making a picnic table and bench for the old George Ward playing fields.
• Sequal Trust received money towards equipment for a local resident.
