Each year, we offer a Community Fund to support the work people, charities and voluntary groups do in local communities.

Projects to receive financial support in 2023-24 include:

• Transition Chipping Norton - £2,500 to support their Youth4Future project which offers children and young people in the town the opportunity to broaden their social circle and learn new skills through free activities focusing on nature, the environment and sustainable living.
  
  
• Home-Start Banbury, Bicester and Chipping Norton - £1690 towards this charity’s one-to-one family support project enabling them to work alongside parents in their homes to help them raise their self-confidence and ability to cope in an increasingly pressured society.
  
  
• Oxford Christmas Lunch - £1597.37 to help this volunteer group offer a befriending service and sit-down meal for up to 500 people on Christmas day. Open to all Oxfordshire residents, attendees included the elderly, refugee families, people in food poverty and those who would simply rather not be alone at Christmas.
  
  
• Yellow Submarine - £1,970 towards a refresh of the café area, including removal of old equipment, new furniture and redecoration, plus a new information area where customers can find out more about the Yellow Submarine charity and its work. Based at the Windrush Leisure Centre, Witney the café provides traineeship programmes for young people with learning disabilities and autism.

Pat Box, manager of Yellow Submarine’s Witney Café, said: “We’re so grateful for Cottsway helping us out when our milkshake and smoothie machine suddenly needed replacing recently, and for its wonderful, continuing support over the years.  We look forward to working together for many more years to come!”

The Community Fund is also available to support our customers who wish to learn new skills and increase job prospects. Grants of up to £250 are available to help pay for training and coaching courses, qualifications and learning support materials. During 2023-24, two customers received financial support to help them with training.

Cottsway customers are encouraged to have their say and vote on any Community Fund applications and the amount of funding that could be awarded, via social media.

Lorna Jones, Community Investment Officer at Cottsway, said: “It’s so encouraging that we are able to help fund so many worthwhile causes through our community fund – it makes a real difference to the people around us and its lovely to be able to play a part in positively impacting the community. By offering our customers the chance to place their votes, we know that the money is going towards the causes that matter most to them’’

Applications have now opened for 2024-25 with a further funding pot of £30,000 available. For more information, including the Community Fund Annual Report which includes all the causes supported last year, see: Community Fund

Pictured: Pat Box with Sophia Kemsley at work at the Yellow Submarine Café.