Christmas has come (a little) early this year, for the successful applicants of the Channel Islands Lottery Funding who were notified last week. Over £422,000 was allocated across the community by the Jersey Community Foundation.
The Funding, which is split into broad community themed funds: arts and heritage; science; sports and active lifestyle, offers crucial finance to organisations and projects that have a positive impact on our local community.
Anna Terry, CEO of Jersey Community Foundation (JCF) said: “The exciting breadth and diversity of all the successful projects are a testament to the creativity, brainpower, and drive alive in Jersey’s community. Funding for these incredible projects comes from the Channel Islands Lottery, so we’d urge the public to pick up their tickets for the Channel Island Christmas lottery this year to help fund more projects in the future.”
A wide variety of community projects benefited from degrees of funding. For example, Jersey’s Parkinson’s Choir were awarded £5,340, St Andrew’s Anglican Church were awarded £50,000 (arts and heritage funding), £20,000 was given to Jersey Basketball Association and £36,000 to Jersey Football Association (sports and active lifestyle) and £40,000 was given to Jersey International Centre of Advanced Studies (JICAS) to address the need to reduce Jersey’s net Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions (science).
Nicki Kennedy from Aureole Music in charge of Jersey’s Parkinson’s Choir said: “Our choral sessions bring social bonding, enjoyment, and a sense of wellbeing to those with Parkinson’s. This recent funding from Jersey Community Foundation allows us to combine these positive outcomes with Speech Therapy, thanks to the addition of a Speech Therapist. This is a ground-breaking initiative that exists in very few territories and could become a significant pilot.”
Katy Grady of Jersey Basketball Association (JBBA), who were awarded £20,000 towards their JBBA Junior Pipeline said: “It is our aim to make basketball more accessible and strengthen links to the different community sectors in Jersey, reaching parts of the community who are not otherwise engaged in more traditional sports. Thanks to these funds, we can increase the number and diversity of our junior players and our capacity to offer them top quality, enjoyable and safe playing opportunities.”
JICAS’s CI Lottery-funded project is the result of long and detailed discussions with local stakeholders that include the Government of Jersey, Jersey Marine Conservation, The Blue Marine Foundation and researchers at the University of Exeter. It hopes to better understand how the processes of blue carbon can maximise the potential ecological, environmental and social value of the sea surrounding Jersey. It sets to address the need to reduce Jersey’s net GHG emissions, while contributing to climate change mitigation. It also addresses the need to develop a blue carbon action plan, addressing specific island circumstances, opportunities, and capacities.
Anna continued: “Whilst we continue to fund charities that are supporting the community during the cost-of-living crisis, we also wish to stress the value of organisations whose goals are to uplift, enrich and advance our community during these difficult financial times.
“Arts, sports, and scientific pursuits help lift us up when we are stressed, they help us process difficult experiences, they can help us express ourselves, improve our mental and physical wellbeing and they are crucial in the education and advancement of our entire community. Our thanks go to our experienced, volunteer board and sector specific advisors who brought their expertise and time to the grant-giving process.”
Pictured: Jersey Basketball Association: ‘Sharks vs Tigers’, credit Josh Hearmon
