Hartington Rural Social Group in Derbyshire is celebrating after being awarded a grant of £1,000 to help fund new seating for the elderly, as part of rural energy provider Calor’s annual funding scheme.
The aim of the Calor Rural Community Fund is to give off-grid communities the chance to gain grants for projects that will improve local life. With a total fund of £50,000, this year the scheme offered funding for 21 different projects, with prize pots ranging from £1,000 up to £5,000.
Hartington Rural Social Group, situated in the Dove Valley within the Peak District National Park, has a dominant farming community with over half aged over 50. To avoid isolation and vulnerability of this demographic, Hartington Rural Social Group aim to bring together volunteers and individuals in the community to socialise within a supportive setting.
The Calor grant will be used to fund the purchase of 20 new supportive chairs with arm rests for the elderly. In addition to this, the grant will fund the replacement of two broken double sockets at Hartington Village Hall, where the group holds its meetings.
John Keith Quine, Chairman of Hartington Village Hall, the venue for the Hartington Rural Social Group said: “Our objective for the group is to address the needs of aged, often isolated and potentially vulnerable, individuals from within our farming and rural community.
“In monthly meetings we bring together individuals to meet old friends, and make new ones, over a couple of hours where tea, coffee and cake are provided along with a themed guest speaker. Calor’s generosity means that we can provide a more comfortable environment for the elderly, which will enable us to meet our objectives of the group.”
Paul Blacklock, Calor’s Corporate Affairs Manager added: “As a rural energy provider, we understand that country living can be challenging and access to community facilities can be especially difficult.
“We set up the Calor Rural Community Fund to be able to give something back to these rural communities, and this year we were inundated by a number of deserving projects. We’re delighted to award Hartington Rural Social Group with £1,000 to help their community project and look forward to seeing the results.
“This year’s scheme was so successful we plan to relaunch it again in 2019, so keep an eye out on our website and social media channels for updates as we hope to be funding more fantastic projects near you!”
For further information, please visit www.calor.co.uk/communityfund
