Salford Boxing Club head trainer Nick Burke
MEET OUR SPRINGBOARD HEROES
For the past year we have been awarding grants to groups and projects across Salford that are making a difference in our communities.
We have donated around £33,000 to dozens of local groups and initiatives across Salford as part of our Springboard community grant programme.
From boxing clubs to beekeepers, Springboard has provided much-needed cash injections to projects that boost community spirit, promote health and wellbeing, reduce isolation and improve the environment.
Once again we’ve picked four fantastic projects as finalists in our annual Springboard Heroes Awards, with the winning project receiving a £1,000 cash boost and the runners-up each receiving £100.
It was a closely contested month-long public vote, in which nearly 800 votes were cast, but there can only be one winner…
Our runners up are...
Bee Corner
Bee Corner is creating a buzz in Salford after a neglected concrete space was transformed into a green haven for humans and honeybees in the heart of the city.
The project aims to create more opportunities for people to access nature and help tackle the isolation that can come from urban living.
Bee Corner is located at Islington Mill on Chapel Street and is now home to a thriving bee apiary and community garden, which is supporting people to improve their mental health and wellbeing and feel part of the natural world around them.
Beekeepers Tony Roscoe, Amber McCormack and Anna Hill at Bee Corner
Salford Boxing Club
Members of Salford Boxing Club, based in Broughton, have come out fighting to help improve the mental and physical health of Salford residents.
The club aims to make regular exercise accessible to everyone, no matter their circumstances, and supports a wide range of people through exercise, including people with disabilities and those struggling with their mental health.
We’ve supported them with Springboard funding to give away free gym membership to people on low incomes to help remove the financial barriers that might be preventing people from exercising.
Salford Boxing Club head trainer Nick Burke
Seedley and Langworthy in Bloom
This volunteer-led group is on a mission to brighten up Salford with their floral displays.
Every year, the green-fingered volunteers plant thousands of bulbs and flowers along the streets, walkways and roadsides in a one-square-mile area across Seedley and Langworthy.
They have used Springboard funding to continue their efforts to ensure Salford remains in full bloom.
Seedley and Langworthy in Bloom volunteers Christopher Bates, Emily McKittrick, Charlotte Bates and Kimberley Bates
AND THE WINNER IS...
Manchester City Mission – Family Food Fayre
Organisers at the Family Food Fayre - Anina Fernandes, Barry Matley and Linda Pope
Manchester City Mission provides a vital lifeline for people affected by the cost-of-living crisis in Salford, with their Family Food Fayre project providing access to low-cost food, clothing and essentials for the local community.
Manager Barry Matley said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be named Springboard Heroes 2022 winner, it’s an amazing honour. I can’t thank enough anyone who gave their vote to us, it means such a lot and recognises the work the whole team do.
“I also want to thank Salix Homes - the Springboard Heroes competition gave us the opportunity to let more people know about us and the work we do, it will mean so much to everyone who gives their time and energy to help residents who need us more now than ever.”
Currently based at the Windsor Centre in Salford, they offer a twice-weekly drop-in session where residents can choose from a wide range of food items worth around £15 for just £3.
We support the project by paying membership fees for some of our tenants in financial difficulty, and our Springboard fund has also been used to cover the costs of repairs to ensure vital equipment is maintained.
Sian Grant, executive director of operations at Salix Homes, added: “Springboard Heroes is our way of celebrating some of the fantastic work that people are doing to help the residents of Salford in these incredibly challenging times. We’ve not known a cost-of-living emergency like this for decades, so we all need to do what we can to provide help and support.
“Huge congratulations to the Manchester City Mission’s Family Food Fayre, which is a very worthy winner of our annual Springboard Heroes Awards, as voted by the public. It’s projects like these that make our communities so special, and we hope our donation will go some way in supporting them to continue the fantastic work that they do.”
Watch the moment our winners found out they’d won.
Apply for Springboard funding
Anyone can apply for the Springboard fund. It doesn’t matter if you’re an established community group, a charity, school, or just one person with a great idea for a community project, you can still apply for a share of the funding pot.
Apply online at www.salixhomes.co.uk/springboard or email enquiries@salixhomes.co.uk
