Get behind Get Crafty With Words and help make it happen
Residents in Oswestry are being encouraged to get behind a community project and help to make it happen.
The project, called Get Crafty With Words, is currently seeking backers on Crowdfund Shropshire, a new crowdfunding platform from Shropshire Council in partnership with Spacehive.
Get Crafty With Words aims to improve literacy skills for children and adults living in Oswestry and the surrounding area. The project will bring generations together in a safe and non-judgmental setting, with the objective of improving literacy and reading skills in a fun way.
Crowdfund Shropshire is an opportunity for local community groups to bring forward an impactful project in their neighbourhood and receive financial support from the council and the local community – via crowdfunding – to help make it happen.
Crowdfund Shropshire logo
The council has funding of £150,000 (non-capital funding) through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to pledge to projects through this programme. Groups or organisations could receive up to 60% of their crowdfunding target, up to a maximum of £10,000, pledged by Shropshire Council directly into the campaign.
Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for finance, corporate resources and communities, said:-
“Get Crafty With Words is doing really well, and it’s great to see that they’ve already reached an impressive 83%, equivalent to £8,128 of their target.
“There’s still time to pledge your support, so please donate as much as you can and help them to make it happen.
“The project has been picked because of the huge difference it will make in your community – and you are a key part of this.”
Kim Wootton, Oswestry Community Action’s chief officer, added:-
“Our Get Crafty With Words project aims to improve literacy and reading skills for children and adults living in Oswestry and the surrounding area. We will combine arts and crafts with reading so learning is fun and exciting. Our project is important for Oswestry because, post-pandemic, many children are still struggling to catch up with their learning. We want to make a difference and support our community.”
Campaigns need to reach their target for any of the funds to be released by the council. If groups do not reach their target, all the of pledges are returned to the backers.
Get Crafty With Words is one of many community projects seeking support across the county.
People can find out more about them and how they can support them here: www.spacehive.com/movement/crowdfund-shropshire
Another chance to submit projects
The second round of funding is now open.
For this next round of funding, projects can bid for up to £10,000 from the Shared Prosperity Community Fund (in partnership with Shropshire Infrastructure Partnership), and up to £20,000 from the Green Spaces and Active Travel Fund (in partnership with Shropshire Wildlife Trust, and Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin).
To find out more, people can visit https://www.spacehive.com/movement/crowdfund-shropshire/
More about the funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund
This has been made possible due to funding under the Communities and Place theme of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund managed by Shropshire Council. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
