£80,000 of donations made in 2021 by airport’s Community Trust Fund

Manchester Airport’s Community Trust Fund has now pledged more than £80,000 to local community causes in 2021, after nine grants totalling £23,146.46 were approved in the latest funding round.

The latest round of donations, agreed in July, follow 17 grants offered at April’s meeting worth £25,770.60, and more than £30,000 pledged after a meeting in January.

Beneficiaries of the latest round of donations include three local cricket clubs, a community-run project encouraging plastic recycling and a Manchester-based charity aiming to tackle food poverty.

Cheadle Hulme Cricket Club, which has been at the heart of its local community for 130 years, will receive £3,000 towards three new wicket covers (pictured).

Alex Read, who applied for the grant on the club’s behalf, explained:

We have 15 teams, which means we need multiple cricket pitches on our square. Currently we can only protect two wickets at a time.

“Thanks to the generous grant from the Manchester Airport Community Trust Fund, we will now be able to protect double the amount of wickets, which will ensure we will be able to play more matches in a season.”

Also due to benefit is Stockport-based Plastic Shed, which runs creative, educational plastic recycling workshops. The group’s free sessions allow local people to learn new skills whilst repurposing their plastic waste. It will receive £2,630 to pay for a plastic moulding machine.

Plastic Shed Co-Director, Rachel Lewis, said:

We now have hundreds of people across Stockport saving their bottle caps and plastic packaging from the bin and bringing it down to our workshop in the Merseyway Shopping Centre.

“With this funding from Manchester Airport we will now be able to turn that plastic into items that the community really want and need – the injection moulder will heat the shredded plastic into intricate moulds and we can’t wait to work with our community to recycle even more plastic waste into new useful things.”

Karen Smart, Managing Director at Manchester Airport, said:

“We have had an unprecedented number of applications in recent months from community organisations across Greater Manchester and North Cheshire, as they begin to plan for the future with the end of Coronavirus restrictions hopefully in sight.

“At times like these, we recognise more than ever the important role that our airport plays as an institution at the heart of our community and are proud to be able to support so many fantastic causes with this latest round of donations.

“If your organisation is based within 10 miles of our airport and you need some support with a community project, our Trust Fund would love to hear from you.”

The Community Trust Fund’s board is next due to meet later this month and is welcoming applications for up to £3,000 from locally based, not-for-profit organisations. Details on how to apply and the full criteria can be found on the airport’s website.