Eight Stockport organisations among latest to benefit from Manchester Airport Community Trust Fund

13 community projects and organisations in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, including eight in Stockport, are the latest beneficiaries of £27,000 of funding from the airport’s Community Trust.

The Manchester Airport Community Trust Fund, which is overseen by the airport and is managed through a committee of independent Trustees made up of councillors from neighbouring communities, provides funding either as a contribution to, or to meet the cost of, not-for-profit initiatives within 10 miles of the airport site, up to £3,000.

The latest round of funding, decided in January 2022, has seen £27,000 shared across 13 organisations, with awards between £450 and £3,000.

Among the largest awards given was to Cheadle Town Football Club, which will receive £3,000 towards a case and accessories for a new defibrillator, and toilet improvements to allow disabled access at its Park Road ground. The defibrillator will be available to members of the public in the event of an emergency. Brian Lindon, the club’s Head of Development, said:

“The contribution from the Community Trust Fund will be a massive help. A number of us running the club’s operations are volunteers and it is always a battle just to cover our costs, so help from the fund in installing this defibrillator for community use and improving our toilet facilities is hugely valuable.”

Cheadle Town Football Club was one of eight organisations and projects in Stockport to receive funding alongside: St Matthew’s Church, BOOST Sport and Recreation, Beacon Counselling, Compstall Community Council, Stockport Race Equality Partnership, Belle Vue Brass Band, and Marple Sports Club.

Each year Manchester Airports Group contributes £100,000 to the Fund, alongside finds levied at airlines whose planes have breached noise limits.

Karen Smart, Managing Director at Manchester Airport, said:

“The Community Trust Fund was established in 1997 to benefit our neighbouring communities, and to ensure they had the opportunity to share in the airport’s success.

“We are incredibly proud the fund has invested more than £3.5m in community-led projects over the past quarter of a century, and we remain as committed to this as we always have been, despite the challenges that the pandemic has created.”

Details on how to apply for a Community Trust Fund grant, and the full criteria, can be found here. The deadline for applications to be considered at the next quarterly meeting in April is this Sunday (6^th March).

Pictured: Goostrey Community Shed, a workshop to reduce social isolation in the Cheshire village, received just shy of £1,500 to cover DIY equipment from the Manchester Airport Community Trust