Struggling families and digitally excluded win KCOM grants

Everyone from youngsters needing school uniform to pensioners seeking new online opportunities will benefit from the latest KCOM grants.

The East Riding-based broadband provider has announced five local groups as winners of its latest round of community grants.

Louise Babych, Community Impact Partner at KCOM, said: "We received 50 applications this round from many worthy causes and it was incredibly hard to pick five eventual winners. The winners put in some great applications that impressed the panel and showed what a difference they're making to improve lives in their local communities."

The lucky winners are Techy Tea, which empowers elderly people online; Groundwork, A Hull-based charity that helps disadvantaged people learn practical skills for life; Goole’s Reedness Primary School, which will use the cash to buy buddy benches; west Hull’s Rainbow Centre, a community group which will buy sensory toys for younger children, and the RE-Uniform Project, which provides school equipment for families struggling to buy their own.

Vikki Williams, manager of Re-Uniform, said: “Thank you so much to KCOM for your help in getting a dedicated phone for the charity, and some plastic storage boxes to keep uniform in. The phone will help enormously for us contacting families requesting uniform and the boxes will help keep uniform in the best condition until we send it out to families. We can't thank you enough.”

Wendy Drury, of the Gipsyville-based Rainbow Centre, said: “As a Not-for-Profit Organisation, we rely on grants to support the running of the Family Hub at Rainbow. Funding received from KCOM grants will enable us to purchase some much-needed sensory equipment to have the right resources for our play sessions. We would like to thank KCOM for their contribution to enable us to do this.”

Groundwork, which has been based in Hull for over 14 years, works with some of Yorkshire’s most disadvantaged communities, supporting a host of projects helping people learn practical and therapeutic skills.

Programme manager Karen Tozer said: “Please pass on our gratitude for all those who chose our application to receive a grant it is really lovely that they recognised the value of what we are doing and hope to build on.”

Reedness Primary School is a small rural school based in Goole dedicated to giving children important life skills, such as cooking, gardening and computing. Its grant will be used to buy two buddy benches, adding to its outdoor community space and encouraging children to make new friendships.

Headteacher Matthew Herbert said: “Thank you KCOM. The Buddy Benches will positively impact the mental health of both the community and their children by bringing people together in an open space, allowing people of all ages to chat and for friendships to blossom.”

Dominic Platt, Director of Techy Tea, said: “This funding marks the beginning of unleashing the true potential of Techy Tea. We’re going to be able to level up our image and be able to share what we do to so many more people!"

KCOM awards grants of up to £1,000 every three months to local community groups and charities within the Hull, East Yorkshire, and North Lincolnshire area. It looks for those who are wanting to improve and enrich the lives of those in the local area and applications are always open.

For more details about applying for KCOM Community Grant visit here