Date: 15/04/2008
Eight community, sport and social groups - including Buxton residents creating a 'living sculpture' in a pioneering project believed to be a first for the High Peak -- have each secured a share in a 'Small Grants Pot' totalling £2,275 from the Borough Council's Community Fund.
Cavendish Fields Residents Group has been awarded £250 towards the cost of transforming the trunk of a felled beech tree into a collaborative work of art featuring the wildlife and history of the former Cavendish Girls School in Buxton, now a housing development.
Alarmed by the fact that a quarter of the mature beech trees in a copse planted more than 100 years ago have had to be cut down due to disease over the past 12 years, residents decided to take positive action.
After consulting the Borough Council and enlisting the help of our arboricultural officer, Monica Gillespie, they set up a formal group to save the latest tree and, according to chairman Mike Moore, turn a 'lost thing of beauty into another thing of beauty for generations to come'.
"Receiving this grant is recognition that this is a true community project involving residents, pupils from St. Anne's RC Primary School and the Borough Council, all working in perfect harmony," said Mike. "When I spoke to Monica about it, she said it hadn't been done before in the High Peak, but thought it was an extremely good idea and has been totally supportive of everything we have done."
Wirksworth-based wood sculptor Andrew Frost -- whose imaginative work can be seen at Tideswell Dale, Carsington Water, Marple's Memorial Park and Etherow Country Park, among other sites -- will transform the tree into environmental art later this month.
The sculpture will incorporate ideas from both local people and pupils at St. Anne's, including a barn owl to represent the local owl population, plus books and the motto 'Each for All' to echo the site's history as Cavendish Girls School.
It is expected that Andrew will take two to three weeks to complete the work - including bark stripping, cutting, sculpting, sanding and applying preservative -- and the final result will be judged as part of Buxton's Britain in Bloom bid during the spring and summer.
The Whaley Bridge Mother and Toddler Group, currently celebrating its 30th anniversary year, has been awarded £250.
Chair Mary Jones and around 30 other mothers and youngsters under five, who regularly attend twice-weekly social and play sessions at the Uniting Church, in Buxton Road, are delighted by the news. The cash will go towards renewing 17 vinyl mats in a baby area, where children, up to a year old, can play in safety, before they start walking.
"It's wonderful to receive the money, because it means we can renew the existing mats, which are beginning to look quite old and frayed," said Mary. "The mats are soft, and because they are covered in vinyl, are easy to keep clean. Investing in new ones will be a great way of marking our 30th birthday - and we'll also be organising a big celebration to coincide with Whaley Bridge Carnival in July."
Glossop and District Choral Society has been given £275 towards the cost of staging a concert, featuring a professional orchestra, when its members perform The Creation, by Franz Joseph Haydn, at St Mary's Catholic Church, Sumner Street, Glossop, on Saturday, May 17.
"The grant is very useful to us, as it means we will be able to invest in the services of professional musicians for our next concert," said sponsorship secretary Anne Wilkie.
With about 150 members from Glossopdale and Tameside, the society celebrates its 55th anniversary this year. It stages two concerts a year plus a carol concert, and is developing thriving links with local secondary schools.
"We have already worked with young people from Glossopdale Community College and are looking to extend this to include pupils from St Philip Howard RC School in the future," added Anne. "Both schools have got lots of talented children, and the idea is to stimulate and foster their interest, in the hope of encouraging them to join us later as adult members."
Tickets for Glossop and District Choral Society's production of The Creation, price £8 (concessions £6), are available from publicity secretaries Margaret Buckley on 01457 855639 and Ronnie Williams on 01457 853563, or from Bay Tree Books, High Street West, Glossop, telephone 01457 862512.
Anyone interested in joining the society, should contact Anne Wilkie on 01457 855916.
Other groups that have benefited in the current round of awards are:
"The aim of the 'Small Grants Pot' in our Community Fund is to help voluntary organisations and community groups that play a key role in improving quality of life for people who live in the High Peak," said Councillor Andrew Bingham, High Peak Borough Council's Executive Member for Social and Community Development.
"Individual applications can be made up to a maximum of £500, but even small amounts of money can make a big difference to the range of services, facilities and activities they are able to offer and provide support for the excellent and wide-ranging work they do in their local communities."
Groups and organisations interesting in applying for the next round of cash, available from the 'Small Grants Pot', are invited to do so before the closing date, 31 May 2008. You can apply online at www.highpeak.gov.uk/neighbourhood/CommunityFund/ -- download and send us your completed application form from the website, or call our Customer Services team on 0845 129 7777.