Over the past year, Curo has given out twenty two Communities Grants totalling £10,010 to support local projects and events.

Projects have ranged from a Jubilee tea party and a memorial garden, to children’s football teams (including Radstock-based Stratton United) and short breaks for children with disabilities.

Simon Matthews is a volunteera coach for Radstock-based Stratton United, which used a grant to buy essential items, such as a kit, for the youth team. “We’re massively grateful to Curo's Communities Grants and their support of local grassroots youth football,” says Simon.

“After a straightforward application process, we were awarded £500 towards the cost of new playing kits and rain jackets for players,” he explains. “This meant the team could look smart, without having to ask parents for money and risk children from disadvantaged backgrounds not feeling part of the team because of the cost of a kit.”

A Curo Communities Grant also supported Invent It! Bath Young Inventor of the Year Award 2023, which is helping children to learn about local inventors and to design their own inventions.

“The project is all about bringing the community together to recognise the history of Bath’s inventors, while taking pride in our surroundings,” says Katie O’Brien, a Curo resident who helped create the project. “We’re holding free community engagement events at the Museum of Bath at Work and 44AD art space for residents to participate in, helping to build connections with their community.”