Thanks to your incredible fundraising activities the McCarthy Stone Foundation has been able to provide a total of £28,500 in grants to help 38 organisations reaching more than 2000 vulnerable older people a week. This funding is aimed at helping regular groups for older people meet the rising venue costs that have been driven by colder weather and rising energy bills.

It has been a really challenging winter, with rocketing energy bills and inflation at a 41-year-high. This has impacted us all, not least older people, leaving them worrying about spiralling costs, and how to afford to engage in social activities. In response to this, the Foundation launched it’s first Warm Spaces Grant Programme to help local community groups and charities to cover the costs of providing a space for older people to connect and engage.

We saw a record-number of applications for funding come in from community groups across England, Wales and Scotland. These charities were struggling with increasing bills, making it difficult to keep running their community events to support older people.

These community organisations provide a vital service to older people; helping them to connect and engage with others and reducing loneliness.

It is thanks to all of you and your wonderful fundraising that we have been able to make these grants. We really appreciate your support; from raffles and sponsored walks to sea dips and auctions. We couldn’t do it without you!

Use the map below to see where we awarded grants, or a full list is below:

Our Warm Spaces Grants List:

• Burscough Methodist Church, Lancashire – £750
• Connect Community Groups, Lancashire  – £750
• Ingleton Rural Community Association, Lancashire  – £750
• Talking about Loss, North Yorkshire  – £750
• Whitby Community Shop and Cafe Ltd, North Yorkshire – £375
• Dementia Connective, South Yorkshire – £375
• Grimethorpe Activity Zone, South Yorkshire  – £750
• Stannington Village Hall, South Yorkshire  – £750
• The Opening Doors Project, Merseyside  – £750
• Marine in The Community, Merseyside  – £750
• Fenham Association of Residents, Tyne and Wear  – £750
• Meole Estate Community Centre, Shropshire  – £750
• Bishop’s Castle Community Foodbank, Shropshire  – £750
• Whittington Senior Citizens Club, Shropshire  – £750
• Eastern Oswestry Community Centre, Shropshire  – £750
• Jigsaw (Bury), Greater Manchester  – £750
• Senior’s Coffee and Chat Group at the Woodhouses Cricket Club, Greater Manchester – £375
• Men in Sheds, Hull  – £750
• Forever Young, Nottinghamshire  – £750
• Friends of St Barnabas, Cheshire – £375
• Winsford Community Grocery, Cheshire  – £750
• DERIc Youth & Community Project, Durham  – £750
• Hope Community Project, West Midlands  – £750
• CAMEO (Come and meet each other), West Midlands  – £750
• Hills Café, Buckinghamshire  – £750
• Chinnor Village Centre, Oxfordshire  – £750
• Enfield Health & Wellbeing Service, Greater London- £750
• Brockham Wednesday Club , Surrey- £750
• Elmbridge Community Eco Hub, Surrey- £750
• Friends of Hillfields Library, Somerset- £750
• Aspire Ryde, Isle of Wight- £750
• Age Concern Shanklin 50+, Isle of Wight- £750
• Christchurch Parish Church Sandown, Isle of Wight- £750
• Havelock Community Centre, Hampshire- £750
• Age Concern Barnstaple & District, Devon- £750
• Winton Hope Community Church, Dorset- £750
• Green Hive, Scotland- £750
• Stirling4Community, Scotland- £750
• Grangemouth Old Peoples Welfare, Scotland- £750
• Garnsychan Partnership, Wales- £750