Telford and Wrekin Sports and Recreation Trust Community Grant

4 All Foundation applied for funding to provide a 30-week Community Adult Wellbeing programme at Hub on the Hill, Sutton Hill, starting early 2025. The weekly programme supports local adults by providing a welcoming and inclusive environment to foster community connections, reduce loneliness, and improve overall wellbeing through weekly two-hour sessions with activities such as arts and crafts, multi-sports, gardening, and food-related workshops, providing particiants with a range of opportunities to engage, learn and socialise. 

Specifically, the programme aims to reduce social isolation through regular group activities, enhance mental and physical wellbeing through hands-on creativity, and provide physical activity, helping participants manage stress, improve physical health, and build emotional resilience and community engagement.

The programme was developed in partnership with Madeley Town Council and other local partners, and targets local people experiencing social isolation, unemployment, or barriers to community participation.

To get involved or to find out more contact info@4all.foundation. 

Allscott Heath Cricket Club applied for funding to provide disability junior cricket sessions for SEND children between the ages of 5 and 15. The club plan to hold a disability open day on a Sunday early in the outdoor season followed by additional training sessions for SEND children, to provide cricket that is adaptable, inclusive and fun, from February to August 2025. In addition the funds paid for ECB Level 2 training and an ‘Adaptive Sports Course’ for the club – the skills gained from which are to be utilised during the delivery of the summer programme disability sessions.

This project was developed following consultation with parents of local primary schools who highlighted a gap in the provision of SEND cricket, plus input from Shropshire Cricket Board. 

To get involved or to find out more contact Allscottheathjuniors@gmail.com.

Challenging Perceptions, based at the Park Lane Centre, have utilised the grant funding to set up a weekly exercise group for children aged between 6 and 13 years with autism, providing group and one-to-one sports physical activities. The need was identified after consultation with parents of children with autism, children/young people with autism, and a local special school. The funds are supporting room hire, equipment, and training for volunteers to enable them to lead future sessions for children and young people.

Challenging Perceptions works closely with Telford Autism Hub and Telford & Wrekin Council’s Family Hubs and SEND team.

To get involved or to find out more contact info@challengingperceptions.co.uk.

Community Cuppa in Church Aston were awarded grant funds to support a weekly yoga group at St Andrews Church Hall within the Place of Welcome/Warm Space.

The seated yoga programme is targeted at local members of the community living with reduced mobility and/or health comorbidities, but is open to everyone, (a small voluntary donation is invited). Consultation via the community cafe user group and local people via a short questionnaire revealed that these sessions are important to residents to improve/ manage health challenges, improve balance and general wellbeing.

To get involved or to find out more contact church.churchaston@hotmail.co.uk.

Hartshill Runners have been awarded a grant to support new and existing running sessions for local adult residents throughout 2025, including new Couch to 5k running courses and other running programmes around the Hartshill Park area.

The funds are being used for new equipment, marketing and promotion, community events, and the training and development of volunteer run leaders and coaches, to not only lead the activities but also facilitate members to start and sustain healthy lifestyle changes. The training not only covers how to lead a group of runners but also focuses on understanding and overcoming barriers to participation in running and how to increase participation by those not traditionally attracted to a running club, plus includes modules in First Aid and Safeguarding.

The need for the project is due to feedback from current club members and local community demand. The club focus is to support people aiming to increase their health, fitness and sociability through running. They are hoping to reach 100+ club members by the end of 2025. 

To get involved or to find out more contact Emma Hall at hartshillrunners@gmail.com.

Madeley Cricket Club sought funding for the purchase of a new storage unit to allow the club to continue to provide high quality equipment for new and current members, who are aged between 5 to over 55 years in age. The safe storage of the equipment will ensure the Club can maintain their standard of cricket and avoid costly replacements of equipment, enabling training and matches to continue for the foreseeable future.

The new unit, identified as a priority in response to feedback from current club members following consultation with the children’s, junior, women’s and adult teams, will also allow the club to expand on their coaching opportunities, to continue growing teams, and enable teams to progress further. It will also enable the training of four additional coaches, who would then be able to provide further coaching sessions which would not be possible without the new storage shed to safely and securely house the equipment that the new coaches will need. 

To get involved or to find out more contact madeleycricketclub1855@gmail.com.

The Park Lane Centre applied for funding to provide their Home Education group with fortnightly physical activity and sport sessions led by the Marches Academy throughout 2025, including fencing, archery, dodgeball, badminton and team games. This was identified as a priority by the children and young people and their parents, to fill a much needed gap in provision. 

To get involved or to find out more contact reception@parklanecentre.co.uk.

PODS (Parents Opening Doors) is a charity and Parent Carer forum representing and supporting the voices of local families with children and young people aged 0-25 with an additional need/disability. They applied for funding to provide new physical activity sessions throughout 2025 for children and young adults with an additional need or disability, including their siblings and wider family, who are isolated and struggling to engage with community activities.

Monthly sessions included accessible bikes with the Bike Hub, ice skating, the high ropes and Sky Reach, all at Telford Town Park, using each of the provider’s qualified instructors, plus volunteers and care staff.

The need for these activities was identified by consultation with members and service users, for the improvement of both mental and physical health of participants. The legacy of the sessions will be an increase in family’s confidence and engagement with the activities on an ongoing basis, and the upskilling of volunteers in many different aspects of project planning/delivery. 

To get involved or to find out more contact uma@podstelford.org.

St Georges Primary, The Lantern Academy, Wombridge Primary, St Lukes Catholic Primary, Wrockwardine Wood Juniors and Teagues Bridge Primary School, supported by Telford & Wrekin Council’s Safer, Stronger Communities Team, joined forces to obtain funding to each provide weekly after school sessions for their year 5 and 6 groups, which include ethnically diverse pupils and children with disabilities, with activities such as dance, fencing, archery, dodgeball and nerf fun.

They are also providing 2 summer activity days for year 6 pupils to include the above mentioned schools, in readiness to start secondary school. These fun days will be held at New Road Academy Oakengates. The sessions, which are led by fully qualified instructors and links up with the work of the Children's Healthy Weight Coordinator of the Council’s Health Improvement Team, will take place in spring/summer of 2025.

In addition, physical activity themed youth clubs serving Oakengates, Wrockwardine Wood & Trench, Ketley Bank and in the future to include St Georges have been commissioned to increase availability and activity for young people.

To get involved or to find out more contact saferstronger@telford.gov.uk.

SYA is a charity focused on empowering young people through various programs and activities, ensuring access to safe, supportive environments where they can thrive and have access to qualified, experienced youth workers.

SYA were awarded a grant from the Telford & Wrekin Sports and Recreation Trust to provide a movement based programme of activities throughout 2025 for their twice monthly Telford based XYZ group. XYZ is a youth club for young people of secondary school age until their eighteenth birthday, who are part of the LGBTQI+ Community which is based in central Telford. Using trained practitioners and a tailored programme, SYA aims to educate the group about the power of movement and beneficial effects of exercise to boost confidence, concentration and general mental and physical health.

The program will also provide activities that focus on being outdoors and having fun, including team games and equipment such as rounders, Disc Golf, ice skating, Sky Reach, and wellbeing walks close to Telford Town Centre that incorporate discussions around healthy food choices for picnics, games, and activities that the young people design themselves.

To get involved or to find out more contact vanessa@sya.org.uk.

Telford Interfaith Community Basketball Initiative were awarded a grant to fund the provision of a 12-month programme of weekly non-competitive, community-based basketball sessions that promote inclusivity, physical activity, and mental wellbeing, for individuals aged 16 and over, in either Telford College or Charlton School, Wellington. The sessions will be run by a qualified coach and supported by volunteers after school on weekdays, on Sundays, and during school holidays. The sessions will include input from health experts to raise awareness of health and wellbeing issues.

The grant will fund safe and accessible venues for the sessions, plus support coaching and volunteer support, including training. 

To get involved or to find out more contact basketballcommunity@outlook.com.

T S Wrekin, the Telford unit 405 of the sea cadet corps who are based at Trench Pool in Trench, were awarded a grant for some new equipment such as helmets and paddle boards, to support their water-based sporting activities that are led by an appropriately qualified instructor. This equipment will not only allow more young people to take part in a wider range of activities, but will also enable them to complete water-based sporting qualifications with bodies such as the British Canoe Union.

The group anticipate at least 100 young people plus several volunteers will benefit from the new equipment and activities within the first year alone, which will commence as soon as the equipment is purchased. A number of Club members have educational special needs, and several volunteers are disabled, so these funds will open up opportunities otherwise not possible to them. 

To get involved or to find out more contact telfordseacadets@outlook.com or marietunks-projectfundraiser@outlook.com.

We Do Tennis CIC applied for funding for a programme of new tennis sessions to local primary school age children (aged 4 to 11 years) and, at their base of Telford Tennis Centre, to offer children the opportunity to try tennis at no cost.

The schools include Houghton, Southall, The Bridge, Aspiris, Hadley Learning Academy, Wrekin View, Priorslee Academy and Crudgington, each school being offered a full day of activity, hopefully attracting 120-240 pupils in a day. These “school roadshow sessions” will get children active, allow them to try something new, improve health outcomes, and has been requested by local schools. The funding will pay for a range of school children appropriate tennis equipment, to benefit an estimated 3000 children.

The project is being run in partnership with Tennis Shropshire and supported by various individuals including Telford & Wrekin Council’s Children’s Healthy Weight Coordinator. At the end of the project the equipment will be used every year for school work and other coaching.

The grant also funded a free taster weekend session at the Centre for all children that have taken part in the school sessions, plus other children will be enabled to continue tennis at their school thanks to the coaching skills acquired by staff during the project, which is designed to help upskill the local teacher workforce.

To get involved or to find out more contact nigel@wedotennis.co.uk.

Wellington Town Council were awarded a grant to run a Park Yoga programme at Bowring Park, Wellington, in the summer of 2025.

Park Yoga are a charity that provides free weekly outdoor yoga sessions to get people moving and out connecting with nature, using a local yoga instructor to deliver outdoor yoga sessions every Sunday morning. The sessions are designed to be gentle and at a level that everyone can access/adapt easily, so that everyone is welcome, regardless of age, background or ability. In addition, children are welcome along with parents or carers, which removes the barrier often associated with childcare. Park Yoga’s aims is to bring physical activity to communities who need it most, targeting communities facing the greatest health inequalities. Sessions are provided for free, but at the end of each session participants are encouraged to make a donation per person to support ongoing provision. 

Visit the Telford page on the Park Yoga website to get involved or to find out more.