In 2004 the Parish of St Nicholas and St Hugh put together a very ambitious plan to add an extension to St Nicholas Church in Little Bowden. The extension would provide a new meeting room and an education and exhibition facility, whilst also providing disabled access to the church and disabled toilets. The extension has also helped increase the capacity of the church during services.
The benefits to the community were obvious to the Charity, so a significant amount of the cost was awarded.
The extension was completed in 2008 and opened by the Bishop of Leicester.
Offered a major award by the Football Association to develop their facilities in 2007, the Harborough Town Football Club approached the Charity for help in “closing the gap” between the Football Association award and the total cost of what turned out to be one of the largest development projects in Market Harborough for many years. The Charity supported the Club throughout the term of the project with a flexible approach. This resulted in the total project – all weather pitch, new club house and changing facilities and a new, enlarged club room being completed and in use by mid 2009. Over 600 members of the Harborough Town Football Club now use, and appreciate, the benefits of, the new facility. The new facilities are also available to non-members and local societies for private use.
The Harborough Christian Counselling Service, located in the Bower House in Coventry Road, provides help in the form of Christian counselling to the local people of Market Harborough. In 2004, the Charity provided significant funding to enable the premises in Coventry Road to be partly refurbished, thus providing more space for counselling.
Since 2004, the Charity has continued to support the Bower House financially to ensure the excellent service it provides can be extended to more of the population of Market Harborough.
Research undertaken by local youth workers in the year 2000 identified a need for a Skate Park in the Harborough area. This finding was confirmed at the Youth Question Time in March 2002.
By February 2004, Harborough District Council had decided that a new Skate Park could be located in the grounds of the Market Harborough Yough People’s centre in Farndon Road, and applied to the Charity for financial support for the project.
The application by Harborough District Council to the Charity was successful and a substantial award was made by the Charity in December 2004. Installation of the Skate Park was completed in 2005.
The Skate Park is now a popular and well used venue on the “youth circuit”.
When the Market Harborough Drama Society decided that the installation of a lift in the Harborough Theatre would significantly increase both disabled access to the auditorium, and the ability of Market Harborough Drama Society to move complicated scenery up to the stage, they turned to the Charity for financial support for the project.
The Charity, being convinced of the public benefit inherent in the project, offered a substantial part of the cost of the project. Installation was completed in early 2009 and the lift is now fully operational. It has made a major improvement to the use and operation of the theatre.
Here is the page from The Charity Commission…
CLICK HERE
Welland Park, with its Green Flag award in recognition of its high standard of maintenance was identified in the Welland Park Management Plan 2007 for further development.
Harborough District Council applied to the Charity in 2007 for a significant part of the cost of renovating the play area as part of this redevelopment. The Charity offered a significant amount of the total project cost.
The redeveloped play area, completed in 2008, is now one of the most popular play areas in the East Midlands.
