Bedford charities get Christmas £154k cash boost thanks to Harpur Trust

The organisations receiving the Christmas gift include the Bedford & Northants MS Therapy Centre - with a payment towards the salaries of two part-time specialist Multiple Sclerosis nurses; Project 41 at Woodside Church - which has been awarded £39,500 for a befriending service for isolated and vulnerable people; and the YMCA’s Fun 4 young people project - which will receive nearly £55,810 over two years to enable them to expand their clubs to more areas.

Lucy Bardner, community programmes director at The Harpur Trust, said: “This is our third grants committee meeting of the financial year and with four more to go, we are on track yet again to award more than £1million to local projects under our three charitable objects of education, relief and recreation with a social welfare purpose.

“Anyone with a community project delivering real benefit to Bedford borough is very welcome to contact the Harpur Trust team for information and details are also available on our website.”

Other grants were awarded to the National Literacy Trust for its Early Words family learning programme; Bedford and County Athletics Club to help with storage for wheelchair racers; and Country Days to help build a rain shelter for children to explore nature whatever the weather.

To find out more about applying for a grant from The Harpur Trust, visit here