Community Groups Invited to Apply for RAG Grants

By Al_Shaw | Saturday, February 27, 2010, 09:21

Local voluntary and community groups are being encouraged to apply for grants of up to £1,000 from the Bristol University Students' Union. The money has been raised from the Union's Raising and Giving (RAG) Fund which raises cash throughout the year and is the Union's oldest student society.

students
students

Applications to the fund can be made by local groups supporting people who are disadvantaged or isolated. Groups working with children, those with long-term illnesses and older people are particularly encouraged to apply.

Last year, nearly £40,000 was donated to 38 different projects from RAG funds, 14 of them local to Bristol. These included the Jessie May Trust, which provides hospice at home services to terminally ill children, Independent People (formerly Priority Youth Housing) which targets support to local young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or vulnerably housed. Other grants were made to the Alzheimers Society and the Julian Trust, who were able to continue their night shelter work thanks to the grant from the Union.

RAG events this academic year have included a city centre procession, a sponsored bungee jump and, as previously reported on Redland People, a sponsored jailbreak - in which students had 36 hours to get as far away as possible from Bristol via any free means available. BARMY - described as Bristol's biggest pub crawl - also raised over £7500 last year awards RAG funds.

Applications for grants are administered through the Quartet Community Foundation on behalf of the students union. The deadline for applications is March 31st and applications can be made online at the Foundation or by phone on 0117 989 7700.

Photo credits: Liz Jones and Shellac.