Eight local groups in Congleton have benefited from almost £5,000 of funding from the Margaret Williamson Memorial Fund. The groups collected their cheques and a book ‘Motivating Congleton’ about the life of Margaret Williamson, from Congleton Town Hall on the 31 January 2019.

Margaret’s Fund was set up following her sudden death in 2015. The fund aims to support environmental, educational and cultural projects in Congleton: subjects that Margaret was passionate about. Grants are made available annually from the funds generated by the capital.

The successful applicants for 2018, who received their cheques last week were:

  • Bromley Farm Community Development Trust – £500 – for their Field to Fork project teaching young people how to grow, harvest, prepare, cook and serve food.
  • Congleton Pride – £300 – towards the first Pride event in Congleton on the 20th July
  • Electric Picture House – £500 – To put on three days of free art work-shops for young people in Congleton over the February half term
  • Elizabeth Group – £1000 – to create a website to promote the works of former Congleton residents and Suffragist Elizabeth Wolstenholme-Elmy
  • Friends of Congleton Park – £500 – for information boards to better inform visitors about history, play activities and trees in the park
  • Macclesfield and Congleton Scout Association –£600 – towards the cost of three young people from Congleton to go to the World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia
  • Sol Theatre – £1050 – To enable young people to take part in the SOL theatre 2-week summer school.
  • Trinity Amateur Operatic Society – £500 – to help with the costs of putting on a professional production with and for local people.

 

The  Margaret Williamson Fund is a ring-fenced endowment fund held within the Cheshire Community Foundation. The proceeds of the fund are administered by Congleton 4 Congleton. There is a grants panel made up of Congleton people who look at the applications and decide which to fund. Providing the funds perform as expected, there should be another round of funding late in 2019.

If anyone wishes to donate funds into the Margaret Williamson Trust this can be done via the Partnership, contact Mike Smith on 01260 270350 ext 7 or email ms@congletontowncouncil.co.uk