Community Chest grants

Please see below a full breakdown of successful grant applicants and the projects they will be bringing to life:

Nottingham Central Women's Aid: This project will deliver Steps to Safety, a trauma-informed recovery programme alongside peer support sessions for women who have experienced domestic abuse. These sessions offer a safe, supportive space for survivors to rebuild trust, reduce isolation, and connect with others who share lived experience. Alongside recovery work, we will support women to co-produce awareness campaigns that challenge misogyny and promote safety, inclusion, and survivor voices. Funding will cover essential resources and room hire, enabling us to deliver consistent, accessible sessions that help women heal, regain confidence, and contribute to wider systems change.

Reach Learning Disability: This project will develop co-produced safeguarding training for adults with learning disabilities preparing to volunteer or take on other community roles. Building on our Safe Space Cafés and ROSE project, it will use lived experience to create accessible resources, including a short animated film, focused on community safety and online risks.

The Beacon Project: This project will provide Two Town Link Radio handsets for three years. One in the Beacon itself, and the second in St John's centre for when the Beacon is closed. This comes after meetings with Mansfield District Council and Nottinghamshire Police to discuss how use of the handsets could be most effective.

Malt Cross Trust: Street Pastors Nottingham is a volunteer-based initiative committed to enhancing public safety and supporting vulnerable individuals in Nottingham’s night-time economy. Since launching in 2008, the trained volunteers have been a consistent, calming presence on the city’s streets every Friday and Saturday night. They work closely with Nottinghamshire Police, Nottingham City Council, and other partners to reduce antisocial behaviour, promote community cohesion, and safeguard individuals who may be at risk.

Focus on Young People in Bassetlaw: This project aims to support young people by funding access to tailored activities that meet their individual needs and interests. While they do not deliver activities directly, the charity works in close partnership with a wide network of local providers to identify and signpost suitable opportunities. This collaborative approach ensures that young people can make informed choices and access meaningful activities that support their personal development, wellbeing, and mental health.

Activities may include boxing, gym memberships, rugby, the arts, drama, music, football, and martial arts, depending on each young person’s situation. For example, last year the charity supported a young man in foster care who couldn’t afford the sports sessions he loved. With their support, he was able to participate regularly, which helped him manage his emotions, stay off the streets, and find a sense of belonging and improved mental health.

Street Doctors: This project will train 200 young people in alternative education provision and schools in areas affected by street violence as ‘street doctors’, who are capable and willing to step forward and help others in the community during an emergency, for instance when someone has been stabbed. The young people will work in small groups and learn lifesaving first aid and medical knowledge from NHS trainees, how to work with the police and other emergency services, and about the mental health impacts of experiencing violence. The target is for 75% to improve their knowledge, skills, and confidence to act safely in an emergency to save lives, by completing 60-90 minute interactive training run by peer educators from our Nottingham volunteer team.