Access to Volunteering Grant

GMYN recently offered organisations in Greater Manchester the opportunity to apply for a grant from the Access to Volunteering Fund. The Access to Volunteering Fund Pilot aims to increase the number of disabled people in volunteer positions by breaking down the barriers they currently face when wanting to volunteer. GMYN had a great response and is pleased to announce that the following organisations have been allocated a grant.

Nexus Arts Café , Manchester

Nexus Arts Café is a not-for-profit charity based in the city centre that aims to provide a space in which creativity, community and spirituality are explored both independently and with each other. The grant will allow the café to purchase a mobile phone and printing materials to help contact disabled volunteers and offer more support in the future.

Gaydio Community Interest Company

Gaydio is a community and training organisation aimed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGB&T) community throughout Greater Manchester. Gaydio will use their grant to install a new accessible radio studio.

Agricultural and Rural Centre (ARC) CIC

ARC CIC is a new organisation based in Stockport that will provide the disabled community with the opportunity to work with animals and horticultural land. The grant will provide a specially adapted hen house called an ‘Eglu’ which is ideal for blind volunteers. The grant will also allow for tools to be purchased that ARC will use to create four raised vegetable beds that are accessible to volunteers who use wheelchairs.

Bolton Society for Blind People

Bolton Society for Blind People is a local registered charity that aims to develop services for blind and partially sighted adults living, working and studying in Bolton. The grant will allow the charity to purchase specialist computer hardware and software to make current office equipment more accessible for volunteers with visual impairments.

We will be visiting the organisations over the coming months to see how they make use of the grant they have received and will take photos, which will be posted here at a later date.