The Chickpea + Friends Fund supports local organisations, charities, good causes and individuals throughout Wiltshire, Dorset + Somerset.
At Chickpea, we love supporting great causes, and we often get requests for donations. While we’d love to help everyone, we believe that small contributions here and there don’t always make the biggest difference. That’s why we’ve created the Chickpea & Friends Fund — launched in 2023, it is dedicated solely to supporting local organisations, good causes and individuals where we can make a real impact. By focusing our efforts, we can truly give back to the community in a meaningful way.
The Fund is supported through contributions from our business, donations from our guests, and fundraising events organised by our teams. We are proud to have raised over £20,000 so far, through the Chickpea + Friends Fund.
If you would like to learn more about how our Fund works, or would like to seek support from the Fund, please email fund@chickpea.group.
Below is the list of projects that The Chickpea + Friends Fund has funded to date:
West Lavington Youth Club, £500.00
West Lavington Youth Club currently operates two nights each week for young people from the surrounding villages. The funding is helping them run an additional two evenings so they can support more young people affected by social and rural exclusion.
Durrington Football Club, £500.00
Durrington Football Club is an inclusive local football club for children and young people including families from the local military base. The grant is enabling them to operate safely throughout the winter months so they can continue to provide meaningful training to their members.
1st Bemerton Brownies, £500.00
1st Bemerton Brownies is a small girl-guiding group for girls aged 7-10 in an area of disadvantage in Salisbury. The grant will help pay for the girls to attend a weekend activity camp where they can learn new things and try adventurous activities.
Wiltshire Museum, £500.00
Wiltshire Museum employs a Community Curator to improve access to their facilities by underrepresented groups. Funding is supporting a pilot project in partnership with the Youth Offending Team using graffiti art to engage young people at risk of offending or exploitation.
Rise:61, £200.00
RISE:61 provides positive opportunities for young people living in Bemerton Heath in Salisbury, an area of deprivation, through sport, mentoring, community projects and social enterprises. The grant is supporting development plans for a new youth hub building on the estate and will engage the younger members of the community in the project to ensure the building is designed by young people for young people.
Community Money Advice South Wiltshire, £200.00
Community Money Advice South Wiltshire CIC provides a free debt advice and support service in Salisbury and the surrounding areas. Professionally trained money mentors provide regular in-depth counselling and face-to-face advice sessions help individuals to learn to manage their budget and break free of debt and ensure they are receiving all the benefits and help they are entitled to.
Ablaze, £150.00
Ablaze facilitates meaningful connections and opportunities between businesses and young people, working particularly with disadvantaged young people to help them to widen their future horizons. The grant is being used to run a Career Mentoring programme that matches groups of young people with business mentors to work on employability and life skills and to explore different career options and pathways to access these.
The F3 Project, £150.00
The F3 project grows and supplies free fruit and vegetables to the Salisbury Pantry. Salisbury Pantry provides affordable and nutritious food to local residents on low incomes. Funding is being used to complete the construction of seven raised beds and to start the construction of a further nine as well as installing two additional compost bins and an automatic watering system to reduce the use of tap water.
Alabare Christian Care and Support, £100.00
Alabare are a charity providing accommodation and support to some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society. This funding is used towards the Boots on the Ground programme for young people, helping them to connect with and experience nature for the benefit of their mental wellbeing. Activities include equine therapy, bush craft, identifying flora and fauna, tracking wildlife, biodiversity and conservation education, residential projects in partnership with the New Forest Authority, camping skills and how to access the outdoors safely.
Bemerton Heath Harlequins Ladies FC, £100.00
Bemerton Heath Harlequins Ladies FC is a new football team providing sports opportunities for women in the local community. Funding is being towards setting up and establishing the club, purchasing equipment and kit for the team and a subsidy pot for players on low incomes.
Gateway Church, £1,500.00
Gateway Church in Swindon co-ordinates an annual Swindon Toy Appeal to provide Christmas presents to children and young people in low income households. A grant was awarded to help meet the costs of providing gifts for young refugee and Asylum seeker children.
Folio Theatre, £720.00
Folio Theatre is small local theatre company that focuses on engagement with local communities. Funding will contribute to running a series of creative workshops delivered in partnership with the Harbour Project (organisation providing support to asylum seekers and refugees) for their women’s group.
MUSE CIO, £4,000.00
Muse SW CIC provide support to vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and communities in Salisbury and the surrounding areas. They are running a project for Afghan families arriving in the South Wiltshire area, to tackle isolation and loneliness and support integration into the local community. The funding is contributing to the costs of providing a range of weekly activities in two locations, including sewing and other crafts, IT skills classes, CV writing and employability skills, English language support and a chance to meet up and socialise in a safe and welcoming space.
Salisbury Women’s Refuge, £1,000.00
Salisbury Women’s Refuge provides a safe haven for women and children fleeing domestic abuse and supports them to lead an independent life. It provides supportive accommodation and services for up to 12 women and their children at any one time. Accommodation is secure and staffed every day, with each family having their own room and sharing other parts of the house. The funding is for the core costs of running the refuge.
Escapeline, £1,000.00
Escapeline (based in Somerset but also covering Wiltshire and Dorset) provides school and parent workshops, group sessions and 1:1 support to raise awareness of and divert young people from criminal exploitation, particularly that associated with County Lines activity. Funding is towards staff costs for providing their services in Swindon & Wiltshire.
The Open Blue Trust, £1,000.00
Open Blue Trust runs a double-decker bus as a mobile community centre, providing activities for families and access to services for gypsies and travellers and other deprived communities. Funding contributes towards the costs of a monthly toddler group and after school club for families on the Thingley traveller site.
The Harbour Project, £7,400.00
Harbour Project works to support asylum seekers and refugees, including Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, in Swindon. The funding was awarded to three divisions: continuing the work that they do, their football project which provides opportunities for teamwork and physical skills development, and a project prioritising staff wellbeing. This project recognises that wellbeing is key in delivering excellent services for their beneficiaries, staff retention and ensuring that staff can manage the mental impact of their work. They are working with an external specialist organisation providing 1:1 sessions on avoiding vicarious trauma and promoting self-care to staff, as well as two wellbeing days a year to provide an opportunity for staff to engage in activities and team-building exercises to reflect on, and recuperate from, the responsibilities of their work.
Swindon City of Sanctuary, £1,000.00
Swindon City of Sanctuary seeks to build a culture of welcome, inclusion and support for everyone in Swindon, with a focus on people who are seeking sanctuary from war and persecution. Through its community-based spaces, education opportunities and campaigning, they help to break down barriers, address social isolation, talk with the community to tackle misinformation, and advocate for why being a welcoming and inclusive town is beneficial to all. The funding contributes to the costs of running their services.
