The Knighton and District Community Centre has said it is delighted to have received a grant of over £16,000 to support local people during the coronavirus pandemic.

The awarding of this new grant has been made by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), and in total amounts to £16,528.04, to help with a number of initiatives that have been developed by K&DCC over recent months.

Ruth Forrester, secretary of the management committee, has been thanked for securing the grant.

“She has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic period to identify and secure funding for supporting coronavirus initiatives, and has once again secured an invaluable source of funding to help keep these initiatives going in these very difficult times,” said media liaison Phil Grierson.

In particular, the funding will support two key areas of community support, and ensure their continuation through until April 2021.

The first of these is the very popular and successful soup lunch provision, where upwards of eighty local residents have a soup meal delivered weekly by volunteers to their home. Part of the grant will pay for the co-ordinator and chef for the project, as well as a proportion of the food requirements and related products, together with some fuel costs for delivery, which covers quite an extensive area.

Another portion of the grant will go to continuing support for the Stay and Play project, and cover costs for a play leader to provide four hours a week of online activity, as well as providing play packs and creative materials for up to 30 local families.

There grant will also help to develop and train up the volunteer group as well as for PPE for the community centre itself.