Grants still on offer to groups (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Grants still on offer to groups

KEVIN Shoesmith's piece about grants from Swindon Borough Council to voluntary organisations, headlined "Voluntary groups given a warning over grants" (Saturday, April 16) may have confused some older people's organisations.

Andrew Bennett, the councillor responsible for the grand aid programme, seemed to be suggesting a lunch club might not get a grant because Age Concern Swindon might be awarded one for providing the same service.

Advertiser readers and lunch club organisers should know that for the last eight years the borough council has made a grant to Age Concern Swindon for the specific purpose of passing on grants to local lunch clubs.

This simplifies the council's job because we do it for them and receive a small fee for doing so.

This year, as previously, lunch clubs are submitting their applications to us and the grants are being made.

So Coun Bennett's hint that lunch clubs might be unsuccessful if they applied for a grant to the council is simply because we have agreed a different way with the council of dealing with these things. Kevin Shoesmith's article did not make this clear.

We welcome grant applications from older people's organisations and will continue to enable them to develop as long as we are able.

J OSORIO

Director Age Concern Swindon