Supporting the visually impaired

St Felix Home for the Blind

A grant of £10,000 was awarded by the Felixstowe Port Community Fund to St Felix Home for the Blind, to refurbish five residents’ bedrooms.

St Felix provides assistance and support to visually impaired people and their families living in Ipswich and Felixstowe.

Keeping watch

Felixstowe Coastal Surveillance Station

Felixstowe Coastal Surveillance Station watches over the seashore and beaches from Cobbold’s Point to Landguard Fort, and inshore waters out to Roughs Tower and across the approaches to Harwich Haven.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the operation’s annual running costs.

Helping with running costs

Felixstowe Area Stroke Support

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £1,964.25 to Felixstowe Area Stroke Support, as a contribution towards annual running costs.

The group provides those affected by stroke, including their families and friends, with social support and activities.

Voluntary and community work

Suffolk Coastal Resource Network

The Suffolk Coastal Resource Network supports, informs, represents and develops the voluntary and community sector in Suffolk.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £1,089 to the network, to fund six funding and development events for Felixstowe volunteer and community groups.

Into print

IP1 Magazine

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £1,986 to IP1 Magazine, to fund the printing, distribution and promotion of the magazine – and volunteering and media training opportunities – to young people in Felixstowe.

IP1 Magazine promotes volunteering by producing a quality free magazine and website aimed at 16 to 30-year-olds within Suffolk, organising local arts events to showcase the breadth of local creative talent, providing a voice to groups or individuals otherwise neglected by the traditional media, and providing free industry-standard training within the print and design industry for disadvantaged groups or individuals.

Making music

Causton Junior School

A grant of £1,565 was awarded by the Felixstowe Port Community Fund as a contribution towards musical instruments for an outdoor classroom at Causton Junior School in Felixstowe.

The outdoor classroom is used by all of the school’s children – from seven to 11-year-olds – and particularly by those with special needs and who are vulnerable.

Building and equipment

Riding for the Disabled (Hollesley)

Riding for the Disabled at Hollesley provides therapeutic riding and carriage driving activities for people with physical and/or learning difficulties.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £1,980 towards building maintenance and equipment replacement.

Growing their own

Deben High School

Deben High School, which educates 11 to 18-year-olds, runs a vegetable growing after-school club, aimed at promoting healthy eating and teaching young people new skills outside the set curriculum.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £1,200 to the school, as a contribution towards this club.

Lifeboat engines

Felixstowe Volunteer Coast Patrol Rescue Service

The Felixstowe Volunteer Coast Patrol Rescue Service makes an essential contribution to beach and sea safety, provides a weekend patrol throughout the summer and a sea rescue service.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £2,000 to the service, as a contribution towards the replacement of two lifeboat engines.

Family support

Home Start Suffolk Coastal

Home Start Suffolk Coastal offers support, friendship and practical help to any family with one or more children under five that is going through a difficult time for any reason.

A grant of £2,000 was awarded by the Felixstowe Port Community Fund, to provide support for two Felixstowe families for a year.

Mentoring and out-of-school activities

Anglia Care Trust

Anglia Care Trust works to improve the quality of life for anyone at risk of offending, offenders, ex-offenders and their families.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £2,160 to fund the mentoring and out-of-school activities for seven "looked after" Felixstowe young people whose families would find the cost prohibitive.

New self-help group

Serenity Link

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £2,178 towards the annual running costs of Serenity Link, a new self-help group for Felixstowe people suffering from mental ill health.

Support for carers’ group

Alzheimer’s Society, East Suffolk Branch

The Alzheimer’s Society provides support to individuals and their families affected by any form of dementia. This support includes advice, information and opportunities to meet for mutual support and to combat isolation.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £900 towards the annual running costs of the Felixstowe Carers’ Group.

Books for a year

Calibre Audio Library

Calibre Audio Library provides recorded books to "printed impaired" people. The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £2,277 which to the supply of Calibre’s 33 Felixstowe clients with recorded books for a year.

Youth club

Kirton and Falkenham Youth Club

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £2,000 towards the annual running costs of Kirton and Falkenham Youth Club, which provides a safe place for local young people to meet and socialise.

Special friends

Suffolk Befriending

Suffolk Befriending provides trained volunteers to be "special friends" on a one-to-one basis for adults with learning disabilities, who are facing such issues as unemployment, rural isolation and physical problems.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £2,000 towards the annual running costs of the group’s new day centre in Felixstowe.

The ‘Big Splash’

Optua

Optua works to give disabled people opportunities to play an active part in the community and to help them recognise their equal right to take part in all aspects of everyday life.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £1,113.07 to fund the running cost of Felixstowe "Big Splash", which offers supported swimming for disabled people.

A haven for seafarers

Felixstowe Seafarers Centre

Rest, recreation, entertainment and spiritual guidance are provided for seafarers in Felixstowe and the other Haven ports by the Felixstowe Seafarers Centre.

A grant of £2,000 was awarded by the Felixstowe Port Community Fund, as a contribution towards annual running costs.

Rescue boat

East Anglian Sailing Trust

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £3,045 towards the purchase of a replacement rescue boat for the East Anglian Sailing Trust.

The trust provides sailing facilities, including training for people with any form of disability.

Taking part

Out and About

Out and About works to enable disabled children and young people to become fully included in the same local leisure activities as their non-disabled peers.

The Felixstowe Port Community Fund awarded a grant of £1,998 to enable four disabled children and young people in Felixstowe to participate in mainstream leisure activities such as sports, Scouting and youth clubs.