Applications continue to flow in for this year's £10k Ragdale Hall Community Chest

The Melton Times has once again partnered with the award-winning Ragdale Hall Spa to allocate £10k from the cash pot to local community groups, charities, sports clubs and schools.

Melton Prostate Cancer Support Group has applied for £500 to cover the annual rental of their monthly meeting place at Gloucester House in the town.

The group is now in its 10th year and provides vital support for people suffering from the disease and former sufferers, together with their families.

Rainbows Children’s Hospice, which provides hospice care for babies, children and young people from the Melton area and from across the East Midlands, would also like £500.

The money would ensure the hospice can continue to provide complementary therapies to those who use their services. These therapies can help improve both physical and emotional health, alleviating symptoms such as pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, and fatigue.

A request for £450 has been made by Belvoir Education & Sports Trust to help fund their new project for Year 5/6 children called Ignite Minds, which aims to activate an Entrepreneurial and Innovative Mindset (EIM) through sports-based learning.

The aim is to take this into at least 10 primary schools in 2026-27, empowering up to 300 children to think creatively, solve problems and embrace social responsibility.

Egerton Park Cricket Club has applied for £500 to help pay for essential new equipment for cricket equipment for junior players and their newly-formed women and girls’ section.

The money is needed to safety equipment for juniors so they can play without having to buy their own and for bats and protective gear suitable for female players.

The committee at Scalford Village Hall have applied for £500 to renovate its disabled toilet.

It is currently not fit for purpose, with no separate WC which can be accessed by people with additional needs. This was highlighted during a recent health and safety inspection.

A donation has also been requested by the Friends of St Mary’s to provide a new outdoor bench to be placed on school grounds.

The group aims to buy a recycled plastic outdoor public bench which can seat four people to be used by pupils, staff and families.

If you are applying for a share of this year’s fund please specify how much money you require to help the judges make final decisions on where the donations go this year.

You also need to tell us what the money would be spent on and how many people in the community it would benefit.

We want to help as many groups and organisations as we can so requests must be limited to between £100 and £500.

Applicants need to email [email protected] and include a contact name, telephone/mobile number and a brief outline of what your group does.

Applications must be made before the deadline of Thursday May 7 and a panel of judges will then sit down to decide who will receive a share of this year’s fund.