Just a week left to apply for a share of our £10k Ragdale community fund

The Melton Times has partnered again with the award-winning Ragdale Hall Spa to allocate vital funding to local charities, community groups, schools and sports clubs.

We’ve already received more than 50 applications for this year’s fund ahead of the deadline, which is Thursday May 7, 2026.

Our judging panel will then sit down for the tricky task of allocating the fund, which has once again been generously donated by Ragdale Hall Spa.

Sherard Primary School, in Melton, has applied for £200 to spend on their gardening club which pupils love and which meets every Tuesday after school.

The money would pay for more planters and compost to continue growing their own food for school dinners, selling for funds and involving local Wilton Manor care home residents.

A request for £500 has been made by Melton and Belvoir School Sport and Physical Activity Network (M&BSSPAN) to help establish a dedicated Strong GALS Club for girls aged 11–16 in two schools located in Melton Mowbray.

Girl who need additional support will benefit from the scheme, which will build confidence, develop positive relationships with physical activity, and improve their overall wellbeing.

Melton’s Birch Wood Area Special School have applied for £500 to help turn an outside space into a garden, where Post-16 students can grow flowers, herbs, and vegetables to sell to the school community. The money would be used to buy a small greenhouse.

A donation from the fund has been requested by the team at Sunny Skies Enterprise CIC, who support adults with learning disabilities to run and develop their own social enterprises.

The organisation runs the cafe at Melton Country Park, it has a workshop space for baking sessions, crafts, floristry and an outdoor paddock for sports and horticulture activities.

Melton Mowbray-based Turners Dance Academy would like £500 to help pay for costumes and staging for their upcoming September show.

It is a growing community of 150 young dancers where children build confidence, friendships, and a strong sense of belonging, with sponsorships recently provided for some youngsters from low income families.

Shopmobility Melton Mowbray has applied for £500 to buy a replacement medium-sized bootable scooter, which would provide great comfort to the user but is also capable of being dismantled to be taken away for use on holidays or where the user required seven-day use.

Mowbray Rangers FC U10’s Pumas team would like £500 towards the cost of new home and away match day kits and training gear. The team has nine players playing seven-a-side league matches on Sundays.

An application for £400 is sought by the library team at Melton’s Long Field Spencer Academy for their ‘Feel-Good Friday’ events.

These involve up to 60 students and include activities such as journaling, creating bookmarks, printmaking, reading and drawing.

Friends of Ab Kettleby School (FOAKS) have applied for £468 to pay for a outdoor picnic bench near the school’s pond area, a space already used for outdoor learning and quiet reflection but where there is no suitable seating.

To apply for a share of the Ragdale fund, email [email protected] and include a contact name, telephone/mobile number and a brief outline of what your group does.