Make It Happen 2020: Apply now for a share of the £10K community fund

The Melton Times has teamed up once again - for the 15th year - with Ragdale Hall Spa, which is putting up yet another funding pot of £10,000.

It will be allocated to community groups, charities and clubs which our judges decide are the best deserving cases from the dozens of applications we traditionally receive.

David Hamdorff, who is chair at Ragdale Hall Spa, said: “It is always an exciting time of year when the Make It Happen awards come around.

“It is Ragdale Hall’s 30th year under our current ownership and 48th in total, and with this also being the 15th year of the awards it seems to be particularly significant.

“As a business we are proud to be part of the local community with many of our guests and suppliers and most of our 500-plus employees coming from the local area.

“Make It Happen gives us a chance to give something back to the community and an even wider group of people and organisations.”

Those organisations chosen to receive money this year will be presented with cheques at a special event at Ragdale Hall Spa on the evening of Thursday, May 28.

Mr Hamdorff added: “When this year’s awards are completed, we will have been able to give over £150,000 to a huge variety of deserving schemes.

“It is always quite humbling to find out about the amazing work going on in our area, and one of the great features of the scheme is the opportunity it gives to the organisations applying to publicise the good work they do. Please do take the opportunity to apply, it might be your year!”

Melton Times editor, Mark Edwards, said: “It is incredible to think that £150,000 will have been given out to local groups after this year’s Make It Happen presentations in May.

“We are grateful once again for the generosity of Ragdale Hall Spa in putting up yet another £10,000 pot for the scheme.

“It has been running in the pages of the Melton Times now for 15 years and each year we seem to get more applications.

“The grants we give out are so important to so many people and we look forward to receiving applications again over the coming weeks.”

To apply for a share of the £10,000, simply fill in the coupon printed in the Melton Times this week and return it to our office to Make It Happen, Melton Times, Pera Business Park, Nottingham Road, Melton Mowbray LE13 0PB.

Alternatively, you can email your application to [email protected] giving a brief description of how much money you require, what it will be used for and how many people in the community it will benefit.

We would advise applicants to ask for a grant of between £100 and £1,000 as the judges like to give funding to as many different causes as possible.

Businesses cannot apply for funds. Applicants must be community groups, charities, clubs or organisations which are not-for-profit.

So please go ahead and apply as early as you can and we wish you good luck!