Published July 20th, 2023
Appleby Westward donates £2,000 to The Stepping Out Cancer Rehabilitation Community Group as part of its 2023 Community Cashback scheme.
South West SPAR wholesaler, Appleby Westward, which also owns or manages all SPAR stores in the region, has announced the main recipients of its Community Cashback grants for 2023.
The Stepping Out Cancer Rehabilitation Community Group, a charity based in Dorset, has received the second-highest grant of £2,000 after it was chosen by Appleby Westward due to its exceptional contribution to its community.
The Bridport community group aims to help adults with their recovery from, or improve their quality of life whilst living with, any form of cancer. The group achieves this by running a range of specifically-tailored group activities which all help attendees to grow a support network of likeminded people.
Stepping Out provides its service free of charge to the end-user to ensure that there are no barriers to entry for those who want to take part, therefore the grant will be put towards continuing to run this much-needed and appreciated service.
Richard Walsh, Cancer & Exercise Rehabilitation Specialist and Finance Manager at Stepping Out, said of the grant: “We are delighted to receive the grant from the Appleby Westward SPAR Community Cashback Scheme which will help us to continue delivering our activity programme during the current year.
“Stepping Out is delivered free to all participants in recognition of the detrimental impact that a diagnosis of cancer can have on a person’s financial and mental wellbeing. We are therefore totally dependent on receiving grants and community fundraising to enable us to continue helping people with cancer.”
This service is particularly important to have in Dorset as many of its communities are semi-isolated and rural without access to the level of support systems you would find in most cities, which can leave residents at risk of struggling with loneliness, delayed or reduced rehabilitation or recovery, and reduced general wellbeing.
Appleby Westward is in its second year of running the Community Cashback scheme and has now donated £40,000 to over twenty local charities and organisations. The wider SPAR UK Community Cashback initiative has now given £200,000 to its five regional wholesalers, including Appleby Westward in the South West, to distribute to deserving organisations in each of the five areas.
Nick Vivian, Head of Marketing at Appleby Westward, said: “We’re thrilled to have chosen Stepping Out as our second-highest grant recipient for the 2023 scheme. It is such a brilliant charity and one that is highly appreciated by its community, with its team members working exceptionally hard to help its users.
“We received nearly 2,000 applications from various organisations across the South West, so it was very difficult to narrow it down to just eighteen lucky recipients, but I hope the grants can help each of the chosen organisations and charities continue their work while showing our appreciation for them.”
The 2022 scheme awarded five organisations with grants ranging from £1,000 to £10,000, but after the sheer volume of applications received this year, the 2023 scheme has been modified into smaller grants so that a larger number of organisations can benefit, with donations ranging from £400 to £2,250.
Coast Medic, an emergency care charity in Cornwall, has been chosen to receive the highest grant of £2,250 and will put it towards specialist training and new equipment that its team needs to continue their life-saving work supporting the RNLI and NHS to help patients in need at sea and in rural areas of Cornwall.
For more information on the Community Cashback scheme and SPAR, visit https://www.spar.co.uk/community/community-cashback/. To find out more about Stepping Out, visit https://www.steppingoutbridport.co.uk/.
Full list of South West grant recipients:
Coast Medic – £2,250
The Stepping Out Cancer Rehabilitation Community Group – £2,000
North Dartmoor Search & Rescue Team – £1,800
Shelter – £1,000
Made A Mark – £1,000
Cornwall Deaf Centre – £1,000
New Life Horse Care Sanctuary & Art Centre – £1,000
Southampton City Farm – £1,000
Solent MS Therapy Centre – £1,000
Chyan Community Field Charity – £1,000
Devon & Cornwall Food Action – £1,000
Vine Counselling Services – £1,000
Brixham Museum – £1,000
The Community Fridge Frome – £1,000
Somerset Wildlife Trust – £1,000
Clean Our Patch CIC – £900
Cornwall Women’s Adventure Group (Love Her Wild) – £650
The Waterside Churches Tots & Toys – £400
Please contact us if you require information about, or images of, any of these organisations.
