Having produced sugar and syrup there for 140 years, Tate & Lyle Sugars have been a fixture of the Newham landscape for some time, and applications are now open for their 2023 Lyle’s Local Fund which offers £25,000 for community projects in the borough.
So far, the fund has invested £175,000 in over 80 organisations and projects, running alongside a host of other community engagement schemes.
Claire Crill, head of corporate affairs at Tate & Lyle Sugars, is keen to see Newham remain a part of the the company’s identity.
She said: “We are proud of our Newham roots and the Lyle’s Local Fund exists to support the very special organisations, projects, and people who work hard to make our borough a better place to live and work.”
A Newham Council spokesperson added: “The Lyle’s Local Fund really ensures that smaller community-led projects receive investment annually.”
“Projects funded have included car maintenance workshops to empower vulnerable women, weekly line dancing classes for isolated elderly residents, a poverty proofing audit of a local primary school, and art workshops for sufferers of mental illness.
One of last year’s beneficiaries was the charity Education Links which offers a specialist education to young people excluded from mainstream schools or with special needs.
The Lyle’s Local Fund money has had a tangible impact, with the money used to convert a disused shipping container into a mentoring space, giving more vulnerable students a quiet place to work.
Debbie Rozbicki, senior admin officer at Education Links, explained how even the construction process was valuable for their students.
She said: “The support of the Lyle’s Local Fund with this project gave the students valuable hands-on experience with DIY skills that has encouraged some of them to look to the construction industry as a possible career once they leave school.”
Whilst many of the grants go towards education projects, there is also a focus on inclusive health and wellbeing as demonstrated through another of last year’s beneficiaries, Cycle Sisters, which aims to make cycling accessible to Muslim women.
The funding has allowed the charity to run bike rides for Muslim women in Newham, with the charity’s founder, Sarah Javaid, keen to bring the programme to as many people as possible.
She said: “Everyone should be able to access the health and wellbeing benefits of cycling and to have the opportunity to discover cycling in a safe and comfortable environment.
“We’re very grateful to Lyle’s Local Fund for supporting our work and helping us to make a difference to the lives of local women.”
Organisations looking to apply for the grants can submit a form on the Newham Council website.
The deadline to apply is 5pm on Friday 3rd November.
Feature picture credit: Tate & Lyle Sugars
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