COMIC Relief cash is set to spread smiles across the faces of people in Oxfordshire thanks to a £50,000 grant giveaway.

Red Nose Day is just around the corner and the Oxford Mail has teamed up with Comic Relief to offer 50 charities a special reason to celebrate.

For the first time, a £50,000 Red Nose Day Community Cash fund is being made available to communities across the county.

And we will be handing out grants of £500 to £1,000 to successful small charities and organisations.

Oxford Mail readers have just five weeks to apply for the cash.

Simon O’Neill, editor of the Oxford Mail, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for small charities to get a helping hand in these difficult financial times. A real difference could be made to some of the county’s most valuable, but unrecognised, groups by £1,000.”

Everyone from sports clubs and toddler groups to community festivals and self-help groups are urged to apply.

Comic Relief’s UK grants manager Sue Wicks said: “We are delighted to be making a £50,000 Red Nose Day Community Cash fund available to small organisations in Oxfordshire that are doing great work to help local people living tough lives.

“From our long experience of making grants in communities all over the UK, we know that local groups are able to make a huge impact on their communities with a small amount of money. By making the Red Nose Day Community Cash fund available we hope to encourage some of the wonderful local organisations to apply for a grant and put it to work helping people of all ages feel more included in their community.”

The closing date for applications is Thursday, March 10, just in time for Red Nose Day on Friday, March 18.

Applications will be decided by a panel, which will include representatives from the Oxford Mail, Comic Relief and the Oxfordshire Community Foundation.

Wally Cox, from the Oxfordshire Community Foundation, which will be distributing the money, said: “We were delighted to be invited by Comic Relief to distribute £50,000 of Red Nose Day Community Cash to grassroots groups living and in Oxfordshire.

“We receive hundreds of enquiries from small community groups and know first-hand the fantastic work these organisations do across Oxfordshire.

“We will be helping to ensure this new fund is put to excellent use by local groups.”

  • The lives of parents and children in Barton have already been transformed thanks to Comic Relief cash. A weekly Stay and Play drop-in session, run by the Roundabout Children’s Centre and Barton Community Association, received a £1,000 grant from Comic Relief last February.

The sessions give parents and their children a chance to get out of the house, have a hot drink and healthy snack, and discuss parenting issues.

Kathy Shepherd, 58, helped set up the project. She said: “The money made a big difference to us. “At the end of the day, if we couldn’t afford the rent on the room in Barton, the group wouldn’t take place.”

The money was spent on practical costs, including room rental, refreshments and toys.

Miss Shepherd said: “This gives us the chance to reach out to other parents in Barton and let them know what services are available to them.”

Nicci Sawhney, 26, from Barton, has been visiting the centre with her daughter Millie since the sessions started.

She said: “I came when I was pregnant with Millie, who is now 16 months old, and her big sister Sasha, who is five.

“Sasha now comes during the holidays. It’s nice because it gives Millie the chance to socialise regularly and she recognises other babies now.

“They do different activities every week, and it’s good for me to talk to other parents.

“We can deal with the problems we all face without being preached at.”

The sessions are on Tuesday morning in the Barton Neighbourhood Centre and currently attract about 20 families a week.

Alan Foulkes, from the Barton Community Association, said: “It’s been really successful. We get a real mix of people, but I think it’s really important, giving mutual support and more confidence to parents.

“The grant was a huge help because the sessions could not have run without it, so I would absolutely urge people to apply to the Comic Relief fund.

“People might say it doesn’t sound like a huge amount of money, but it makes a world of difference in a place like this.”

  • Successful applicants will be announced in the Oxford Mail during the week commencing Monday, April 18. For full details of how to apply for Red Nose Day Community Cash, click on the link below or call 01865 798666.