A wonderful evening as Ragdale funding cheques are presented

The award-winning spa hosted the annual presentation event after once again putting £10,000 to share allocate to local community groups, charities, sports clubs and schools.

The Melton Times is proud to partner in this scheme, which has now been going for 16 years and which has seen a remarkable £160,000 donated by Ragdale to so many worthy causes.

Representatives of the successful applicants enjoyed a buffet before the main ceremony.

Master of ceremonies for the evening was Ragale Hall Spa managing director, Hugh Wilson, and cheques were presented by co-owner, Michael Issacs.

St Mary’s Birth Centre, in Melton, got £300 to pay for a digital radio, a tower fan and table top fans to support the care of mums at the Thorpe Road unit, which helped generations of parents, before after and during birth.

There was a donation of £720 to Great Dalby Primary School towards physical maths learning equipment for an exciting new programme for students, including those with special educational needs. The school was unable to fund it through its normal budget.

Scalford CofE Primary School received £750 to update their guided reading books for a new phonics scheme to help pupils with their reading.

A cheque for £350 was given to Croxton Kerrial Church to buy new chairs and tables to allow more elderly and isolated villagers to be accommodated at coffee mornings. At present, some attendees have to sit on pews and feel detached from the group.

Friends of Melton Country Park will be buying new gardening tools to tend plants and trees with the £200 they were presented with.

The group of volunteers work throughout the year to make the park attractive to dog walkers, runners and other visitors.

A donation of £400 went to Melton Mencap for sensory equipment and accessible toys for the children they work with. They have physical or learning disabilities, or a combinaion of both, and the new items will help them engage with play activities at the Chapel Street centre.

Pepper’s – A Safe Place received £655 to fund a new hot drinks making station for the people with mental health issues who attend sessions.

The centre is on King Street in Melton and provides valuable mindfulness activities and somewhere to chat.

Melton In Bloom will be spending their £500 donation on plants for a display at Parkside which will be created by pupils at The Grove Primary School.

The group work with local schoolchildren to teach gardening skills and encourage a love for flowers and plants.

Another beneficiary was local homeless charity Emmaus Leicestershire and Rutland – they got £500 to fund a small wellbeing allowance paid to those being rehabilitated from homelessness. A monthly payment of £10 helps people pay for personal things which keep them connected with others.

Elderly and isolated members of the Drop In Club at Melton will be going on a coach trip with their £300 donation. For some members the group represents their only opportunity to mix with others in a social setting.

Melton Community Allotment received £600 to buy wheelbarrows, a water pump and protective netting for their activities. The allotments provide a place where disadvantaged local can grow their own vegetables, others can improve their mental health and those with disabilities learn new skills.

A donation of £750 went to Melton Storehouse to help fund their services, including providing bags of food to struggling locals, clothing, electrical items, showers and a cafe. It is the town food bank and is based at the Hope Centre in Nottingham Street.

Belvoir Cricket and Countryside Trust got £254 to buy orienteering equipment for one of the activities they run for children. The trust, founded in 2009, involves trustees, employees and volunteers working to inspire youngsters to lead healthy, active lives.

A donation of £700 went to Dove Cottage Day Hospice to pay for equipment for a free hairdressing salon for guests. The salon is a new feature at the Stathern-based hospice, which has been supporting people with life-limiting illnesses and their families for 40 years.

Melton Vale Sixth Form College received £742 for sports equipment for their students and those at neighbouring Birch Wood School who attend sessions.

A cheque for £500 was presented to Melton Prostate Cancer Support Group to help with their rental costs for monthly meetings at the Baptist Church. The group was formed to support those with prostate cancer and former sufferers, together with family members.

The U3A Singing Group were gvien £500 to pay for a full size keyboard with a stand and cover for use on their concerts in nursing homes.

The group is part of the Melton branch of the University of The Third Age – a group of retired people who want to learn new skills.

Melton and Oakham Waterways Society (MOWS) received £504 to pay for the safety training of volunteers for the new boat hire and trip services.

The organisation has set up a new boat trip hub at Wilton Park with trips set to start this summer on the River Eye.

A donation of £750 went to Shopmobility Melton to buy two pre-owned scooter to hire out to people with mobility issues visiting Melton town centre.

The group has a kiosk in the St Mary’s Way car park to the rear of the Bell Centre.