Community groups and organisations from in and around Kirkby have received £55,000 from this year’s Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund. The funding has been distributed to eight community groups operating in Northwood, Cherryfield, Whitefield and Knowsley Village.

The Fund is part of the agreement with Merseyside Energy Recovery Limited (MERL), who treat Merseyside and Halton’s household residual waste, and with its partner SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, operates the Rail Transfer Loading Station in Knowsley.

Each year, the Fund provides funding to support a range of community, health, wellbeing, and environmental projects. This year, £55,000 was awarded to eight local good causes. These are:

1. Incredible Edibles Knowsley, who received £9,000 for a community food project
2. Pingwood Arts and Crafts Group, who received £5,000 to support the group in continuing to tackle social isolation
3. Prospective Theatre Company, who received £4,500 to devise, produce and present contemporary drama performances
4. Care Merseyside, who received £5,000 for their social prescribing online classes
5. Centre 63, who received £10,000 for their ‘Remake Yourself’ project
6. Tower Hill Amateur Boxing Club, who received £10,000 for their Healthy Communities Project
7. CELLS, who received £4,500 for their Mums Matter project
8. Southdene Community Association, who received £8,000 to continue their work

The Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund will invest over £1million into the local community throughout the 25-year contract with Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA). Both MERL and SUEZ recognise that they have an important part to play in the local community and this Fund helps to fulfil their responsibilities as a good neighbour.

A special video has been produced to celebrate the achievements of the successful applicants. You can view it on Facebook here: https://fb.watch/9JGuiX3mFy/

SUEZ’s Regional Manager Ed Best said: “Volunteers are the backbone of our communities and we have relied on them more than ever since the pandemic. We received so many applications to the Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund this year and I’m absolutely delighted that we were able to distribute £55,000 to eight very worthy good causes.”

Cllr Tony Concepcion, MRWA Chairperson said: The Authority is once again so pleased that MERL & SUEZ UK continue to support the Kirkby community through the Neighbourhood Fund. Community groups and local organisations have once again faced huge challenges this year, and financial resources like this are very welcome. We are looking forward to working with MERL and SUEZ on next year’s Fund, and we hope that 2022 brings more opportunities to support health and wellbeing across the local area.”

Working on behalf of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, SUEZ puts Merseyside and Halton’s residual household waste to good use by using it to create sustainable electricity. Waste arrives at the Knowsley Rail Transfer Loading Station where it is loaded onto rail containers and taken to the Wilton energy-from-waste facility in Teesside, where it is used to generate enough electricity to power more than 63,000 homes.

Local community and residents’ groups can explore the journey of Merseyside and Halton’s residual household waste at the visitor centre at the Rail Loading Transfer Station in Knowsley. For more information, please visit www.suezmerseyside.co.uk .

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