In 2020, local charity SMASH was awarded a £5000 grant from the Oakfield Community Response Fund, to support the wellbeing work they do with young people. Oakfield’s show home host, Jo, recently paid a visit to SMASH to see how the money had helped them.
Oakfield has community at its roots. So when the UK went into lockdown in 2020, our lead sponsor Nationwide partnered with the Wiltshire Community Foundation to create the Oakfield Community Response fund. Local charities, not-for-profits and community groups could apply for grants of up to £10,000. SMASH was one of those charities, receiving a grant of £5000 from the fund.
SMASH was founded in 2005 with the aim of supporting young people in the Swindon area who aren’t thriving to improve their wellbeing. The charity helps them to create good memories, improve decision-making skills, gain a sense of self-worth and see a brighter future.
Jo met with Andy Malcolm, manager at SMASH, who explained the grant had contributed towards keeping their services running during the pandemic, making sure they could continue to reach young people who needed their support. The team also took the opportunity to review how their service works, making changes to help them to support even more young people than before. They are currently working on a project to offer a lunch and after-school club to help with wellbeing and mental health management.
Jo also wanted to explore how Nationwide could continue to support the charity through both fundraising and volunteering opportunities. This led to a link between SMASH and Nationwide’s Head Office branch, who will be raising funds for SMASH using the charity’s Piggy Bank scheme. SMASH also organised an awareness session with the branch to share information on how the money raised will be used to support young people in their community.
Nationwide’s Property Services team have also been in touch with SMASH to look at volunteering opportunities and will be looking at ways to make the charity’s offices more user friendly, creating a multipurpose space with practical furniture and storage.
If you’d like to find out more about SMASH and how you can get involved or show your support, visit smashyouthproject.co.uk