On Monday July 20th Diligenta hosted a grant reception for the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation (CCF) in their magnificent offices in Lynchwood Business Park. The event brought together a mix of private and corporate donors, grant recipients and local dignitaries to celebrate achievements of CCF to date in Peterborough.

The Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Mr Hugh Duberly, awarded cheques to Randall Rootz Community Music and Eaglesthorpe Social Club. These grants bring CCF’s giving to small voluntary and community groups in Peterborough to £250,000 since CCF was set up in April 2004.

The Chairman of Randall Rootz Community Music, Andrew Whittaker, is pictured centre receiving the award from Mr Hugh Duberly.

Earlier in the evening the guests were treated to a short performance by a three-piece acoustic band called The Malingerers from Randall Rootz Community Music.

Randall Rootz Community Music was established in memory of Mark Randall, a local passionate musician, who lost his battle against cancer in 2007. The group seeks to promote music arts and culture through community based activities including educational workshops.

The guests also heard brief talks from groups that had received grants from CCF. David Pope from Club ‘73 explained how funds from CCF had enhanced the facilities for club members (adults with special needs) by subsidising the staff costs. Alan Peasgood from Friends of Broadway Cemetery described how the £250 awarded had been used to create leaflets about the cemetery, which has become a conservation and historical haven. Fiona, Tara and Nicola from the Peterborough & District Deaf Children’s Society described how the £1,400 from CCF will to help finance a week-long play scheme for deaf children and their siblings during August this year.

Jane Darlington, CEO of CCF, invited the audience to help CCF with the challenge to raise further funds in Peterborough to enable the city to make the most of a 'matched fund challenge' offered by national government.  Unless sufficient progress is made by 30 September 2009 towards raising the target amount, the government will reduce the overall 'matching' sum on offer to Peterborough and reallocate the amount to another region in England.