Four Bay groups given $76k boost

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: Youth training programmes in the Nelson Theatre at Keirunga Gardens will be prioritised with grant money. PHOTO/FILE

Four Hawke's Bay community groups have had a funding boost to the tune of $76,000 collectively through the latest rounds of grants announced by the Eastern and Central Community Trust.

Hohepa Homes Poraiti has received $18,000, the Nelson Theatre at Keirunga Gardens in Havelock North has had a $20,000 boost, Plenoma Service in Otane has received $30,000 and Waipawa Primary School now has $8000 extra which will be used as part of its "Bikes in Schools" project.

For Hohepa Homes, the grant will go towards the creation of a farm-style building where residents of the special school will get the opportunity to build up a social enterprise selling drinks, crafts and home-grown organic vegetables to residents in the area and people passing by.

The proposed cottage is being built alongside a children's playground and is near the city cycleway which is part of the national cycle trail.

"The shop will give Hohepa children an opportunity to be more involved with the community providing life skills and a meeting place for the school's students, as well as providing another source of income for Hohepa," community trust general manager Jonathan Bell said.

Hohepa funding manager Neil Kirton said the facility could be quite isolated and he was keen for the community to be involved. "So this is a way to bring the community to us," he said.

Plans and fundraising are being finalised but Mr Kirton is hopeful the enterprise, which will be smaller but similar to that of the Hohepa facility at Clive, will be under way within six months.

For the Nelson Theatre group their grant will boost youth training programmes related to theatre performance and lighting and sound production, and would also assist in staging art and photography exhibitions.

The redevelopment will create a multipurpose exhibition and performance space.

"We see it becoming a new addition in Hawke's Bay for youth training," Keirunga Gardens Arts and Crafts Society president John Eaden said, adding it needed updating from its 1970s style, using modern lighting and sound.

"We won't be taking a traditional approach to seating and stage set-up but creating a flexible space for a variety of uses," he said.

For Otane-based Pleroma Social Services, which has been helping families across the Central Hawke's Bay District for more than 40 years, its $30,000 grant from the trust will go towards the cost of providing support for between 150 and 200 people a year.

The service group was formed to help families thrive as part of the community and offers parenting programmes and support schemes to keep youngsters safe.

A spokesperson for Waipawa Primary School said the trust's $8000 boost would go towards providing secure storage for its collection of around 50 bikes, which are part of its "Bikes in Schools" project.