Church gets £20k grant from Asda Foundation

​St Leonards are delighted with the donation

The grants form part of a staggering £1.2 million in funding which has been awarded to 65 community projects across the UK. Ranging between £10,000 and £25,000, the grants will go towards the improvement of community spaces where local people can come together and thrive.

The initiative follows information from Asda’s community tracker, which revealed over 20% of customers were concerned about the lack of community spaces in their area, with loneliness being ranked as one of the biggest challenges faced by communities.

Among the eight groups awarded in Scotland is St Leonard’s Episcopal Church in Straiton, receiving £20,000 to transform an unused church building into a community hub. With support from the Asda Foundation, the space will become more accessible, providing more opportunity to those from the local community as the money will be used to install a disabled toilet, a new solar powered heating system and create a change to the seating area in order that it can host a range of community events locally.

Peter Harris, St Leonard's Episcopal Church, said: “Midlothian is one of the fastest and largest growing communities in Scotland but lots of public community facilities have closed, creating a need for accessible and affordable spaces for community groups to operate out of.”

“We’re delighted to receive funding from The Asda Foundation. It will enable us to provide a sense of community cohesion and a suitable space for people to meet, helping to reduce social isolation and provide activities for a wide range of people and ages.”

Claire Smith, Community Champion at Asda Straiton, said: “The community hub is such an important resource to the local community, and it was a privilege to present this cheque of £20,000 to St Leonard’s Episcopal Church as this space has long been a place of gathering and connection.”