ROCA rolls on as funding passes 100 schemes

Milestone for FCHO Community funded projects. Shamina, Jo, Shirley Life Long Learning, Zakia and Kathryn

MORE than 100 neighbourhood projects in Oldham have been supported by the Respect Our Community Awards — ROCA — since its inception six years ago.

The scheme was started by First Choice Homes Oldham in 2007 to build communities by providing money for local projects. ROCA has now funded 103 applications to the tune of more than £288,000.

ROCA is administered by FCHO and supported by a committed panel of local businesses who provide financial and operational backing.

David Smith, FCHO’s Customer First director, said: “The scale of the projects put forward for ROCA funding directly reflects the diverse communities we have in Oldham.”

Projects receiving grants in the latest round have included:

Oldham LGBT Pride (£5,000), to raise awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues;

Place (£3,800): a performance-based project using music, drama and crafts to help refugee, asylum seekers and recent immigrants to develop language skills; Limehurst’s Lunch (£2,500), a resident-led community arts event, and Holts Village Junior Youth Club (£2,799), which has an Oldham Play Action Group-organised “cook together, eat together” lunch club which gives children the chance to learn to prepare and cook fresh ingredients.

The deadline for the next round of funding is September 9; applicants can bid for up to £5,000 for their community project.