Luton groups get cash boost from The Mall's Community Chest scheme - including Luton Town Ladies Youth Football Club

The Mall has announced the second group of winners for July’s Community Chest award, with an equal share of £2,022 split between Luton Town Ladies Youth Football Club, ABCD-in-Luton and 1st Falkes Squirrels.

After launching on June 1 as part of The Mall’s 50th anniversary year, the Community Chest has been hugely popular with local charities and groups, giving them the opportunity to apply for a share of a monthly fund of £2,022 to assist them with their goals. The fund refreshes at the end of each month and will be running until the end of October.

Luton Town Ladies Youth Football Club is one of July's recipients, a group for girls ages 4-18 which aims to develop football skills and social engagement. The donation will help to run free sessions for children of all demographic backgrounds with the hope of adding more squads in the future.

Mark Wareham, Chairman of Luton Town Ladies Football Club, said: “We are extremely excited and proud to have received the Community Chest award from The Luton Mall which will enable Luton Town Ladies FC to purchase new equipment for the teams at youth level including our Tiny Hatters through to the u18s. Every penny of donations are put towards the development of the girls in these exciting times for female football.”

The second recipient of July’s fund, ABCD-in-Luton, is responsible for local movements including #KeepLutonTidy (a community clean up featuring over 1,300 volunteers) and StrongerTogether, a programme for individuals and businesses to share their skills with others in the community. The donation will help ABCD-in-Luton to expand its vast equipment store to enable a greater number of community events, and the purchase of a multifunctional printer to produce advertising material to recruit more volunteers.

Kevin Poulter, the Founder of ABCD in Luton, commented: “We are delighted to be selected from so many worthy applicants, these funds will allow ABCD-in-Luton to expand our equipment so we can facilitate more community groups and schools to get involved with the #KeepLutonTidy movement that is sweeping across Luton.”

The final recipient of the month is 1st Falkes Squirrels, a scout group for 4-6 year olds. The group teaches children the importance of teamwork, community support and sustainability, and aims to encourage the socialisation that many children did not have access to throughout the pandemic. The group will use the funding to purchase gaming equipment and resources to help the squirrels achieve their badges, as well as tents for camping days.

Michele McBarron, Squirrel Leader, said: “This will help us to continue offering a programme that is full of fun and provide skills for life, such as teamwork and communication. It will also help us to reach out to other parents of 4/5 year olds, allowing them to see what we have to offer and potentially create the demand for further squirrel dreys across the town.”

The Community Chest is now accepting applications for August’s fund of £2,022, and unsuccessful applications for the previous month are encouraged to re-enter for consideration.

To apply, visit The Mall’s website.