June's Community Stories

Canley Parade and Big Lunch

Congratulations to the 'Playing Out Canley' community organisations for organising the fantastic Canley Parade and Big Lunch event! And congratulations to all the volunteers and supporting organisations who generously donated their time or resources to make the event such a success.

The Canley Parade took place last Saturday and featured vibrant performances from the Canley Samba Band and the Standard Triumph Pipe Band. Canley community groups came together in creative costumes and showcased props crafted by local residents, all reflecting this year’s theme: ‘Nature and Nurture’.

After the parade, hundreds of local residents gathered at Prior Deram Park to enjoy the Canley Big Lunch, which offered free food, community stalls, and a variety of activities. The purpose of these events is to bring the community together, and really was a day of community spirit, creativity, and sunshine.

The parade was made possible by the University of Warwick and Warwick Arts Centre’s partnership work with local community groups, including a financial contribution.

The Community Resilience Team supported Nor Aziz, from the Uniting Communities Foundation, to secure grant funding from the Inclusive Communities Fund to support the Big Lunch. The £14,000 grant will also be used to support other Canley community activities later this year.

Nor Aziz, a member of the Playing Out Canley group and a local resident, expressed, “‘My favourite thing about the Canley community is our partnership approach to working. There are many incredible voluntary and community organisations in our area.

We support each other’s initiatives to make what we do as impactful as possible.

Individually there’s some amazing people in our Canley community, but it’s when we all work together, we shine the brightest!”

To find out more about the Playing Out Canley please visit their facebook page and their website.

Cheylesmore Community Centre Secures Funding For Community Kitchen

The Cheylesmore Community Centre has successfully secured funding to refurbish their community kitchen and make improvements to the building. With funding application support from the Community Resilience Team, the Community Centre has been awarded over £60,000 from the Severn Trent Community Fund to make this project a reality.

The upgraded Community Kitchen will serve as a hub for various projects aimed at supporting the local community and residents across Coventry. Once the kitchen renovations are complete, the facility will offer free community cookery courses, including "cooking on a budget" and "healthy cooking with air fryers," to help people learn to cook healthier and more cost-effective meals.

The new facilities will also host free community lunches, bringing people together over home-cooked meals to provide support and friendship to those in Coventry who may feel isolated or vulnerable.

Renovations on the kitchen and building repairs are expected to start soon. Congratulations to the Centre's Trustees and the Cheylesmore Community Centre team for designing such a beneficial community project. We look forward to hearing about the developments as the work progresses.

The Cheylesmore Community Centre is a vibrant hub with many community groups and activities. Additionally, it features the C3 coffee shop, which offers delicious food and drinks. Visit their facebook page for menus and opening times.

For more information on how you can get involved in activities at Cheylesmore Community Centre please visit their website.