Charity invites new applications for grants helping Derbyshire Dales residents

The Ernest Bailey Charity, administered by Derbyshire Dales District Council, considers requests for financial assistance annually, and in 2022 distributed around £4,000 between 17 local groups and individuals.

A spokesperson for the authority said: “The district council welcomes applications from organisations and individuals who meet the criteria and it’s now easier than ever to apply online.”

The charity’s governance rules dictated that funds must be applied for the general benefit of the inhabitants of Matlock, Matlock Bath, Bonsall, Cromford, Darley Dale, Northwood and Tinkersley, parts of Rowsley, South Darley, Starkholmes or Tansley.

That can take the shape of relief for the aged, poor, sick or distressed, facilities for education, recreation and other leisure time activities, or any other use which the trustees think fitting.

Last year’s grants included help to fund Cavendish Sports Field Association’s ambitions for a new 3G all-weather sport pitch, improvements to community buildings, new kit for Scouts, sports teams and a playgroup.

There was also support for a residents struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and others trying to make their homes more habitable.

Applicants are asked to provide information on themselves or their organisation, the amount required, a costed budget for the project and details of the impact expected from any grant.

The deadline is Friday, October 6, and the charity’s committee typically meets a few weeks later to decide the merits of each application.

Grants do not come from the council’s regular budgets but via an investment fund with various private holdings and assets established to continue Ernest Bailey’s contributions to the community.

Born in 1870, the owner of Bailey's Flour Mills, in Lumsdale, founded the former Ernest Bailey Grammar School in 1924 on New Street, Matlock.

The school closed in 1982 when local secondary education was reorganised, merging with Charles White Secondary Modern School to form Highfields School.

To apply online, go to www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/ernestbailey.

For more information or paper application forms, call 01629 761392 or write to [email protected] or community development officer Emma Mortimer at Community & Environmental Services Department, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Town Hall, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3NN.

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