FOUR Blackbird Leys community groups are competing for public votes to win £3,000 of funding.

A debt advice centre, a dance school, a swimming club and a children support charity have all been shortlisted for the area’s Lloyds Bank Community Fund 2014.

While the fund was open to groups across Cowley, East Oxford and Littlemore, only groups based on the estate were deemed needy enough to be shortlisted.

Oxford Mail:

  • Messy Jam dance school

The group that receives most votes will get £3,000, with the other groups receiving £2,000, £1,000 or £500.

The Blackbird Leys Neighbourhood Support Scheme – which runs the Agnes Smith Advice Centre – is one of those in the running for the cash.

The Blackbird Leys Road centre’s deputy manager Laura Wilson said: “It would help us to work with people in the area to prevent them from losing their benefits or getting into debt. Debt is very often persistent, you help someone and then they come back 18 months later with the same problem because they don’t know how to budget.

“We would like to work with people to prevent it rather than just having short-term solutions. These are life-skills that are needed.”

The centre requires £175,000 a year to run, with £80,000 of that coming from Oxford City Council.

Ms Wilson said: “We have to fundraise the rest from grants and charities. We’re hopefully going to hire a new outreach worker with the money to do this preventative work.”

Oxford Mail:

  • Home-Start trustees’ chair Alison Scott

Up against the centre is Messy Jam Dance School, which teaches street and hip hop dance to encourage diversity and confidence with young people.

Originally set up in Barton, it is now based at the Jubilee Hall in Sorrel Road, teaching children from as young as five to adulthood.

Home-Start, based at the Blackbird Leys Community Centre, is also on the shortlist.

It has trained volunteers who help families with young children by providing practical and emotional support.

The charity aims to improve parenting skills, confidence and provide children with a positive start in life.

Organisers said that requests for support have increased by 20 per cent in 2014, and need the funding to work with more families.

The final group, the Oxford City Swimming Club, wants to use the money towards equipping the estate’s new pool.

The pool, at the Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre in Pegasus Road, will be a 25m pool and the group want to make it a British-standard competition pool by buying professional-quality starter blocks, which are used in all official races.

The Lloyds Bank Community Fund is running the same scheme with four groups in 350 communities across the country, including Summertown, Headington and Botley.

The deadline to vote is October 10. To find out more and vote visit lloydsbank.com/communityfund

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