Fund marks milestone in making a difference in Darfield
Last modified: 27 Jun 2023 12:40pm
Over a million dollars of support is helping community groups in Darfield to make a positive difference to the township.
The Westview Special Fund Committee was formed in late 2019, to distribute a fund of $1.27m from the sale of land in Darfield, back to the Darfield community.
Ten community projects received over $260,000 in funding from the final funding round of the Westview Special Fund. Across the five rounds, the committee awarded funds to 51 successful applications.
The fifth-round saw funding for gymnastics and basketball classes, cricket pitch covers and the Darfield High School Youth Enterprise award, and playground and building upgrades for the Darfield Preschool and Nursery, Darfield Primary School, Darfield Bowling Club, Darfield Rugby Club and Darfield Netball Club.
Funding also went to the Darfield Toy Library to build up the service following the withdrawal of Plunket involvement due to impacts from COVID.
Secretary Kerri Gray says the Toy Library has been part of the community for over 26 years and the funding will make a huge difference to improving its services to the community.
“When significant change occurs, it can take a while to grow back and this funding gives us such an incredible opportunity to fast forward this effort and support families in Darfield in a more meaningful way. We can be back out at events, improve our presence and be more connected. We’re hoping to hire a toy librarian as part of this grant so we can provide a stable figure for young families who may be more disconnected than those in larger towns. We want to save families money, reduce the plastic they buy and give a familiar face to members who can just chat and check in. This is really ground-breaking for us and we can’t wait to build a bigger, more connected presence in Darfield.”
Westview Special Fund Chairman Bob Mugford thanked all the applicants over the years of the fund.
“It’s been a really worthwhile project to be a part of, to be able to support so many excellent community groups and dedicated people who play such an important part in our community.”
If any funds remain, once the final amounts have been dispensed to the applicants, these funds will be transferred to the Malvern Community Board to distribute for community capital projects within Darfield.