SHORT LISTED PROJECTS FOR THE DRAGONS GOLD

Dragons gold up for grabs

Shanklin Rotary Club have £25,000 to give to a local charitable organisation that can use it to make a difference for some section of the community.

Eleven initial serious enquiries about bidding resulted in seven bids being received, all of which had qualities, but these have now been narrowed down to a short list of four, to go forward to a final bidding stage.

The finalists for Dragons’ Gold are:

Dexfm with a proposal to for a youth centre in the basement of Shanklin Theatre to serve 14 to 17 year olds, currently not catered for. The basement could provide a “Cavern Club” type environment. Dexfm is a group of local young men who organise music events and run an Internet radio station and it is hoped that they can provide the sort of environment that could appeal to the target age group.

St Catherines School in Ventnor would use the funds to expand their Worx Project. This facility provides training for young people with disabilities in various practical skills such as bricklaying, computer repair, photography, graphic design, etc., helping to improve their skills and employability. The school has identified a gap in the current provision for vocational training for young people with special needs and have developed this innovative project to fill it.

John’s Club is a voluntary organisation, based in Shanklin, providing a range of support and services for vulnerable adults and teenagers with learning and physical disabilities. They would like to extend their facilities by providing a drop in centre and IT training room. This would become a social hub where the members can meet as well as providing a range of training and recreational opportunities.

The YMCA Fairthorne Group, in association with The Bays Childrens Centre, have bid for funds to create a “sensory room” based at Winchester House, Shanklin, for use by a range of children, young people and families with disabilities and other problems. A sensory room is a safe comfortable environment fitted out with a range of equipment that stimulates or calms the senses, and is known to be beneficial to many groups, for example, in being effective with children who demonstrate behavioural problems.

Final bids are to be submitted by Friday 15th September, then an event is being planned for early October, based loosely on the Dragons Den TV programme format, to select the winner and provide a platform for those who don’t win.