Community groups and organisations celebrated their respective shares of £55,100 awarded through the 2025 Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund to support projects that enhance local wellbeing, improve the environment and support the community.
Representatives from each group recently came together at Tower Hill Community Hub in Kirkby to celebrate their success and share ideas. The hub, which was itself supported by the fund in previous years, has grown into a valued local space for collaboration and community support. The event gave this year’s recipients the chance to connect, exchange experiences and explore ways to work together.
The annual fund provided by Merseyside Energy Recovery Ltd (MERL) in partnership with SUEZ recycling and recovery UK (SUEZ), supports a wide range of initiatives from youth engagement and sport to mental health support and sustainable food projects.
Since launching in 2018, the fund has now invested £445,700 in local community projects across Northwood, Cherryfield, Shevington, Whitefield and Prescot North, helping to deliver lasting benefits for thousands of residents.
This year, funding has been awarded to 13 local groups and organisations selected for their commitment to making a real difference for Kirkby residents:
- Tower Hill Youth FC (£2,000) – Sporting Solutions. Affordable weekly football sessions with tactical training, breathwork and meditation, promoting healthy lifestyles and teamwork for children who may otherwise face barriers to participation.
- Tower Hill Community Hub (£4,600) – The Community Network. Weekly workshops offering financial advice, skills development, employability support, and social activities to help residents build resilience, confidence and community connections.
- Positive Futures (£9,900) – Targets Support Service. One-to-one and group support sessions for young people across Kirkby, delivered in accessible, youth-friendly spaces, to improve wellbeing and reduce social isolation.
- Southdene Community Association (£3,600) – Smart Steps Programme. Financial health and wellbeing sessions to help families and vulnerable groups manage money effectively, reduce stress and build confidence through practical advice and peer support.
- Evolving Mindset (£2,500) – Kirkby Men’s Wellbeing Club. Thirty weeks of free weekly sessions combining physical activity with mental health support, tackling social isolation and promoting healthier lifestyles for over 100 local men.
- Mind Connect (£3,100) – Mind Connect Community. A wellbeing membership scheme offering group sessions, coaching, online support and community events to reduce mental health inequalities and social isolation through early intervention.
- FC Kirkby (£2,600) – Heads Up Project. Weekly inclusive football and peer support sessions to help men build confidence, connect socially and improve mental health in a relaxed, pressure-free environment.
- The Eco Therapy Garden (£1,600) – Healthy Food Hub Project. Subsidised healthy food, cooking demonstrations and seed growing to tackle poor nutrition and provide affordable, nutritious options for families and older residents.
- Sports Alive North West (£4,300) – Kirkby Youth and Play Project. STEM-focused kart-building and train station art initiatives to inspire creativity, teamwork and environmental awareness among young people media
- Me2U (£2,200) – Memories and Support. Fortnightly sessions for individuals and families following a dementia diagnosis, offering therapeutic activities, practical guidance and peer support to promote a “live well with dementia” ethos.
- The CELLS Project (£5,500) – Youth Club: Staffing, training and inclusive programming to provide a safe, creative youth space, including learning-disability training and coordination.
- Apollo Active (£8,600) – Sports in the Parks: 52 outreach sessions at Webster Park and Knowsley Lane recreation Ground, combining multisport activities, mentoring and pathway to accredited coaching qualifications.
- Centre 63 (£4,600) – Growing Garden: Transforming an outdoor area with an accessibility ramp, vertical growing wall and communal beds – creating an inclusive, social, food-growing space that reduces isolation.
The Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund was established as part of an agreement between MERL, which treat the residual waste from across Merseyside and Halton, and Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA). SUEZ is one of the shareholders in MERL and the operator of Knowsley rail loading transfer station, where the residual waste is compacted onto rail containers to be sent on to an energy from waste facility to generate electricity.
Victoria Crabtree, Regional Manager at SUEZ, said: “It is always fantastic to see the dedication of local groups and the positive impact of their work. We are proud to continue supporting these initiatives, which bring communities together and deliver lasting benefits for residents across Kirkby. We look forward to receiving more applications when the fund reopens next Spring.
Lesley Worswick, Chief Executive of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, said “We recognise the incredible dedication of local groups in meeting the needs of their communities, and we are delighted this funding will provide a welcome boost to their services. It is always wonderful to hear of the local projects and initiatives helped by the Fund, and I look forward to seeing their progress.”
To learn more about the journey of Merseyside and Halton’s household waste, local schools and community groups are invited to book a visit to the Rail Transfer Loading Station in Knowsley, where they can explore how residual waste contributes to sustainable energy generation.
The Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund is open to applications from non-profit, constituted groups, and local schools, dedicated to community and environmental progress in the Kirkby area.
ENDS