The new Congleton Fund has reached £30,000 of its £80,000 target to back local charities tackling poverty. Here is who is behind it and how to give.

A new charity fund for Congleton has reached £30,000 within days of its launch, towards a target of £80,000 by 2027, Cheshire Community Foundation said.

The Congleton Fund pools donations from residents and businesses and passes them to local charities working on poverty, health inequalities and educational disadvantage in the town. It is run by Cheshire Community Foundation, the charity that also directs local giving to groups across Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Warrington, and whose corporate partners include Cheshire Oaks and Bolesworth.

A breakfast launch on the High Street

The fund was launched on Friday 6 November at a breakfast hosted by TMC Strategic Communications at The Space, the agency’s head office on Congleton High Street. Business owners, civic leaders and charities attended, along with Sarah Russell, the MP for Congleton.

Since that morning, the foundation says, the balance has reached £30,000, including gifts from local residents and from larger firms such as Reliance Medical.

Marie-Louise Taylor of Cheshire Community Foundation and Sarah Russell MP standing in front of a Congleton Fund banner
Marie-Louise Taylor, the Congleton Fund's development manager, with Sarah Russell, MP for Congleton, at the launch. Photo: supplied by Cheshire Community Foundation

Why Congleton, and why now

The foundation describes Congleton as “a town of striking contrasts”, where some families are struggling a few streets away from more affluent neighbourhoods. It points to three figures:

  • 24% of children across Cheshire East are growing up in relative poverty, according to figures the foundation takes from Resolve Poverty.
  • Almost a quarter of adults in Congleton East have no formal qualifications.
  • Congleton has twice the national average rate of hospital admissions for young people who have self-harmed.

Sarah Russell said:

“Congleton is a proud town with a strong community spirit, and that can lead people to overlook the fact that too many children here are growing up in poverty, and many people are suffering from mental health issues. The Congleton Fund is a practical way for all of us to do something about that. It brings local businesses, residents and charities together and makes sure money raised in Congleton is spent in Congleton, on the projects that will make the biggest difference. I’d urge everyone who can to get behind it.”

Money already going in

The fund builds on grants the foundation was already making in the town. Over the last three years it has awarded just over £50,000 to Congleton charities, £20,400 of it in the last 12 months. Groups it has backed include Congleton Bears, Friends for Leisure, The Old Saw Mill, Smile Group and Autism Assistance Dogs.

Andy Pear of Reliance Medical, one of the fund’s first donors, said:

“We wanted our support to reach the places it’s needed most, which is exactly what the Congleton Fund does. Reliance Medical is proud to back it, our origins are in Congleton, many of our team are too. We’d encourage other local businesses to get behind it too.”

Marie-Louise Taylor and Tim McCloud of TMC Strategic Communications in front of a Cheshire Community Foundation Congleton Fund banner
Marie-Louise Taylor with Tim McCloud of TMC Strategic Communications, which hosted the launch at The Space. Photo: supplied by Cheshire Community Foundation

A manager on the ground

Marie-Louise Taylor, who joined the foundation in April 2026, is the fund’s development manager for Congleton and will work with businesses, families and community leaders to grow it. Her post is part-funded by Plus Dane Housing.

Usman Ashiq of Plus Dane Housing said:

“Many of the people we work with in Congleton feel the pressures this fund will help to tackle. We were pleased to help fund a dedicated Fund Development Manager because lasting change needs someone on the ground building relationships and growing local giving. We’re proud to play a part in getting the Congleton Fund off to a strong start.”

Mel Sproston, chief executive of Cheshire Community Foundation, said the charity had awarded more than £17 million in grants across Cheshire and Warrington since 2012:

“We know that local giving works best when it is led locally. Today is about Congleton people and businesses deciding together what their town needs. Every pound pooled in the fund goes further, and every donor will see the difference it makes.”

What it means for you

  • To give: individuals and businesses can donate online at cheshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk/congleton-fund.
  • To become a business partner: contact Marie-Louise Taylor at Marie@cheshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk or on 01606 330607.
  • If you run a group in Chester, Ellesmere Port or Northwich: the Congleton Fund is for causes in and around Congleton, but Cheshire Community Foundation also funds groups across Cheshire West, so its own site is the place to look for what is open to you.

Cheshire Community Foundation is registered charity number 1143711.