Montrose firm's grants provide support for well-being projects

The firm has granted vital funds to NEWSolutions and Montrose Tennis Club, enabling them to continue their contributions to the community.

Crawford Architecture announced their own awards last September in a bid to highlight local individuals and groups in the area who are making a significant contribution to the local community.

The successful winners selected by the team receive a grant for up to £500.

This time, they were inspired by the work of NEWSolutions, a community interest company which is committed to building resilience and promoting awareness of mental health and well-being within schools, community organisations and businesses.

It was the firm's intention to have only one winner, but decided that Montrose Tennis Club should also be recognised its inspiring initiative to provide free tennis sessions for children with disabilities or additional support needs.

The funding will allow them to build on the success of last year’s six-week programme, which supported 20 children at Lochside Primary and 12 at Montrose Academy.

The scheme has already made a significant impact, and the club has been asked by both participating schools to re-run the programme this year.

Club Coach, Graeme Walker said: “The children who take part really benefit from these activities and it’s rewarding to see their skills improve from throwing and catching to getting balls over the net and progressing onto rallying with partners, which is a fantastic skill to have as it brings so much enjoyment to playing tennis.”

Gail Penman, NEWSolutions CIC Director, added: “We are so grateful to Crawford Architecture for this support. It gives us a fantastic opportunity to pilot our Taskmaster programme, enabling us to reach children who may otherwise struggle to engage and giving them the tools they need to thrive both socially and academically.”

Speaking about the initiative, David Paton, Director at Crawford Architecture said “It has been really rewarding to see the profound impact that both NEWSolutions and Montrose Tennis Club are having on our community. We are incredibly proud to be able to support them and look forward to seeing the positive outcomes that their new programmes will bring to Montrose.”