Following the trust fund’s quarterly meeting last month, 19 beneficiaries across the Cheshire and South Manchester area were chosen to receive grants. The recipients included:

• Brooklands Bowling Club in Trafford, which will receive £1,500 towards a new bowling shelter;
• Drawing Board Productions in the Stockport area, which publishes community newspapers, will receive funding for 20 distribution stands;
• Tameside Armed Services Community, which has received more than £1,500 to provide solar electricity for its veterans’ allotment;
• Friends of the Moor, which helps maintain the Moor Park in Knutsford, will receive £3,000 for exercise equipment for its new Trim Trail; and
• Wythenshawe Black Belt Academy will get £2,820 to purchase protective equipment for up to 15 members

The Community Trust Fund will celebrate its 25th anniversary in December. Overseen by the airport, it was set up to provide funding either to contribute to or to cover the cost of not-for-profit initiatives. 

Ian Costigan, interim managing director at Manchester airport, said: “Twenty-five years after it was first conceived, the Community Trust Fund continues to contribute enormously to the neighbourhoods surrounding our airport.

“The variety of organisations set to benefit from April’s donations is testament to the broad impact of the scheme and firmly anchors Manchester airport within the community as we collectively recover from the impacts of the pandemic.”