TRINITY Winchester has been awarded £1,000 towards a disabled-access wet room thanks to a donation from local housebuilder, CALA Homes.

Established in 1986, originally as a support service for unemployed people, Trinity now helps people including those vulnerable to the effects of homelessness, domestic abuse, social isolation, mental and physical ill-health, addiction, poverty and unemployment.

The CALA Community Bursary was launched in April 2017 and invited local charities, organisations and groups to apply for funding for projects which make a vital difference in their communities.

CALA is currently building the Barton Farm development also knownas Kings barton.

Nick Twine, regional managing director, said: “After receiving many applications from many worthwhile causes in the local area, we faced a really tough decision when deciding on the final successful groups for this year’s community bursary scheme.

"The work that Trinity Winchester does is invaluable to members of the community who may otherwise receive little or no help, and can as a result become extremely isolated.

“The aims of the charity perfectly reflect the value that CALA places on community, and we are delighted that the bursary donation will help them to continue their amazing work in the local area.”

Lucy Tennant, events and community fundraiser at Trinity, said: “We are honoured to have received this valuable funding as part of CALA’s community bursary scheme. The money will go a long way to making our washing facilities comfortable and welcoming for those who use it on a daily basis.

“With a large number of people using our centre every day, the building is beginning to show signs of wear and tear. The refit of the bathroom was the next step in our renovation of the centre, and it is wonderful that CALA have covered the shortfall we had, and enabled us to have the bathroom in place for the New Year.”

“Trinity works with some of the most hard-to-reach members of the community, including rough sleepers, ex-offenders, and those struggling with addiction. Often, a simple shower leads people to feeling more dignified, and consequently more willing to engage in the other services we offer.”

CALA has now launched its second year of the community bursary scheme, which is open to local charities and communities. The closing deadline is Friday March 23 and applications can be found at www.cala.co.uk/bursary-south.

With a day centre service, outreach sessions, learning programmes and on-site healthcare, as well as food, shelter and washing facilities, Trinity provided 3,000 advice sessions to over 600 people in the last year.