A mental health support group, an initiative to raise awareness about the global impacts of climate change and a conservation trip to South America are three of the excellent causes we’ve been pleased to support through the John Porter Community Fund recently.

If your organisation is looking for financial assistance to help its goals, we would love to hear from you. There’s a chance that the Fund, set up in memory of our former proprietor John Porter, could provide support.

In our latest round of donations to worthy groups and individuals, we’ve been able to donate to the Wellbeing Collaborative Network, a Stourbridge-based community interest company that offers mental health group programmes direct to schools.

The network’s aim is to offer majority-funded programmes to schools, and the support provided by the John Porter Community Fund will go towards the purchase of resources, which will enable the organisation to reach more schools.

We are also very pleased to support Stourbridge-based musician Gren Bartley (pictured left at Black Country Radio), who is developing a special radio project called Common Truths, which has already reached 100,000 listeners with stories about how people are being affected by climate change.

Gren aims to reach new audiences via the online podcast market with a new series on unheard voices from around the globe, including small organisations, activists, politicians and others.

The next stage of Gren’s project will engage with Black Country-based musicians, actors, storytellers and will work with Black Country Radio to reach as many people as possible.

The third excellent cause we are delighted to help is that of a local Ranger Guide Grace, who is fundraising to go on a conservation trip to Mexico. We’ll be keeping in touch with Grace and hope to share details of her trip and its impact soon.

If you would like to apply for funding from the John Porter Community Fund, please write to Lucy Porter, H. Porter & Sons, 60 South Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 3UJ, or email lucyporter@hporter.co.uk. Please be sure to include bank details or the names of people or organisations to whom any cheques should be payable.