A Self Sustaining Charity

Supporting the Chippenham Community

Chippenham Borough Lands Charity (CBLC)

We are a grant-giving charity whose origins can be traced back over 500 years

We support the community of Chippenham,
pledging our continued assistance to those who need it.

What we do

We are a place based, grant making charity with the aim of helping the people of Chippenham. We support local individuals and organisations in welfare, education, arts and community projects. We have investments that generate a budget for us to use for the benefit of Chippenham’s inhabitants. We also run a community website, called One Chippenham, and rent out our properties. The Borough Lands now consist of over 70 acres of land, in the centre of Chippenham, which we maintain for community use.

WE SUPPORT

People & Organisations

We support Chippenham residents on a low income with aspects such as mobility aids, white goods, childcare costs, training courses, travel passes, transport costs, furniture and food vouchers. We provide funding to different charities, non-profit organisations and community groups that provide a service that benefits local Chippenham residents.

WE SUPPORT

Welfare

We help individuals who have a financial need and organisations that support local residents. Individuals can apply for our help, providing they are currently living within the parish of Chippenham and have done so for over two years. Organisations can only apply if their work benefits or will benefit people who live within the parish of Chippenham.

WE SUPPORT

Education

We give yearly funding to our local schools to support families on low income (e.g. helping with uniforms and trip costs) and welcome grant applications to support enrichment activities from our local Primary Schools. We are currently funding some mental health support in our local secondary schools and new resources for students at Wiltshire College & University Centre. We help eligible Chippenham residents with the costs towards a course that advances their education, although we cannot support First or Master Degrees.

WE SUPPORT

Arts

As well as helping individuals and groups with projects we provide information, support, training and regular meetings/networking opportunities for Chippenham based groups, organisations and local arts professionals. We also give and share information for all local people who are interested in arts and cultural events in Chippenham via the Chippenham ACE group and through our community website, One Chippenham.

WE SUPPORT

Community Projects

As well as building two Community Centres, the Charity has transformed the Westmead Open Space into a popular and welcoming amenity. Our first major project, the Westmead Activity Centre now known as The Arc, was completed in February 2022. The Arc – climbing centre, skatepark and café was built on land belonging to our charity at Westmead Playing Field and is run by The Climbing Academy. We added a new wooden play area to the site in February 2023.

News and blogs

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