Severn Trent’s Community Fund has awarded Telford and Wrekin based Yellow Ribbon Community Chaplaincy more than £14,000 to help improve access to the charity.

The funding has been used by the group to install a waterless toilet at the group's base ‘Halfway House’, offering visitors to the community group a more accessible, cleaner and accommodating space.

Yellow Ribbon purchased Halfway House in Summer 2024, and it is now open to the whole community to support wellbeing, build stronger connections and provide skills and learning opportunities. Based on the Wrekin, the site has enjoyed over 200,000 visitors in the last year alone.

The grant from Severn Trent’s Community Fund has meant that the site, which currently doesn’t have a mains water supply, can expand their capacity while offering an eco-friendly solution which can be used without water, electricity or chemicals.

Laura Hollie, Community Development Lead for Yellow Ribbon, said: “The funding from Severn Trent’s Community Fund has transformed the way we are able to use our Halfway House. It’s made it a much more accessible space where we can now host a large variety of events and activities for the local community to enjoy.”

Following the improvements made at the venue, the community group can host free-to-attend activities such as music sessions, and a variety of classes for local children to enjoy during the summer holidays.

Community Fund Officer for Severn Trent, Jade Gough, added: “We’re thrilled to have been able to support Yellow Ribbon. The addition of the waterless loo has meant that they’re able to host more events than before at Halfway House and really create a space for all the community to enjoy.”

Plans for the community group includes running creating alternative educational classes, youth programmes such as woodcraft and nature-based learning, as well as offering volunteering opportunities to the community.