4 All Foundation set to receive Lottery funding

4 All Foundation has been awarded a National Lottery Community Fund grant to support our wellbeing groups, which help bolster community spirit, wellbeing and social interaction.

Our organisation, which provides support across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and the wider region, was originally set up as part of the Marches Academy Trust, and became an independent charity in 2022. Since then, the team has supported thousands of children and adults through the provision of a wide range of activities, drop-ins and groups.

Currently, we run two wellbeing groups – one at Ditherington Community Centre in Shrewsbury on Mondays from 10.30am to 12.30pm, and a second at Hub on the Hill in Sutton Hill, Telford, on Thursdays from 10am to 12pm. The latter has also attracted support from McPhillips through their Community Fund.

The groups are free to attend, open to anyone, and include a mixture of activities from arts and crafts projects and gardening to gentle exercise and trips out.

In addition, we run activities including youth clubs, workshops and drop-ins, and manage three community centres (two in Shrewsbury and one in Market Drayton), as well as partnering with local schools and colleges to offer PE and extra-curricular sessions, and running the North Shropshire District Association football programme. All activities focus around promoting at least one of four key areas: sports participation, health and wellbeing, education and employability, and community engagement.

Attendees range from newborn to 96, and activities are primarily focused in areas which have been identified as those being of greatest need based on research such as the English Indices of Deprivation.

George Hounsell, our Director of Operations, said: “This grant will be invaluable when it comes to the support we are able to provide to boost wellbeing in communities across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, and the wider area.

“More than 90% of the activities we offer are free of charge for those who attend, breaking down financial barriers so anyone can benefit physically, emotionally and socially from 4 All’s programmes. So, it’s vital that we are able to receive funding such as this grant, as well as the fantastic support we receive from local authorities, businesses, individuals and many other organisations in the areas we operate.

“Last year saw significant growth in terms of the number of activities we provided, and the number of people who benefited from them – and we are on track to increase our offering again in 2026.”