Community Activities
The volunteer-run Cornerstone Library, which is making a positive difference in Churchtown and the surrounding Southport area, has benefited from vital support through the Howard’s Funeral Directors Community Assistance Programme.
Local community groups and good causes were invited to apply for the funeral directors’ second round of grants in their funding cycle for 2025. In this latest round, a £1,000 grant was awarded to the Cornerstone Library, which is led by the North Meols Library Association, a community-run charity.
Howard’s Funeral Director Derek Crawford said: “We are incredibly proud to support such a meaningful project in our local community. The Cornerstone Library is doing wonderful work to provide a safe, accessible space to support the local community and provide literacy development and lifelong learning to all. It is our absolute privilege to help them continue making a difference.”
The Community Assistance Programme aims to support local activities that enhance the quality of life for residents living within a three-mile radius of Howard’s funeral homes in Roe Lane, Southport and Station Road, Ainsdale. Projects must align with one or more of the fund’s four categories: Health, Education, Employment Opportunities, and Poverty and Social Deprivation.
The latest round of grants follows the funeral homes’ first funding cycle earlier in 2025, which previously awarded grants totalling £1,000 to: St Stephen’s Coffee for their weekly community coffee morning; Bebe’s Hive CIC to support child grief programmes; Cradle to provide pregnancy loss support; and Cherish Lipreading to help run lipreading courses.
The third and final round of funding opens on 16 February 2026 (closing date for applications, 29 March 2026).
For more information about the fund, visit our Community Assistance Programme page here