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A community karate group and a sailing club for people with disabilities and have been chosen to receive more than £6,500 in grants from affordable homes provider Havebury Housing Partnership.

Havebury’s Community Investment Fund (CIF) has donated nearly £780 to the Haverhill Wado Karate Club, to be spent on safety matting at the group’s base, the Chalkstone Community Centre.

This means that the members, who are mainly children, are kept safe at all times during practice.

WASH Sailability, based at Lackford Lakes, has been given £5,750 from the CIF. The money will go towards an Access 303 dinghy, a boat with special controls that allows a person with disabilities to be taught to sail alongside an expert.

Havebury chief executive Karen Mayhew said both clubs were worthy recipients of the grants.

She said: “Both groups are of great importance in the Suffolk area. WASH Sailability gives an enormous amount of freedom to people with disabilities.

"The karate club is somewhere the children can improve their health and fitness, at the same time as learning respect for others.”

Michael Simpkin, treasurer of WASH Sailability, said the dinghy had been 'desperately needed' by the 20 club members, who have had to share one other dinghy until now.

He said: “Once they are trained by one of our team, they can go out on the lake on their own. On the water, they are equal to able-bodied sailors, which means the world to them.”

Meanwhile, karate club treasurer Greg Malyon stressed that it would have taken members two or three years to save up the money for the new matting.

“We are extremely grateful to Havebury for their contribution to our club,” he said. “Safety is of utmost importance to us and this donation means that we can make sure our members are fully looked after.”

Havebury, which has offices in Haverhill and Bury St Edmunds, is dedicated to serving both the existing and future housing needs of people in West Suffolk and the Cambridge sub-region. A charity and not-for-profit association, it currently manages 6,000 homes.

Since the partnership’s Community Investment Fund was set up in 2002, a total of £487, 222 has been awarded in grants to support 199 community projects. For more information, contact the Stronger Communities team on 01284 722034.