Funding awarded to support local community groups

16 groups received larger grants to support their neighbourhoods and 10 groups received smaller grants up to the value of £300 to run small-scale projects, events and activities to help them build better communities.

Some of the 16 projects that have benefitted include: Holst Birthplace Museum events and pop up Victorian café; Cheltenham Midsummer Fiesta; Charlton Kings Youth and Community Centre who want to make a kitchenette available for all users; Up Hatherley Parish Council who plan to improve Up Hatherley lighting on a non-highway footpath; African Community Foundation in order to promote Black History Month; and The Rock which wants to assist the St Peter’s and the Moors community café project. Hester’s Way Partnership with Community Roots, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the Conservation Volunteers have a variety of community-based projects in West Cheltenham and they’ve also received funding.

Now in its eleventh year, the community pride fund offers community organisations the opportunity to bid for match funding from Cheltenham Borough Council, up to the value of £5,000 for projects that would build community pride and help groups to be more influential in supporting their communities and improving their neighbourhoods.

The applications were assessed by a panel of councillors, officers and partners. Each application was evaluated against a set criteria which included looking at how the projects had demonstrated they were neighbourhood based and how they would create a lasting legacy.

Councillor Steve Jordan, leader for Cheltenham Borough Council, said: “We were pleased to see such a variety of projects and to be able to provide this funding to local community groups. The funding will make a real difference to local people.”

Helen Down, participation and engagement team leader for Cheltenham Borough Council, said: “We are pleased to see so many voluntary and community groups that want to improve their neighbourhoods. 2016 will be the eleventh year of the council’s community pride scheme which has allocated over £400,000 to match-fund more than 250 community based projects.’’

For media enquiries, please contact: Katie Sandey, communications and web team leader, telephone 01242 775037, email [email protected]

Notes:

The grant schemes went live from Friday 18 March 2016 and were publicised through media releases and information on the council’s website. The closing date was Friday 17 June 2016 which gave applicants a 13 week period to submit applications.
 

As part of the 2016-17 budget, agreed by Council 12 February 2016, £30,000 was set aside for the community pride scheme. In addition, a further £4,000 was added to the pot from the community development budget to create a community building grant fund.
 

See the full list of the approved community pride projects.