Communities throughout Mendip are to benefit from a slice of £200,000 which has been made available by the district council to fund local community projects.
Applications to the council’s Local Legacy Fund are for projects costing over £5,000 and can come from a range of groups – community and voluntary organisations, parish and town councils, village halls, social interest groups and community interest businesses.
Projects need to meet at least one of the council’s strategic priorities and either:
- Add to community health and wellbeing
- Create educational, training or work opportunities for the community
- Improve the quality of life of the community
The maximum money available for a project is £30,000.
Applications open on Monday 20th July and the first awards are due to be made by the end of the year. Application packs outlining the criteria that must be met are available from the council’s website – www.mendip.gov.uk/communityfunding
Organisations can apply online or can request an application form by contacting Sally Gubb on 01749 341411 or [email protected]
The deadline for applications is Friday 16th October.
The intention is to make the application process as simple as possible, while ensuring that money distributed through the fund is properly managed and accounted for. We are keen to encourage applications from groups who have not applied before. Applicants will have to make a business case and also show where, if necessary, additional funding would come from for their proposed project.
The projects that received funding last year included:
- Red Brick Building Centre, Glastonbury – £15,000 towards the installation of accessible lifts to enable wider participation at the community and business hub.
- Shepton Mallet United Charities – £25,000 for the renovation of eight almshouses for vulnerable elderly residents.
- Hornblotton Village Hall – £13,765 for extensive village hall improvements, including replacing the roof, windows and doors.
- Heads Up, South Horrington – £6,150 towards tools, equipment and materials for a range of projects supporting mental wellbeing.
- Trudoxhill Organising a Playground – £5,000 towards a new playground for Trudoxhill.
- Frome Football Club – £28,000 for a new spectator stand with solar panels, to be installed by a local social enterprise (subject to planning permission).
- Coleford Parish Council – £27,000 towards the creation of a new playground for the village.
Cllr Harvey Siggs, Leader of Mendip District Council, said: “The Local Legacy Fund is all about supporting projects across the Mendip district which will have a positive impact on local communities and improve the quality of life for local people.
“I’m pleased that once again the council is in a position to run its popular Local Legacy Fund and look forward to seeing the variety of applications we will receive for projects across Mendip.”