SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL'S CONSERVATIVE ADMINISTATION SET TO APPROVE £40,000 FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEER-LED INITIATIVES
Almost £40,000 of funding for voluntary and community initiatives – including projects to improve public open spaces, get young people active in the holidays and after school, tackle inequalities and protect the climate, are set to be awarded by South Gloucestershire Council’s Conservative Administration.
The Area Wide Grants are part of the Council’s commitment to supporting a thriving community and voluntary sector and are designed to support initiatives that benefit a wide area that encapsulates multiple communities.
Each financial year a pot of £70,000 is provided for groups to bid on, with this, the second round of funding, benefitting 16 initiatives. The organisations receiving a combined £39,381 of funding are:
• Friends of Magpie Bottom - £1,500 for access path repairs
• Friends of Kingsgate Park - £1,500 for an interpretation board and picnic tables
• Kingswood Community Transport - £1,500 to contribute towards funding for an electric car
• Thornbury and District Community Association - £1,500 for new garden furniture at The Chantry
• St Peters Hospice - £2,985 for syringe pumps
• The Willow Tree Centre - £1,870 to fund a COVID-19 resilience project
• The Park Centre, Kingswood - £1,992 to provide IT for retired people
• RSVP West - £1,280 for GP surgery-based schemes and a schools programme
• Krunch SW - £1,500 for the Krunch and The Pod initiative
• Friends of Siston Commons - £1,320 for conservation days on Siston Commons
• CVS South Gloucestershire - £1,500 for climate action across South Gloucestershire
• Ignite Life - £3,000 for the expansion and development of counselling services for young people
• Golden Oldies - £900 for Goldies social Sing and Smile
• Carers Support Centre - £2,955 in funding support for the Carers Support Centre
• The West of England MS Therapy Centre (also known as The Brightwell) - £1,000 for sustainable futures
• Charfield Junior Football Club - £1,000 for a new football pitch adjoining the club’s existing facilities
• One Planet Matters - £1,500 for the Growing Communities network
• The Inspire Arts Trust - £1,250 for BALPA bursary funding
• South Gloucestershire Chinese Association - £1,200 to support work to reduce the disadvantages in Chinese community to close the inequality gap
• Jigsaw Thornbury - £2,720 for a pilot after school activities club
• Bristol and Avon Chinese Women’s Group - £1,200 to run an Oriental Life After Covid-19 Project
• Hawkesbury Cricket Club - £1,500 for improved access to the club’s pavilion for the disabled
• Aerospace Bristol - £1,500 for ‘Conservation in Action’ - South Gloucestershire community sessions
• Dippers Swimming Club - £1,209 for club advertising and to help with rebuilding the club after Covid-19
Cllr Franklin Owusu-Antwi, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Equality of Opportunity, said: “I am thrilled to see that that, as we continue to rise past the Covid pandemic, we continue to receive a varied array of applications that are helping to keep people of all ages active, to look after our beloved public open spaces and support those most vulnerable in our communities.
“With such a fantastic voluntary sector in South Gloucestershire, it is a privilege to be able to support their efforts to enrich our communities and look forward to seeing the benefits this funding will bring to local residents.”
Cllrs Sarah Pomfret, John Ashe and Roger Avenin, who represent Bradley Stoke alongside Cllr Owusu-Antwi, said: “It is great to see the Brightwell included among the fantastic causes set to benefit from the Area Wide Grants initiative, they are a wonderful organisation based in our community that does great work to support people across all of South Gloucestershire. With so many worthy groups and projects happening across our area, it is fantastic to see such a diverse array of recipients this year.”
Cllrs Nic Labuschagne and Trevor Jones, who represent the Winterbourne ward where One Planet Matters is based, said: “We are pleased to see this grant is set to go to the One Planet Matters, a fantastic new organisation based in our community that very much has its objectives aligned with ours in tackling the Climate Emergency and helping our communities to engage with and better understand the local environment.”
Cllrs June Bamford, Brenda Langley and Jason Pearce, who represent the Hanham Ward, said: “Magpie Bottom is an outstanding natural feature within our community and the Friends Group work tirelessly to maintain and improve this nature reserve and we are particularly pleased that they are set to benefit from this funding to improve access around the site so that as many local people can enjoy it as possible.”
Thornbury and Yate MP Luke Hall said: "I am absolutely delighted to see so many fantastic local organisations are set to benefit from this Council funding, including several that provide activities and support for younger people, such as Charfield Junior Football Club, Jigsaw, Krunch and Ignite Life. I am also pleased to see that Hawkesbury Cricket Club are set to use this funding to help make the club facilities more accessible, ensuring that disabled residents and those with mobility issues can get involved and enjoy the sport."
