Category Archives: Funding applications

Community Ownership Fund Success

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I’m thrilled that the Petersfield Partnership in Cheltenham, with whom I’ve been working for the last three years, have been successful in their application to the Community Ownership Fund with the award of £450,000.

The Partnership wants to build a Community & Sports Hub to provide facilities for both local residents, especially those in The Moors and St Peter’s, and Cheltenham Saracens FC. The new Hub will replace some knackered shipping containers and secure a long term future in the ownership of a community run charity. We got planning permission in January and have spent this year working up project details.

I was initially asked to work on the business plan for the project. This was extended a year ago to preparing a funding strategy and then from April this year the management of the whole project. Working closely with the Partnership, Cheltenham Saracens, Cheltenham Borough Council and St Peter’s and The Moors Big Local the proposals were reconfigured, the costs were reviewed with the help of Adams Fletcher Quantity Surveyors, and funding proposals submitted to Big Local and COF. The business planning and application forms were an exercise in mental gymnastics, but we got there!

We have now been offered over 80% of its £1m phase 1 funding target. We hope to be on site with construction early next year and to be up and running by December 2024.

Stogursey Victory Hall has funding approved

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Stogursey Victory HallStogursey Victory Hall has had £400,000 funding approved by West Somerset Council.  The funding will go towards a major upgrade to the hall including refurbishment of the existing hall, an extension with new kitchen, function room and toilets, new changing rooms adjacent to the MUGA, a cover for the MUGA, car parking and landscaping.

In approving the funding members of the Council said that there had been a very impressive 25% response rate to consultation on the proposals. They added that they felt it was an excellent flagship project which would be of huge benefit to the community and a great legacy.

Funding applications have also been submitted to Sport England and Awards for All.

During 2015 we worked with Vivid Regeneration to prepare a feasibility study for the refurbishment.  We’ve been retained to write some of the funding applications and take the project forward to the appointment of architects.

Lawrence Weston – first step to Lottery funding

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lawrence weston community hubLawrence Weston Community Hub has passed the first hurdle on its way to securing Lottery funding from the Reaching Communinities programme.

The funding will go towards the cost of providing community facilities in the building as well as management costs in the first few years.

Now it’s a matter of preparing the Stage 2 bid, and then the Stage 3 bid!

The bid writing is being done by the wonderful Helen Bone at Vivid Regeneration. We’re doing the work on the business plan (as well as overall project management).

About the Lawrence Weston Community Hub

Lawrence Weston Community Hub is a new building that will contain a range of services including health, social, economic and education for the community. It is a project being led by Ambition Lawrence Weston in partnership with the City Council and Ridingleaze Surgery. Planning permission was granted in December and we are now working on securing the funding package before moving to detailed design and construction.

 

Stogursey Victory Hall plans get thumbs up

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Stogursey Victory Hall

The people of Stogursey have approved proposals to refurbish and improve the Victory Hall.

Throughout 2015 the Victory Hall Committee has been working with Stogursey Parish Council, West Somerset Council, 2MD Regeneration and Vivid Regeneration to work out how best to improve the 60 year old hall.  After much consultation with local people, groups and businesses the Committee has agreed on three major steps:

  • The old youth centre will be demolished
  • The existing Victory Hall will be refurbished and extended to include a new youth centre, an additional function room, a new and larger kitchen and new toilets.
  • The existing all weather sports pitch will be covered and be extended with new changing rooms.

Chris Ford, Chair of the Victory Hall Committee, said “The Victory Hall has served us well but times move on and the requirements we have of the building have changed. The sports facilities in particular need to be improved and young people also deserve better. The proposals will help provide a 21st century facility for Stogursey and ensure we are a healthy and vibrant community.”

How we worked with local people in Stogursey

In early 2015 we carried out an in-depth consultation with local people.  By recruiting  and training a team of community researchers we were able to door-knock every household in the parish.  Stogursey community researchersWe asked people which community facilities they used, what they used the Victory Hall for, what new facilities they would like and whether they wanted to get involved.
Together with visits to local groups we were able to get 315 responses, representing 23% of the parish population.

The responses informed the proposed designs, along with one-to -one meetings and workshops with local stakeholders, including the operators of other community facilities in the village.

Stogursey consultation cartoonIn the summer we consulted again, this time on the proposed designs.  We delivered a leaflet to every household in the parish, put the proposals on-line, produced a disply and held a number of meetings and drop-in events around the village.  Of the people who responded, over 90% gave their support to the proposals.

Next steps for Stogursey Victory Hall

The next step will be to apply for funding for the works, estimated at £2.5m.  2MD Regeneration and Vivid Regeneration will be retained to work on the fundraising and the process of securing planning permission.

More details including the scheme designs are at http://stogurseyvictoryhall.org.uk

European funding 2014-2020

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In June the Government announced how European regional development funds will be allocated across England from 2014 to 2020.  Money will be channelled through the Local Economic Partnerships.  In the South West the allocations are:

  • Cornwall and Isles of Scilly €592.9m
  • Devon and Somerset €118.3m
  • West of England (Bristol etc)  €68.6m
  • Dorset €47.3m
  • Swindon & Wiltshire €43.6
  • Glocs  €38.3m

The funding includes ESF, ERDF and EAFRD (was know as the RDPE).

Awards for All gets bigger

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Awards for All, the Big Lottery small grants scheme, has announced some important changes.

In the past, groups receiving funding have only be eligible for one grant every two years.  That’s been changed so that groups can receive up to £10,000 every year.

In addition, smaller groups (i.e. those with accounts showing income of less than £30,000 / year) can now apply for funding for repeat and regular activities, as well as new activities.

All good news!

For more details, go to www.awardsforall.org.uk