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Local voluntary, community and social enterprise groups were invited in February to apply for a share of £200,000 of funding provided by North Somerset Council as part of its allocation from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
After receiving over 50 applications, 17 organisations have been given funding to initiate impactful community projects across North Somerset to support and facilitate pride in place within the local area.
These projects will strengthen North Somerset’s social fabric and foster a sense of local belonging and community cohesion, whilst also helping to build resilient neighbourhoods and increase life chances for residents.
The successful applicants excellently demonstrated the potential positive impacts of their projects under themes including local arts, cultural heritage and creative activities, social action projects, capacity building and infrastructure support, community engagement schemes, local regeneration, and development of feasibility studies.
The successful organisations and their projects are:
- Clevedon Town Association Football Club - Seasiders 150 Years Heritage Mural Project
- Curzon Clevedon Community Centre for the Arts - Creative Events for Inter-generational Cohesion
- Friends of Grove Park - Friends of Grove Park Volunteer Engagement and Development
- Groundwork South Trust Ltd - Getting Back to Nature at Goblin Combe
- Home Start North Somerset - Side by Side
- North Somerset Parent Carers Working Together (NSPCWT) CIC - NSPCWT capacity building / staff training project
- Pill Community Foundation - Power to Pill
- Race Equality North Somerset (RENS) - Working Well
- Read Easy North Somerset - Read Easy Service in North Somerset
- Refugees Welcome North Somerset (RNWS) - RWNS Welcome Meals
- SEND and you - Community Ambassador Project
- Somerset Storyfest - ONE TREE Many Branches Refugee Project
- Theatre Orchard Projects - Weston Encounters
- Vision North Somerset - Seeing Friends
- Wellspring Counselling - Training and retaining volunteer counsellors
- West of England Rural Network (WERN) - Tea & Tell Us - Tea & Try It: Developing activities in rural community hubs
- Weston & District Community Transport Ltd - WDCT Future| Feasibility |Space and Design.
As part of the delivery of the community grants programme, organisations will share and monitor the impact of the positive changes made. The projects will be completed, with all funding spent, by April 2024.
A second round of community grants funding will also be open for application in early 2024. North Somerset Council looks forward to sharing further details about this funding round in due course and supporting local projects throughout the application process.
Councillor Mark Canniford, North Somerset Council’s Executive Member for Spatial Planning, Placemaking and Economy, said:
“This programme is the start of significant investment that is going to be made in our communities over the next couple of years as part of the UKSPF. We are aiming to improve the lives of residents and boost the local economy to ensure North Somerset is on the map as a great place to live, work and visit!
“The amount of effort put into each application has been inspiring and we are looking forward to sharing the completed outcomes of this funding. We will be keeping you updated about how you can get involved with each project.
“Please look out for other funding opportunities such as the recent launch of our rural capital grants programme that supports activities specifically addressing challenges rural areas face, such as lower productivity rates, limited connectivity and poorer access to key services.”
For more information about the UKSPF programme in North Somerset, visit https://innorthsomerset.co.uk/ukspf.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund replaces the EU Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launched the Rural England Prosperity Fund (Rural Fund), a top up to the UKSPF worth up to £110 million for 2023/24 and 2024/25. It is the domestic replacement for the European funded LEADER Programme used to support the development of rural economies. For more information, visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/rural-england-prosperity-fund-prospectus/rural-england-prosperity-fund-prospectus.