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A broad range of projects are already being supported by North Somerset Council through this funding, including local arts, cultural heritage, social action, capacity building, community engagement, and regeneration.
Following the extremely popular first round of community grants, this significant investment in eleven more local projects will continue to deliver impactful change across the region. Each selected initiative promises to strengthen a sense of local belonging in North Somerset, promote community cohesion, and contribute to the area's overall prosperity.
The successful organisations and their projects are:
- RENS - a feasibility study into taking over the council’s disused Roselawn building as a community asset base.
- Super Culture - building on their first round UKSPF project, delivery of a mixed programme of curated events and cultural engagement activities co-created with local residents.
- Yatton & Congresbury Wildlife Action Group - nature and conservation sessions with local young people and their parents e.g. bat walks and astronomy.
- Congar’s Café - a feasibility study to redesign premises to better accommodate a greater number of people and host more community wellbeing activities.
- Refugees Welcome North Somerset - building on their first round UKSPF project, weekly sessions to share the creation and eating of meals produced by refugees and asylum seekers.
- Somerset Storyfest - building on their first round UKSPF project, engagement of children and adults on the plight of refugees through music and song.
- Portishead Youth Centre - employment and skills courses for Portishead’s NEET (not in employment, education, or training) young people.
- Pill Community Foundation - building on their first round UKSPF community engagement project, increasing their growth and capacity as a local community anchor organisation and actioning community feedback on local priorities.
- Walnut Grove Wellbeing CIC - launch of a new set of health and wellbeing workshops and courses in Portishead, including an outreach programme into local care and assisted living homes e.g. stroke rehab, rehabilitation through music workshops, a menopause café etc.
- Backwell Playhouse - capital improvements to update their facilities, improve cast and audience experience, and enable the staging of larger productions.
- Locking Parish Council - restructuring and modernisation of the old GP surgery, to enable it to act as a community space.
Councillor Mark Canniford, North Somerset Council’s Executive Member for Spatial Planning, Placemaking and Economy, said: “North Somerset is a wonderfully diverse area, which is reflected in the wide range of activities and projects we’re able to fund across the region thanks to the UKSPF. It’s fantastic to see initiatives such as Refugees Welcome North Somerset and Power to Pill continue following the success of their original projects, whilst also supporting lots of new ideas.
“We look forward to keeping you up to date with project progress so you can make the most of funded opportunities.”
For more information about the UKSPF programme in North Somerset, visit https://innorthsomerset.co.uk/ukspf.