Nearly £25,000 awarded to support South Cambridgeshire communities

Twenty-nine community groups are celebrating after being awarded a share of £24,735 to support local clubs and projects.

The money awarded from South Cambridgeshire District Council's community chest scheme has scored well with Whittlesford Warriors Football Club who received £1,000 towards new goal posts.

Bar Hill’s community pre-school also swung in to a £1,000 windfall to replace a surface for their play equipment. This will allow them to extend their climbing frame.

Further funding was awarded to Waterbeach Toddler Group to help create an outdoor play space in their new premises and to Barton Bowls Club towards the purchase of new equipment to aid the Club’s expansion. Money also helped Linton Cricket Club to buy new safety helmets and Great Chishill Windmill Trust to repair and paint the trestle of Great Chishill windmill (see full list of the recent grants awarded below).

Almost £30,000 more is still up for grabs this financial year for voluntary and community groups, charities and parish councils working towards improving the quality of village life for local people. Grants of up to £1,000 are available for:

• Improvements to community facilities
• Repairs to historic buildings/monuments/memorials
• Tree and hedge planting schemes
• Equipment and materials
• Start-up costs

Cllr Simon Edwards, portfolio holder with responsibility for community grants at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “These grants are becoming increasingly popular and we are thrilled with the quality, quantity and variety of applications coming through. We appreciate that voluntary and community groups are finding it harder than ever to secure the funding they need to get projects off the ground and we are pleased to be able to do our bit to support the excellent work they do to deliver services to our residents.

“With demand so high, there is no doubt that the funding will run out soon so, if you need help with a particular project, I urge you to apply straightaway. Grants are awarded on a first come, first served basis."

A spokesperson for Bar Hill Pre School committee said: “We pride ourselves on offering an outstanding and stimulating outdoor environment for our children to learn and explore in. We are always wanting to update our facilities so we are grateful to South Cambridgeshire District Council for their allocation of a grant to us. The new permanent play surface will allow children to climb higher and have a softer surface for landing on. Not only that, staff will no longer have to constantly sweep the loose chippings away, instead be able to play more with the children. With constant pressures on finances, we would not have been able to fund this project ourselves.”

Grant applications are accepted at any time and can completely or partially cover the costs of a project, equipment or work. For application forms and full details about the fund, plus guidance on eligibility, visit www.scambs.gov.uk/communitychest

Full list of grants awarded in May 2017: