A micro library, furniture for an accessible cricket pavilion and audio-visual equipment for a community venue are among projects to receive funding in the latest round of Community Chest grants from South Cambridgeshire District Council.
Grants of up to £2,000 each were awarded to six projects, supporting a range of initiatives designed to strengthen community life within the district.
The funding will benefit villages and communities including Little Wilbraham, Northstowe, Dry Drayton and Fowlmere with grants supporting educational and wellbeing activities for children and young people, new storage facilities and equipment to enable community events.
Projects approved for funding are:
- Audio‑visual equipment for Little Wilbraham’s only community venue, St John the Evangelist church, which hosts talks and an annual party with music and performances by local schoolchildren. Significant issues with audibility and visibility have shown the need for a portable audio-visual system which would also support joint activities with the Parish Council - including the annual firework display and the forthcoming celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Layton alms houses.
- Furniture and equipment for Cambridge St Giles Cricket Club to support its new community‑accessible cricket club in Dry Drayton. The pavilion is intended for year-round community use and encourages local groups to book the space at a minimal cost. The newly rebuilt pavilion supports the club’s goals of increasing women’s participation and improving accessibility for disabled users through enhanced facilities such as accessible changing rooms.
- A micro library and learning resources at the new Northstowe Unity Centre. The micro library, which is moving from the town’s temporary cabin community centre, provides free access to donated books and is well used by residents, especially those unable to travel to public libraries. The grant will purchase new library shelving and books. This will allow it to continue operating effectively and support the expansion of books for people of all ages and backgrounds.
- Inclusive education and wellbeing sessions for 6–14-year-olds in Northstowe, hosted by Blossomify CIC, an organisation dedicated to breaking down barriers for children and young people who face educational, social or SEND-related challenges. The project will run weekly after-school sessions at the Unity Centre, combining strategy-based board games, literacy and numeracy support, creative art activities and practical life skills workshops.
- Equipment to support village events in Fowlmere such as the annual village fete. They will buy bench sets, parasols and bases for sun protection, folding tables for stalls, a strong racking table for heavier equipment, and a small tabletop gas barbecue to expand food offerings.
- Storage units to support the work of the Cambridge Ukrainian School. run by the charity Namysto, which operates as a free community-based wellbeing and learning hub. It offers a safe, welcoming environment where children can learn, socialise and regain a sense of stability, while parents and carers connect with others and receive informal peer support.
Cllr Henry Batchelor, Lead Cabinet member for Communities, said: “Community Chest grants are designed to help grassroots organisations deliver practical projects that make a real difference to local people and improve quality of life. The aim is to provide funding to help turn great ideas into positive community benefits.”
The latest round of funding was approved in a meeting of the Grants Advisory Committee.
More information about Community Chest funding and how to apply is available on the Council’s website. The maximum award is £2,000 in any single financial year and can be for 100% of project costs.
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