£114,000 awarded to Chesterfield community groups

Over £114,000 worth of funding has now been awarded to community groups and local voluntary organisations in Chesterfield as part of a scheme designed help deliver grassroots projects that will improve life for local people.

A further £54,272 has now been awarded to 18 local groups via Chesterfield Borough Council’s Community Grants Funding scheme – and applications have now reopened, meaning even more groups could benefit from funding support.

The funding which has been awarded in the latest round of grants has gone to groups including:

• Treasures Nursery
• Edge Ministries
• Poolsbrook Club Community Committee
• WORTH (Women on the road to Recovery)
• Redeemer King Church
• Global Adventure
• Derbyshire Voluntary Action (DVA)
• Rother Active Youth (RAY) Club
• Standing Tall Support
• Brimington Little Stars
• Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust (CFCCT)
• Pleasley Canoe and Outdoor Activity Club
• Kakou CIC
• Monkwood Community Food Hub
• Boythorpe Community Association
• Stonegravels Parish Centre
• Links CVS

Funding for the grants scheme has been successfully secured from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), together with money raised through the Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Portion (CIL).

The funding will support the local groups to deliver projects that will help to build resilient, healthy, and safe neighbourhoods, as well as initiatives which will help to tackle food poverty and social isolation.

It will also support projects that will help reduce the borough’s impact on the climate and wider environment by promoting greener choices – in support of the council’s target to be a carbon neutral borough by 2050.

Funding can also be used by community projects to develop volunteering opportunities, help people prepare to get in to work, and to support organisations to expand their reach into different areas of the borough.

It builds on the positive work being delivered in the community since almost £60,000 was shared with 16 community and voluntary organisations in 2023.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “We’re really lucky to have so many community groups and voluntary organisations here in Chesterfield. They really do make a difference to the lives of local people, so I am pleased that we can use the funding we have received through UKSPF and CIL to provide them with these grants to help them achieve their goals.

“It’s been great to watch the progress made by projects that were supported through the first round of Community Grant funding, we look forward to seeing how the new allocation will help more local groups deliver vital projects that will help our communities continue to thrive.”

One of the latest groups to benefit from funding is Edge Ministries, who will be delivering an ‘open living room’ to provide advice and support for residents in Duckmanton. Deputy CEO, Karen Tullett, said: “This funding has helped us to deploy some of our team to Duckmanton on a Monday to run an open living room warm welcome space.

“We offer unlimited tea and coffee and good chat, along with toast and biscuits – all completely free of charge and with a friendly smile! We love hanging out with people who live in Ducky, work out how else we may be able to serve them and support the community- both practically and spiritually.”

Applications for the third round of funding are now open, allowing even more eligible organisations to apply for grant funding, with grants ranging from £500 to £6,000.  The deadline for applications is Friday 29 March 2024.

Full details on funding, eligibility criteria and details of how to apply can be found at: https://www.chesterfield.gov.uk/business-and-economic-growth/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-ukspf/community-grants-fund.aspx

The community grants are just one initiative which is benefiting from funding through the UKSPF, after we were successful in securing £2.6m from the Government. It will fund initiatives up to April 2025, which are designed to improve life for local people and support local businesses.