Agenda item

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider the following applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme:

·         Lacock Cricket Club: £3000

·         The Brunel Shed: £4000

·         Corsham Town Football Club: £700

·         Springfield Art Group: £1000

To consider a member-led initiative from Cllr Parker of £4000 to support older people within the community.

To consider a member-led initiative from Cllr Macrae of £3000 to support activities related to ‘Legacy Events’ in Corsham.

Richard Rogers, Community Engagement Manager, was in attendance to introduce the 4 Community Area Grant applications; he noted that all 4 applications met the grant criteria.

Ron George, a representative from Lacock Cricket Club, introduced the group’s application for £3000 to improve the club’s facilities. Mr George explained that the club only had 1 shower and that they were seeking to improve upon this. He noted that the total cost of refurbishment was £9000 and that £5000 had been secured for the refurbishment from The Whitehall Trust, with a further £100 from Wiltshire Cricket. The Club were optimistic that, should their grant be approved, the improvement to facilities could be completed in time for the next cricket season. 

Mr Rogers highlighted that there had been an error on the Area Board grant application system’s database and that the application listed on the agenda as from ‘The Brunel Shed’, had correctly been submitted by ‘Box Village Hall’. The meeting was informed that there had been no change to the grant application itself, or the original sum of money requested and therefore, the application could be considered by the members as usual.

A representative from Box Village Hall explained that the Village Hall had very high running costs and that there was a need to access the Hall’s upstairs rooms, in order to ensure that all parts of the Hall were to be used effectively. As a result, a stair-lift was needed to access the upstairs’ rooms and the removal of the existing stair-lift and its replacement would cost approximately £17,000. The representative commented that, should the grant application be approved, the Village Hall would generate the rest of the funding required through fundraising events and the Hall’s reserves.

Mr Rogers introduced the application from Corsham Town Football Club and detailed that the Club wished to improve the quality of their football pitches. Wiltshire Council and the Football Association had granted Wiltshire football clubs some funding, in order to help improve the County’s football pitches. Mr Rogers highlighted that, should the grant application be approved, there would be a huge improvement in the Club’s sports facilities, with minimal investment from the Club themselves.

Representatives from Springfield Art Group introduced their grant application and explained that there were a range of older people within the Corsham area who could feel isolated and therefore, the Art Group was an attempt to positively counteract isolation. Cllr Parker noted her approval for the scheme and Cllr Macrae requested that some of the Group’s work be displayed in the Springfield Campus.

Cllr Parker then introduced her member-led initiative to support older people within the community and reiterated the need for such a support, as Richard Rogers had detailed earlier on in the meeting.

Cllr Macrae then introduced his member-led initiative to support activities related to ‘Legacy’ events in the Corsham community area and highlighted that such activities would help to further engage the community.

Having been put to the meeting, it was

Resolved:

       i.          To award £3000 to Lacock Cricket Club for the improvement of the Club’s facilities;

     ii.          To award £4000 to Box Village Hall, to help towards the removal of the existing stair-lift and its replacement;

   iii.          To award £700 to Corsham Town Football Club, to help with the improvement of the quality of the Club’s football pitches;

   iv.          To award £1000 to Springfield Art Group for the purchase of art materials for the Group;

     v.          To award £4000 to Cllr Parker’s member-led initiative to support older people within the community;

   vi.          To award £3000 to Cllr Macrae’s member-led initiative to support activities related to ‘Legacy’ events within the Corsham community area.