Council hands out over £500,000 in grants in 2023

South Cambridgeshire communities benefited from grants totalling over £500,000 from the District Council last year (2023).

This funding was awarded through nine grant schemes with various focus areas such as promoting community well-being, environmental sustainability, and inclusive participation.

You can find out more about all the different grant schemes that the District Council offers in this link.

The grants were made up of the following:

• £80,321 in Community Chest grants was awarded to 54 voluntary and community sector groups, charities and public sector bodies to help further improve quality of life of residents in the district. For example, Cambourne Town Football Club received £1,143.96 to start a Community Football Kit Exchange where people can donate and collect good quality items of football kit for reuse. Swavesey Parish Council received £330 for five large, raised planting beds in which to plant drought tolerant species, to create a community garden and to encourage insects and pollinators back into the area.
• Six grants amounting to £71,708 were given out through the Council’s Mobile Warden Schemes which have been set up to support older people to live independently in their homes and stay in their community. Great Shelford as well as the Mordens and Litlington were amongst the receivers.
• 11 Service Support Grants worth £173,900 were granted to help the Voluntary and Community Sector provide services and support to local residents. This includes Care Network Cambridgeshire who received £8,000 for the development and support of Community Car Schemes to assist the elderly and vulnerable within South Cambridgeshire. Citizens Advice Cambridge & District also received £100,000 to provide free, independent and impartial advice to residents of South Cambridgeshire on their rights and responsibilities.
• The Zero Carbon Communities grant scheme which helps communities to take action on climate change at a very local level awarded £125,901 to nine applicants. Cambridge Carbon Footprint were awarded £15,000 to develop their network of repair cafes in the district. The grant will support the set-up of new cafes in South Cambridgeshire, train volunteers in how to run cafes, and provide them with support and resources to thrive – including a new toolkit supported by local businesses. CCF received a further £11,095 to continue their work supporting individuals and communities to upgrade homes and reduce energy use – providing thermal camera loans, free tours of low carbon homes and a Home Energy Officer to guide people in reducing energy consumption and retrofitting their homes.
• 49 parish councils, including Harston and Melbourn, received trees worth £4,973 through the six free trees scheme.
• The District Council’s Long Term Health grant is aimed at supporting residents with chronic health problems and will be available to groups and organisations who provide physical activity programmes for people with specific health conditions. £13,312 was awarded to 9 organisations with Active with Parkinson's Sawston receiving and the Body Toning class at Shelford Cancer centre both receiving £2,000 of this.

• Five leisure centres received £4,698 to restart fitness classes that stopped during Covid. Anglian Leisure Linton, Cambourne Leisure Centre and Melbourn Sports Centre all received £1,000.

• An Electric vehicle Charge point grant gave £15,000 to 3 applicants. Cambridge Sports Lakes Trust received £5,000 towards four EV chargers at Milton Country Park.
• Tenant community grants help fund a project, by up to £1000, that benefits the local community. £5948 was given to 8 applicants including St Vincents Close in Girton received £1000 to start a communal garden for all residents of the surrounding area as well as Coolidge Gardens in Cottenham also receiving £1000 for a communal outdoor seating area for residents and visitors to socialise.
• The Ukraine Small Grant which promotes the integration of Ukrainian guests into the South Cambridgeshire community gave out £5,512 to 19 applicants. One of these was the Ukrainian HAM Centre to run a Children’s Drawing Competition. The project supported Ukrainian children aged five to 10 years who are living temporary in the UK due to war in Ukraine. The drawings were sent to soldiers on the front line.

South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Bill Handley, said: “It is amazing to see how much funding we have been able to grant and the difference it is making to our communities. This funding allows for the start up and development of a wide range of local initiatives which can be enjoyed by all.  It’s also great to see the variety of wellbeing-related grants funded within this. Wellbeing initiatives serve as the bedrock for a flourishing society, nurturing physical, mental, and social health.”

The chair of South Cambridgeshire District Council’s grants advisory committee, Cllr Jose Hales, commented: “The enthusiasm from local groups, parish councillors and residents to improve community and wellbeing is astounding. My highlight of the year is seeing all the Zero Carbon Communities grant applications. It’s amazing to see all the innovative ideas which will tackle the climate emergency at a very local level.”