Yate sports and play project grant successes

In the recent edition of Focus we promised to tell you more about the various projects that Yate Town Council has got a total of £1.4 million funding for. The success of these bids is due to a lot of local teamwork by the Focus Team councillors, Yate Town Council staff, volunteers, friends groups and residents. Here are the "main headlines":

Yate Outdoor Sports Complex (YOSC)

Yate Town Council successfully bid for funding to replace the track and athletics facilities. They raised £850,000 in total, from developers' "Section 106 money" to develop outdoor sporting facilities in the area), Sport England and by running their own fundraising campaigns. Construction begins week commencing 9th July 2018 to be completed by the end of September 2018.

Sunnyside upgrade

It wasn't very "Sunny" that day...

Yate Town Council ran a Public Consultation to find out views of local people about extending the Changing Rooms at Sunnyside Playing Field. They successfully bid for unding from S106 money to the sum of £128,205.73 to develop outdoor sporting facilities in the area. Construction will begin mid-June and be completed by 12th November 2018.
There will be two more changing rooms at Sunnyside Playing Fields which will enable:
• Female football to take place alongside male match fixtures;
• Provision of an adequate amount of changing rooms in relation to the amount of teams using the pitches and neighbouring Tennis Court facility;
• Improvement of disability access to the facility to promote inclusive sport taking place on site

Abbotswood

Yate Town Council successfully bid for S106 funding of £89,535 to develop an informal play area on the green in Abbotswood Shopping Centre. This includes installing new equipment to expand the opportunity for children and families to engage in informal play. At the Abbotswood Apple Day the town council will give an update and talk with local people to discuss the overall plan. It is anticipated that the work will be completed by Spring 2019.

Kingsgate Park

Yate Town Council will get £72,380 of S106 money for Outdoor Exercise Equipment at Kingsgate Park. The park will benefit from the installation of Yate’s first and only set of Outdoor Exercise Equipment, which will provide a free opportunity for visitors aged 14+ to increase their fitness and strength whilst enjoying the surroundings of the Play Area and Lake. There will be a range of equipment aimed to exercise multiple areas of the body, including the ability to undertake cardio workouts at a range of levels.

A public consultation will take place at the Yate Rocks 2018 Festival and it is planned that construction will be completed by Spring 2019. This will be coordinated with Dodington Parish Council's project at Lilliput Park to avoid duplication of equipment.

Howard Lewis Park

Yate Town Council will received £49,628 of Section 106 money to develop the Howard Lewis Play Area. Following consultation with residents and pupils of the local school regarding ideas, extra equipment will be installed including a multi play unit, a basket swing and bike trail markings. Other areas of the park will also receive attention such as signage and landscaping. Construction to begin by
September 2018.

Brinsham Fields

Consultation is vital to getting funding on this scale!

Earlier this year, Yate Town Council began work on the project to enhance Brinsham Park. The works are part of a long term aspiration to improve the rest of the play area, in line with the new housing development taking place nearby. YTC were awarded £25,370 to develop and enhance the play area further. Construction is starting this month to create a fort, sandpit play area and an outdoor trampoline. The work should be be completed by the middle of May.

Member Award Funding (MAF)

The magnificent Ridge Sculpture was funded by MAF money

Yate Town Council has launched a ‘Yate Ageing Better Project’ to establish the needs of the fast
expanding ageing community of Yate. The Council is working together with Age Concern. The first steps have been to launch a new lunch club and Men in Sheds. They have been awarded MAF funding totalling £2156.73 to fund this project, which will be launched this summer with a public consultation to seek the opinions and experiences of those who are involved in existing groups and activities as well as identifying any additional interest and/or hobbies.

Airbus Community Awards

Do you know of a community group that is making a difference locally and could do with some extra funding? If you do, you might like to nominate them for the Airbus Community Awards. To find out more, visit www.bristolpost.co.uk/airbus

Grants advice sessions - updated

Are you a community group looking for advice on how to apply for Member Awarded Funding or Area Wide Grants?

If so, you can book a 30 minute slot on the dates and times below. The sessions take place at the Council Offices, Badminton Road, Yate, BS37 5AF.

There has been a lot of interest, so South Glos are running several extra sessions.

To book a place, please contact the team on 01454 865865 (Mon-Fri 9am to 4pm) or email grants@southglos.gov.uk. It would be useful to know when booking which subject area you are interested in.

• Wednesday 1 November 2017: 16:00 - 19:00 (30 minute slots)
• Monday 6 November 2017: 10:00 - 13:00 (30 minute slots)
• Friday 10 November 2017: 09:00 – 15:00 (30 minute slots)

Grants advice sessions

Are you a community group looking for advice on how to apply for Member Awarded Funding or Area Wide Grants?

If so, you can book a 30 minute slot between 10am and 1pm on Monday 6 November. The sessions take place at the Council Offices, Badminton Road, Yate, BS37 5AF.

To book a place, please contact the team on 01454 865865 (Mon-Fri 9am to 4pm) or email grants@southglos.gov.uk. It would be useful to know when booking which subject area you are interested in.

Update: South Glos have now organised two more sessions. You can now book for any of these dates:

• Wednesday 1 November 2017: 16:00 - 19:00 (30 minute slots)
• Monday 6 November 2017: 10:00 - 13:00 (30 minute slots)
• Friday 10 November 2017: 09:00 – 15:00 (30 minute slots)

 

Aviva Community Fund - applications open 12 September 2017

The Aviva Community Fund offers you the chance to get funding from £1,000 up to £25,000 for an important cause in your community.

All you have to do is enter a project for your community organisation – even if you took part previously – and tell them what a difference these much-needed funds could make.

The Aviva Community Fund opens on 12 September 2017 - you can find out more here.

Fair Funding for Schools campaign

Claire Young recently joined thousands of people marching for fairer funding for our schools - parents, children, teachers and fellow Lib Dems - at the Fairer Funding for Schools rally.

The Liberal Democrats would invest £6.9bn more in our schools and colleges over the next parliament, to ensure no school and no child loses out. That would mean £26m more in schools and colleges in South Gloucestershire, including £1.3m to protect the Pupil Premium, introduced by the Liberal Democrats to help the most disadvantaged children.

In contrast, the Conservative government is proposing deep cuts in many school budgets - schools with the most disadvantaged children are likely to face the biggest funding cuts. According to figures from teachers' unions NUT and ATL, local secondary schools face cuts equivalent to up to a dozen teachers. Primary schools face cuts of 1, 2 or 3 teachers.

You can look up the impact on your local school here: http://www.schoolcuts.org.uk - it's noticeable that although Claire has pledged to support the campaign against the school cuts, at the time of writing neither the Conservative nor the Labour candidates for this constituency have even responded.

Claire has been continually pressing for clarity about the situation at Winterbourne and Yate International Academies and supporting parents campaigning for better funding for schools. Please support our campaign by signing our petition at www.claireyoung.org.uk/schoolcuts

The photo shows Claire with fellow Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidates Stephen Williams and Karen Wilkinson at the Fair Funding for Schools rally.

Community group looking for funding?

Tesco have announced some important changes to the Tesco Bags of Help funding scheme which may be of interest to any community groups seeking  project funding in the Yate area.

In order to give Tesco customers a more frequent say on where their money goes, as of today the Tesco Bags of Help grant scheme will now be permanently open for applications from community groups.

Bags of Help will now see the money raised by the 5p bag charge in Tesco stores in England, Wales and Scotland opened up to a greater range of projects that support community participation in the development and use of open spaces. Projects that will now get the green light as a result of the funding will include volunteer training, physical improvements of open spaces, equipment purchases, community events and sports and leisure activities.

Following a public vote, three projects in each of the 200 Tesco regions will receive a grant each month, with first place receiving up to £5K, second place up to £2K and third place up to £1K.

Groups can apply by following this link

Bids for funding for youth activities

South Gloucestershire Council has set up a new grants programme to encourage young people to participate in positive activities across South Gloucestershire. At the recent area forums, money was awarded to support work at a number of existing youth clubs in the area. The remaining money will be allocated at meetings later in the year.

Funding from the Positive Activities Subsidy Grants Programme is available for organisations working with young people aged 13 to 19 years old (or up to 25 years old for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities). Priority will be given to:

• Organisations who can demonstrate that young people have been involved in the decision making process and in selecting activities
• Applications from young people who may experience additional barriers to accessing positive activities. The council would like to encourage applications from young people from different equality groups

Quartet Community Foundation has been appointed by the Council to manage and administer fund. Applications forms can be downloaded from their web site. When applying for a grant you also need to include:

• A copy of your organisation’s constitution or set of rules
• A copy of your organisation’s most recent accounts or financial information
• A list of the names and addresses of the management committee
• A copy of your child protection policy if you work with children and young people

For further information and a full set of funding criteria please contact Quartet Community Foundation on 0117 989 7700 or visit www.quartetcf.org.uk

Donations needed for Coronation street party in Chipping Sodbury

Could you or your  business help fund a major community event on June 2nd?

Sodbury Celebrates – The Big Lunch will take place in Broad Street on the same day as the national Big Lunch initiative and the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s coronation. Organisers are looking for funding to cover costs such as the closure of Broad Street, public liability insurance, marshals and First Aid cover. They would be happy to print the logo of any local business sponsor on all their publicity.

The events builds on the hugely successful Sodbury Jubilee Celebrations in 2012. People will be encouraged to bring their own tables, chairs and gazebos and either enjoy their own picnics or purchase food from the local pubs and eateries which will be holding outdoor stalls and barbecues. There will be entertainment in the Street, a children’s fancy dress competition and a miniature garden competition.

"This is an event organised by the community for the community but it won’t be possible without the community’s help" said organiser Alexandra Womack.

If you or your business would like to sponsor the event or make a donation , please email alexandra.womack@hotmail.co.uk or call 07740 370586. Cheques should be made payable to Sodbury Celebrates – The Big Lunch.

For more details please check out the article in the Gazette.

Funders Fair

CVS South Gloucestershire are running a Funders Fair on Thursday 9 July 2009, 9.00am - 2.00pm at Yate Outdoor Sports Complex. This is an opportunity for local groups to gain information and advice directly from representatives of key funders, including The Big Lottery, Quartet Community Foundation, Children In Need and South Gloucestershire Council, and to network with other groups who are addressing similar fundraising issues. More information including booking details at:

http://www.cvs-sg.org.uk/south-gloucestershire-funders-fair/