Community and Voluntary groups set to prosper
Community and voluntary groups in Bassetlaw will soon be able to benefit from a share of more than £337k of the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Following a rigorous selection process, Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service (BCVS) has been appointed to develop, manage and administer the ‘Community and Voluntary Grant Programme’, over the next two years on behalf of Bassetlaw District Council.
The community and voluntary funding is part of a package of measures that will be delivered thanks to The Council securing more than £3.3million of UKSPF monies, which will fund projects and initiatives that build pride in place and increase life chances across three key areas - Community and Place, Local Businesses and People and Skills.
Cllr Julie Leigh, Cabinet Member for Identity and Place welcomed the appointment and said: “Community and voluntary groups play a huge part in making Bassetlaw a vibrant, inclusive, healthy and welcoming district.
“We recognise their important and valuable contributions, as well as that of BCVS, and through this fund, we want to make it easier for groups to access smaller amounts of funding for projects that will make a real difference in their local neighbourhoods.
“With this investment, we also want to enable more community and voluntary groups to emerge and become established and through the selection process, we felt that BCVS were the perfect partners to make this happen.”
By managing the £337,250 Community and Voluntary Grant Programme, BCVS will distribute more than £180,500 during 2023/24 and £156,750 throughout 2024/25.
Andria Birch, Chief Executive of BCVS, said: “We are very pleased to be able to lead the Community Grants Programme for Bassetlaw. BCVS is committed to supporting the wider local voluntary and community sector to attract funding and this represents a significant step forwards.
“Please sign up to our newsletter to receive alerts and notification of the first grant application round. We look forward to sharing details of all the fantastic projects that will be funded through this programme over the coming months.”
Just some of the interventions that BCVS will make include providing opportunities in some of the district’s areas that are more deprived and in rural communities. Other priorities will include creating more volunteer opportunities, enhancing engagement in community activities and promoting community cohesion, as well as improving health and wellbeing and tackling social isolation across the district.
If you would like to know more about this opportunity and to be notified of the next steps of how you can apply for a share of this grant funding, please visit www.bcvs.org.uk/ukspf or sign up to the BCVS newsletter at www.bcvs.org.uk/newsletters
