South Somerset District Council’s Area East Committee approved five grants in December totalling £34,543, which were awarded to projects with an overall value of £294,424.
The Area East Committee considers grant requests for capital projects twice a year in June and December. Five applications were received for the December round from Bayford Mission Hall Society, Hadspen Village Hall Committee, Wincanton Town Council, Mudford Parish Council and Kingsdon Village Shop.
Bayford Mission Hall Society was awarded £11,000 towards the acquisition and refurbishment of Bayford Chapel. The building was to be sold and potentially lost as a community facility. South Somerset District Council’s (SSDC) support will contribute to the local fundraising effort and other grants to make sure that the building is owned and managed by the community and improved to meet the needs of local people.
Hadspen Village Hall Committee was awarded £3,000 towards extending the hall to provide additional storage. The project will make a huge difference to existing users and will also make it possible to increase use of the hall which is already a well-used local facility.
Wincanton Town Council received £10,043 towards the total refurbishment of Cale Park. The project includes the installation of a new bridge across the river Cale, new equipment, landscaping and a castle. The total cost of the project is £184,000 and can now go ahead thanks to significant funding provided by Viridor Credits, SSDC and the Town Council.
Mudford Parish Council was awarded £3,500 towards the installation of fixed Speed Indicator Devices to contribute towards controlling the speed of vehicles travelling through the village. Reducing the speed of vehicles has been a top priority of the Parish Council for a number of years and various methods have been considered and tried. Accident reports and speed monitoring have confirmed that the signs are needed.
The Area Committee also agreed to an award of £7,000 to Kingsdon Village Shop to help them to remodel the interior and improve heating. This is a real example of Localism as a local group has leased the former school building from Somerset County Council and opened a shop and café which has been extremely successful.
Councillor Nick Weeks, Chairman of the Area East Committee said, “We were very happy to approve grants to all of the applicants in December. All of the projects will benefit the local communities and this is an example of how the Council’s Capital Projects Grant Scheme can improve the quality of life for our residents”.
All additional detail including the minutes and agenda from the meeting can be found online at www.southsomerset.gov.uk/councillors-and-democracy.