Green power station fund awards £4,900 in grants to Sleaford groups

A meeting of the Sleaford Renewable Energy Plant Community Power Fund Panel awarded £3,933 to the Sleaford Canoe and Kayak Club to replace parts of their safety and paddling equipment and to buy paddleboards; and £980 went to the Sleaford Civic Trust to celebrate the achievements of Harry Gregson who worked alongside Les Gostick to establish Lollycocks Field as a nature reserve.

The Civic Trust Funding will cover the repair and renovation of a bench/sculpture on the green named after Mr Gregson which is sited near to William Alvey School.

The trust plans to work with school children to plant cowslips and design a flowerbed and the youngsters will also be shown how and why memorials have been designed and how they are built as well as learn about fundraising and how to run a project. Display panels will also be produced about the history of Gregson and Gostick.

And because the work will not be in the centre of the town, a display board will be erected near the museum, in Handley Street, to tell people about Gregson’s work with Gostick to save the Slea and in the late summer the trust hopes to hold an exhibition at the museum about the town’s past citizens.

The Community Power Fund is administered by North Kesteven District Council and chairman of the fund panel is Coun Mervyn Head who said the Trust’s project would tell people about the history of Sleaford and the individuals who have

influenced the town as it is today.

“Engaging with schoolchildren will help people learn about the care and maintenance of the plants as well as teach them about memorials. The signposted memorial and display boards will also attract more visitors and contribute to my Council’s ambitions to market the town.

“The total cost of the project is just over £1,500 so the panel were pleased to support the application and we are also suggesting that the Trust contact Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust to increase the biodiversity.”

Sleaford Canoe and Kayak Club was formed in 2006 to bring canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddling to the local community and is open to anyone aged eight or above. It is estimated that 350 people could benefit from the grant including 44 members and people attending sessions for local community groups.

Coun Head said the paddleboards are inflatable, meaning they will be easier to transport than the canoes and kayaks, adding: “Replacing the equipment is needed to run the sessions safely and the Panel were pleased to help with that. The paddleboards will attract more members to the sport.

“This project will allow the community to access a sport that might otherwise be too expensive for some people due to the cost of the equipment and the Panel were happy to support it.”

○ The Community Power Panel Fund is designed to support not-for-profit groups within five miles of the power plant on Boston Road. The fund has £25,000 a year to allocate over the next five years and grants can be up to £5,000 per application in a year.

For the Fund to support a project it must:

Cover the environment, sport, wellbeing or education

Encourage community cohesion to build strong communities

Benefit the community/group by supporting activities and projects that bring wider community benefit.

The fund is administered by North Kesteven District Council and to find out more contact the Partnership Team on 01529 414155 or email [email protected]