Nine projects in Sleaford area share £15,000 police community safety money

Projects received shares of a total of £15,000, with cash to be put towards a new community grocery store, a support group for young children and more.

At the end of 2021, World Cafe events were held in four areas of Lincolnshire.

These were listening events where the community shared their experiences and insights into issues relating to community safety.

Events were held at Sutton Bridge, Sleaford, Skegness and South West Ward, Gainsborough and local groups were encouraged to dream up projects they believed would benefit their area.

These applications would then be considered and voted on by the community at budgeting events after money was raised by the force, its partners and local people and organisations.

The first of these events took place on Saturday, March 26, in Sleaford at the New Life Centre and was a roaring success.

It ran from 11am to 1pm and saw dozens of people flock to the Mareham Lane site to see a presentation for each application.

Steve Doane, Sleaford resident and former RAF serviceman, did a sterling job in compering the event and nearly 80 people cast their votes for several local projects.

A breakdown of who got what can be seen below.

Rainbow Stars - £3,000.

Sleaford Women’s Safety Group - £3,000.

3rd Sleaford (St Denys) Scout Group £723.

Sleaford New Life Community Larder - £3,000.

Sleaford Salvation Army Stay and Play Group - £500.

Riverside Ducklings child care group £2,000.

St Deny’s Bears mother and toddler group - £500.

Slea Paddlers Canoe and Kayak Club - £1,888.

Church Lane Primary School and Nursery - £389.

The process of distributing this money has already begun and the intention is to get the cash into the hands of the successful applicants as soon as possible.

Each applicant will have to send a short film to the Sleaford Speaks Facebook site every three months for the next year to update the community on the progress of the project.

They also need to spend the money within 12 months.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Mark Hillson, who attended the event, said he was delighted by the turn out and paid tribute to those involved in making the event happen.

He said: “Worldwide restrictions has meant this has been a long journey for the team involved in this project.

“However, the energy and excitement in the room at the weekend made those efforts all the more worthwhile.

“All the organisations bidding for money gave excellent and heartfelt presentations, and all are worthy of recognition.

“The genuine elation from the successful bidders is evidence of their commitment to their community in seeking to make Sleaford a better place to live for everyone.”

North Kesteven District Council leader Richard Wright said: “It is fantastic to see £15,000 worth of projects given the go ahead.

“The projects, which were conceived by the community and then voted on by local people, will help to make a real difference and foster a sense of togetherness.

“This has been a community-led project from the start, so it’s only right that they have the final say on where the money is spent.

“The nine organisations will soon start work on each scheme and update us all on their progress over the coming months.

“Mutual Gain shows that people really do care about their town and area and want to work together to make Sleaford a better place to live.”

The event, which saw the Sleaford Ukulele Orchestra play before and during proceedings, proved a hit with local people.

This was the first of several events set to take place in the coming weeks.

The other events will take place at: 6pm - 8pm - March 31, Gainsborough at the Trinity Arts Centre; 6pm - 8pm - April 1, Skegness at the Tower Gardens; 11am - 1pm - April 23, Sutton Bridge at The Curlew Centre.

Here the nine Sleaford groups explain how they will spend theirs grants.

Project One - St Deny’s Bears

We are a Parent and Toddler Group called St Denys Bears and we are supported by St Denys Church, Sleaford.

We have been a Parent and Toddler group for many years and our group has a very good reputation in the town. We have a group of helpers/volunteers and most are part of the St Denys’ Congregation.

The Group Leaders and helpers are all volunteers and have all had police clearance and have taken part in the course run by the Lincoln Diocese Safeguarding Team. It is a popular group with the Mums, Dads and Guardians who attend. We have almost full books as we can only have 20 children at a time in the Church Hall where we meet. We meet once a week on a Tuesday morning in term time.

We would very much like a corporate activity at the end of the morning when the ride on cars are out and balls and skittles and parachute, it would be really good to have a toddler climbing frame. It would encourage playing together at the end of the morning after all of the other activities such as playing, snack time, story time and singing and musical instruments have finished. To bring all the children together for the end of the session. We could also look to replace some of our older toys.

Project Two Riverside Ducklings

We intend to replace and upgrade all equipment after covid storage. We will replace all storage, replace and upgrade all the toys, replenish, replace and upgrade our craft supplies and finally replace all the items used to provide a drink and snack during the group.

This will allow us to make sure the group continues with excellent equipment to continue to provide the group. Our group provides a safe place for children to come with their parents/ carers to learn social skills and to participate in an EYFS activity. It also provides a place for those parents/carers to come to chat with other adults and know that there is a place to have a chat which we find is very good for everyone’s mental health and has been lacking during Covid.

Project Three - Sleaford New Life Community Larder

New Life Community Larder is part of Sleaford New Life Church which provides many different community activities for Sleaford. Access is available to all with exception.

The funding will be used initially to support start-up costs for a new simple community grocery store. We are taking over seven units in Riverside Precinct in Sleaford to launch various community initiatives. Other planned activities

will shortly follow including a community hub for young persons, and a Community Cafe will be launched in the summer. We will be inviting many different community groups to hold pop up/drop-in sessions for the local community to attend.

Project Four - Sleaford Women’s Safety Group

We are currently in the process of becoming a constituted group. We would like to put on self-defence classes for our members. This will help our members with their confidential as well as safety as many of our members are survivors of abuse and/or harassment.

We would also like to produce a community art project to spread awareness and start conversations about sexual harassment within our community. We want to help our members with their confidence, give them a sense of community, support and safety.

We want to challenge inappropriate behaviour and attitudes towards women and girls within and around Sleaford.

Project Five - Slea Paddlers Canoe and Kayak Club

The club provides kayak, canoe and SUP river and pool session through the year. We are open to paddlers of all abilities from the age of eight years.

The application is to provide three river sessions for up to 14 people free of charge. This will include two coaches to introduce attendees to paddling and progress their skills. The application will also fund the hire of a minibus to

get people to and from the location, again for free.

Additionally to support clear progression of learning stand up board skills we would like to include in the application the opportunity to purchase two touring boards, benefiting this project and club members.

Project Six - Sleaford Salvation Army Stay and Play Group

Stay and Play is a community group for Sleaford and surrounding villages to provide social time for children 0-4+ & parent/carers.

The funding will be used for:

• New toys - additional and replacement

• Craftwork supplies

• Baby equipment

• Storage boxes

• One table Play mats

The aspirations of the group are to provide a place for 0-4+ children to freely play and meet other children. They have the opportunity to learn new skills and interact socially. Be it story time, singing, play dough etc. Learning to use one’s imagination and communicate with others is key to being together. The adults also, can make friends, sharing a laugh or problem together.

Project Seven - Rainbow Stars

Rainbow Stars was started wight years ago for children and adults with Autism to have a safe place for them just to be themselves. We have daily activities cooking, craft, sensory, and after school club, Sibling’s night and Manic Monday. We support families to meetings, we also help fill in benefit forms and give members training so they can get back into work if they want help. We have 14 volunteers who all have children who are Autistic or have additional needs.

The funds will be used to get a new kitchen and fully working equipment, built-in oven and hob. New kitchen cupboards that will provide more storage, breakfast bar and work tops, separate sink for hand washing for four people in wheelchairs so they can take part in the cooking sessions. We also need new fridge freezer for fresh food and frozen food so we can bulk buy items in for the cooking. We also need a built-in bin and have asked for a washing machine so members can wash and a dishwasher for hygiene.

Project Eight - Church Lane Primary School and Nursery

We are wanting to provide a movie night for the whole school community.

The funds will go towards the cost to hire an outdoor cinema screen and marquee. By providing this night we are hoping to bring the whole school together and encourage/enable families to spend time together that does not cost a lot so we can be inclusive to all.

We are aiming to encourage families to spend more time together and to get out of the house and spend time with others. This can be a heavy financial burden to families and is not classed as a necessity to many, so as part of us supporting our children and families we would like to put on regular events where we can all come together and enjoy socialising, communication skills, confidence etc, while ensuring the cost is as low as possible so all families have the opportunity to partake.

Project Nine - 3rd Sleaford (St Denys) Scout Group

The 3rd Sleaford scout group has been an established part of the town since 1947 (in its current form, a group has existed previously). We are a charity registered group and part of the Scout association. We provide activities and opportunities for young people, male and female, aged 6-18 on a weekly basis. Our group support young people from varied backgrounds, with no discrimination for age, ethnic background, ability, or religion.

Our scouts are attending Poacher 2022 International scout/guide camp this summer. The event held every four years with over 5,000 young people from all over the world attending. We hope that after an uncertain few months and years a true spirit of peace, opportunity and more importantly international friendship can be built upon this year. We have 20 scouts attending oacher spending seven days away from home, so we require additional tents, tables and benches for them to be able to eat and sleep comfortably