More than £500,000 to be awarded to community projects in Boston in first round of Pride in Place funding

Last year, the Government announced that 75 towns – including Boston – would receive up to £20m over 10 years to ‘tackle deprivation and turbocharge growth’.

The Plan for Neighbourhoods scheme (later renamed as The Pride in Place Programme) would help ‘left-behind’ areas ‘unleash their full potential’, it said.

Earlier this year, the Boston Neighbourhood Board invited community groups, charities, organisations, and resident groups in Boston to put forward project ideas that could potentially benefit from the investment.

Out of the 64 expressions of interest received, six projects have been chosen to receive support in the first round of funding. The amounts and projects are:

• £260,000 for community safety officers. This funding will support the extension of the community safety officer scheme for an additional two years and build on the success of the work that has begun, the board says. Employed by Boston Borough Council, the community safety officers are deployed across Boston town centre and the surrounding areas, providing a ‘consistent, visible presence in the public spaces where anti-social behaviour has been most persistent’, it says. This project aims to improve people’s sense of safety and security in the town, a key theme that has emerged from the consultation carried out by the board, the board adds.
• £173,000 for a public realm programme. The charity every-one will be leading a partnership on five projects that will bring a programme of improvements to the public realm in Boston, the board says. This will include seating, planting, lighting, signage, and repair of paths, and more, with further details set to be shared as the programme develops.
• £61,080 for Zone Go Boston. This project will involve a mobile, artist-led youth space that brings free, high-quality creative activity directly into public spaces across the town, the board says. Developed by Zest, the space aims to reach and connect with young people across Boston. This project will allow young people to come together, spend time in a safe and supportive space, build connections, and have fun, the board says.
• £15,000 for Boston Amplify. This will be a programme of events led by Tonic Health, which will bring together local young people aged 16–25 to showcase their arts and music talent and create performances. The events could include Battle of the Bands nights, youth orchestral performances, and more to bring young people and the community together. Zone Go Boston and Boston Amplify will join up to deliver a cohesive programme of activities within the town centre, the board says.
• £50,000 Boston Tour of Britain events. Funding was provided to support the Boston Tour of Britain events in the town, enabling local people to participate in the celebrations around the race. The events and engagement carried out helped to ensure that the race brought benefits for local people and businesses in Boston, the board says.
• £3,000 for Boston Young Enterprise. This funding will create a young enterprise project that will bring together young people aged 16-25 who are students, unemployed, or volunteering to set up a social enterprise organisation and learn about being self-employed and running a business. The project, led by Tonic Health, will equip young people with a wide range of skills they can use to access employment and opportunities, the board says.

Emma Tatlow, chairman of Boston Neighbourhood Board said: “I am so pleased that we are now in a position to make these grants, and I would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit a proposal for the funding.

“As a board, we are very clear that we are focused on working collaboratively with the community to deliver this funding to benefit the people of Boston.

“Our open call for projects allowed us to draw out a wealth of opportunities where the Pride in Place funding could make a meaningful impact in the town, and we’ve carefully considered all the applications against a robust set of guidance.

“What has been particularly important to us has been making sure that the funding decisions truly reflect what we have heard from the community in our engagement over the last two years.

“This first round of funding awards signal just the start of our work delivering for Boston and we are working together with local people, community groups, and champions to shape future funding decisions.

“We want the Pride in Place funding to have a wide reach and bring long-lasting benefits for people across Boston.”

All of the projects receiving funding are said to align with one or more of the priorities identified by the community during the consultation. These priorities were: safety and security; town centre revitalisation; heritage and culture; green spaces and connectivity; education and skills; health and wellbeing; housing; community capacity building; and youth engagement.

In addition, a number of priorities from young people in Boston emerged from consultation and engagement, the board said. The things that young people want to see are: a safer, cleaner town, more to do, enjoy, and experience; spaces, places, and ways for young people to connect; activities, support, and green spaces that help young people to feel good, physically and mentally; more job opportunities, and help to get them; and to be heard and play a real role in Boston’s future.

Coun Dale Broughton, leader of Boston Borough Council, said: “We welcome the first of these Pride in Place funding awards, which represent a significant investment in Boston and, most importantly, in the people who live and work here.

“The range of projects being supported reflects the priorities residents have told us matter most to them. These grants will help make our town centre safer, more vibrant and more welcoming, while creating opportunities for communities to come together and shape the town’s future.

“Our thanks to Boston Neighbourhood Board, community partners and everyone involved in developing these projects. I am looking forward to seeing the positive difference they will make across the borough.”

Earlier this year, more than £200,000 of funding was announced for projects in Boston in the similarly named Pride of Place Impact Fund.

The Impact Fund, while also Government-backed, is more short-term in focus.