'Really looking forward to seeing the results' - More than £200,000 awarded to community projects in Boston through first round of grant-making scheme; deadline approaching for round two
More than £200,000 has been awarded to a range of community projects in the Boston area in the first round of grants made under a Government-backed scheme.
The sum – £206,877 in all – has been awarded to five causes through the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
They are:
- Benington Parish Council, £13,671.12 for new safety fencing and gates around the children’s play area at Benington Playing Field to improve safety and security.
- Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre, £75,000 to bring the nearby Cheers building back into use through a sensitive refit and light-touch restoration. Match-funding has been secured from Lincolnshire County Council to create a pop-up museum in the currently vacant unit.
- Boston Town Football Club, £75,000 towards the cost of replacing the existing natural grass pitch at the club’s home in Tattershall Road, with a full-size FA-standard 3G artificial pitch.
- Boston Wildlife Explorers – £6,000-plus for refurbishments to its basecamp at RSPB Freiston Shore, through such steps as new storage facilities, pond restoration, landscaping, wildflower planting and accessible outdoor seating.
- Boston Woods Trust, £37,125 for a new all-weather car and cycle parking facility to serve Joan’s Wood to support growing visitor numbers, provide safe access and accommodate future users.
The investment from the Government-funded Pride in Place Impact Fund is delivered by local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. It has been targeted at areas ‘in need’, with the aim of ‘building strong, resilient, prosperous, and inclusive communities’, in the words of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Boston was one of just 95 places chosen to benefit from the fund.
As part of the application process, community causes were asked to match the funding where possible.
Taking these extra funds into account, the total amount invested in the borough in this round of funding exceeds £615,000.
Coun Dale Broughton, leader of Boston Borough Council, said: “I am really pleased that we have been able to invest more than £200,000 into the borough through grants from the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
“The projects we have supported with grants all have the same goal at heart – to make sure that Boston is a brilliant place to live, work and visit.
“We set out to find initiatives which met our aims of developing a renewed sense of pride through improved places via projects which will stand the test of time – and these projects all fit that bill.
“The member panel was incredibly thorough, so I would urge any projects who are looking to apply for the second round of funding to be very clear in their ideas and to provide as much information as possible to help us make our decisions.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the results of this funding and what comes in the next round later this year.”
Applications are now being accepted for round two of the Boston Pride in Place Impact Fund. Full details and the application form can be found at www.boston.gov.uk/lgfd
Round two closes for applications at 5pm on Friday, August 21.