Community groups invited to apply for funding boost

After allocating a total of just under £50,000 on 25 grant awards across four previous four bidding rounds, a further allocation of £20,000 has been approved by Fylde Council to be made available to voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise organisations under the Covid Response Fund grant scheme.

Added to the remaining £10,000 already banked with the council for voluntary services from previous rounds, the aim is for this latest funding package to empower charitable groups to better help those hardest hit by coronavirus.

Eligible groups will be able to bid for funds from a minimum of £300 up to a maximum of £5,000 for projects which help residents struggling with food and essentials and to access longer term support, such as benefits, debt, or employment advice; provide emotional and mental health support; help address social isolation; demonstrate how people would benefit from the funds.

Organisations which have benefited from previous bidding rounds of the grant scheme include Hope Church, Lytham, enabling it to provide targeted, practical support to help significantly improve the quality of a child’s environment through the provision of practical items; Park View 4U, Lytham, with the delivery of a programme called Exploring the Wild Edges – to engage with women who have struggled with their mental wellbeing, social isolation and losing confidence during the pandemic and Just Good Friends, based in St Annes, allowing it to offer guidance to members for use in IT equipment.

This latest stage of the scheme will be another partnership between Fylde Council, Wyre Council and the Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Council of Voluntary Services. and Fylde says an independent evaluation has identified the tremendous success of the previous phases of the scheme.

"The clear, simple bidding process was found to have been highly effective in swiftly getting aid to vulnerable persons across the region, as well as helping community support groups themselves survive and develop a strong network throughout an exceptionally challenging time," said a spokesman.

Coun Tommy Threlfall, chairman of Fylde's environment, health and housing committee, said: “The council is delighted to support a further award of grants to the voluntary community and faith sector, in order to support the most vulnerable within our communities.

"Having supported the hugely successful previous phases of this grant scheme, it gives me great pleasure to endorse the council’s further financial backing of the project.”

Closing date for applications in the latest round is 5pm on April 30 and details of how to apply are at www.cvsbwf.org/covoidgrants

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