Men's Shed's grant bid deferred by Fleetwood Town Council

The Fleetwood charity would use the grant to purchase commercial kitchen equipment to expand its activities at its new base, the Beehive Centre on Manor Road.

Councillors at last night's meeting,. at the North Euston Hotel, heard an outline of the ambitious plans by Men's Shed representatives, which includes renovations of the building.

The council heard that Men's Shed had already raised £5,000 to cover other costs of the overall project.

It was agreed that the matter be adjourned for eight weeks in order to obtain more information, including an architect's report on the Beehive Centre and additional quotes for the equipment.

In his application for grant support, Men’s Shed founder Tony O’Neill said the charity would like to increase activity by supporting people suffering from social isolation and food insecurity by hosting additional activities and food-related projects from The Beehive.

Also on the agenda was a grant application by Guides member Ruby Whelan, from Fleetwood.

Ruby, aged 17, plans to head off to Gdansk in Poland in July to take part in the European Jamboree for the Scout and Guide movements, after being selected for the trip.

But in order for Ruby to get there, she needs to raise £1,250 to cover expenses.

So far she has raised £480 but needs another £770 in under five months,

Ruby approached the Town Council for a possible grant for “any amount” but she was not present at the meeting.

The council deferred this application for four weeks to allow the teenager to attend the next meeting.