Funding available for community projects

Projects in Swale can receive funding from their local councillor to help them make a difference in their community.

Swale Borough Council has reopened the member grant scheme with £47,000 being available to support small-scale, local community projects.

Swale’s 47 councillors have £1,000 each available to fund projects that provide benefits in areas such as culture, sport, recreation, health, environment, heritage, community safety, crime reduction and education.

This includes voluntary and community groups that are working to address the challenges Swale’s residents face due to the cost of living.

Last year’s grants helped purchase things like; a community kitchen’s beekeeping equipment, a scout group’s climbing wall, public defibrillators, a non-profit’s therapeutic art supplies, a museum’s display cabinets and a day centres’ interactive projector.

Councillors also used the scheme to fund events such as advice, dementia and empowerment coffee mornings, carnivals, Christmas light switch on days, pride, an archaeological roadshow and a Christmas lunch for people experiencing loneliness.

Cllr Hannah Perkin, chair of the Housing, Health and Communities Committee, said:

“We are proud to have been able to support so many incredible projects over the year, contributing towards annual events like the carnivals, improving community hubs, and helping support Swale’s amazing charity initiatives.

“We are now reopening our member grants, so if you have an idea for a project or an event and you need some financial support to make it a reality, get in touch with your local councillor who may be able to help!

“This is a great opportunity for people to make a positive impact for their community with the support of their councillors, who will be able to invest in projects that are close to their hearts.”

The application process simply needs the person or group to discuss the project with their local councillor to get their support.

The person or group will then need to complete the relevant form and submit the application for approval to the council.

Interested parties can apply to one or more councillors for funding and could have all, or part, of their project funded.

To find out more about member grants go to our grants webpage.

Last year more than 200 grants were made to local groups to support projects, including:

Contributing towards events:

• Sittingbourne Carnival
• Swale Pride
• Faversham Carnival
• The Festival of Sheppey
• a Monday dance club’s Christmas and summer events
• archaeology roadshows organised by the Borden Heritage Group
• Queenborough and District Naval Ensign’s annual parade
• Conservatoria book-binding workshops
• Sheppey Court winter event
• Sittingbourne Christmas Lights Switch On Day
• Christmas dementia café hosted by East Kent Colleges
• Queenborough Town Council’s Christmas Lights Parade
• Faversham Community Networking Group’s Christmas day lunch for people experiencing loneliness
• Queenborough Historical Event
• Lansdowne Primary School children led road safety activity

Supporting not-for-profits:

• SATEDA
• NexYouth
• the Autism Apprentice services and advice coffee mornings
• Men-Talk
• Swale CVS’ befriending service and loneliness training
• Creed outdoor learning’s youth sessions
• Raybel Charters’ ongoing barge restoration
• Swale Foodbank
• Oasis
• Milton Creek Trust
• GEM72
• New Leaf Support coffee empowerment mornings
• Faversham Assistance Centre (FACE)
• HER VOICE CIC’s therapeutic art supplies
• Children & Families Ltd
• TAM Together CIC
• Swale Stroke Group
• The Sittingbourne Blind Fellowship
• Citizens Advice Swale
• new games for Nurture For All CIC
• funding for small trees for the Baby Memorial Gardens
• Swale Youth Development Fund
• Crossroads Kent’s Young Carers service
• Swale Deaf Pub
• Isle of Sheppey Band
• Abbey Physic Community Garden
• Thistle Hill Community Centre
• coach for Girlguiding Sheppey Division
• Blue Town Heritage Centre training
• Friends of Rose Hill Woods’ trail camera
• The Sheppey Heritage Trust’s restoration and display of an oil painting
• hug in a mug in Eastchurch Parish Council
• 2316 (Sheppey) Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets’ licence fees
• reading materials for the Eastchurch CofE Primary School

Helping to improve community infrastructure

• a new storeroom for Graveney and Goodnestone village hall
• a community café in the Grovehurst Community Hub
• updating The Freedom Centre
• new cabinets at the Queenborough Guildhall Museum
• works on the Hartlip Village Hall
• new signage for the Kemsley Community Centre
• Queenborough Town Community Centre’s upgraded fire alarm system
• the installation of defibrillator in Faversham
• new white goods for the Teynham Village Hall
• improvements to the Faversham rec
• a projector for the Willow Day Centre
• community allotments project and defibrillator for Bobbing Village Hall
• Lynsted Community Kitchen Garden beehives
• Stepping Stones Pre-School (Lynsted) all weather classroom for pre­school children
• “Craftenoon” venue for Swale Media Arts Centre CIC
• Challenger Troop CIC’s field cooker for outdoor kitchen
• Krazy Kidz World LTD’s baby sensory room
• Murston Heart Warm Hub
• bleed control kits, emergency homelessness packs and dishwasher for the Heather House Community Café
• Lansdowne Primary School’s dedicated flexible learning space
• improvements to the Sheppey Sea Cadets and Royal Marines Cadets teaching shelter
• improving the Sheppey Community Centre, Sheppey Matters
• Milton Regis Society’s notice board
• External works to Rodmersham Village Hall
• replacement street nameplates
• solar panels for the Sheppey Entertainment Association
• 7th Faversham Scout group climbing wall
• new floats for the Faversham Pool
• 4th Milton Regis Cub Pack planters outside the Sittingbourne Station
• bee post for Faversham Town Council’s Perry Court Allotments
• securing the wall at All Saints, Iwade
• Ospringe Parish Council notice board
• Throwley Parish Council litter picking equipment
• resurfacing a school path in Sheldwich Badlesmere & Leaveland Parish Council
• Warden bay parish council skips

Supporting local sports

• Borden Sports Association running of the pavilion
• Sittingbourne Football Club’s youth tournament
• Swale Indoor Bowls Centre’s new solar panels reducing their running costs
• Gore Court Hockey Club’s equipment
• new mat for the Borden Short Mat Bowls Club
• a cover for Cinque Ports Rowing CIC’s safety boat
• Minster (Sheppey) Cricket Club’s new bowling machine
• new practice facilities for Rodmersham Cricket Club
• Norton Sports Club’s new goals

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