Archived press release

Date Published: 27/09/07

A cash boost of £5,750 has been awarded to community groups in Aylesbury Vale as part of the district’s Community Chest awards scheme. The Community Chest fund, which is administered jointly by Aylesbury Vale District Council and the ...

A cash boost of £5,750 has been awarded to community groups in Aylesbury Vale as part of the district’s Community Chest awards scheme.

The Community Chest fund, which is administered jointly by Aylesbury Vale District Council and the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust (VAHT), will award around £5 million in grants over the next ten years to support projects for local people.

Since the grant scheme was launched in March, more than £105,000 has been awarded to help voluntary and community organisations working in Aylesbury Vale to improve the services they provide in their areas.

Six community groups will receive funding totalling £5,750 in the latest round of ‘micro grant’ awards. These grants are designed to be easily accessible and are awarded for projects needing up to £1,000 for a range of different uses, such as running costs or organising a community event.

A grant of £1,000 has been awarded to the Aylesbury Development Education Centre (ADEC) towards a project to promote One World Week (21 - 28 October). The award will be used to invite local schools, youth and community groups to enter a poster competition to highlight the campaign’s key themes of peace, harmony and social justice. An exhibition of entries will be on display at the Buckinghamshire County Library in October.

The Community Chest has awarded The Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, a charity which provides specialist nursing care for patients who wish to remain at home during the final stages of a terminal illness, a £1,000 grant. They will use the grant money to aid their volunteers co-ordinator, who supports more than 700 volunteers in a variety of roles within the organisation, including respite care, bereavement support and complementary therapies. More than 50 of the volunteers live within the Aylesbury Vale area. 

A grant of £1,000 has been awarded to the Great Brickhill Cricket Club towards a project to improve the club’s facilities. A new grass wicket for junior members will be installed as part of the £9,000 scheme.

A £1,000 grant has been awarded to the Newton Longville Free Church Community Project to pay for a new shed to store tables and other items. The group run coffee mornings, seated keep-fit sessions and offers a general community social facility.

In addition, Walton Hall has received a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of buying 13 folding tables for children’s craft work, holding coffee mornings, lunch clubs and other community activities, and  Stewkley Tennis Club has received a grant of £750 towards a new clubhouse to store equipment

Micro grant applications are reviewed on a monthly basis and can be submitted at any time. To be eligible to apply, groups must be formally constituted, not-for-profit and provide community activities or services which are of benefit to local residents within Aylesbury Vale.

Project grants up to £25,000 are also available for both new and existing projects that can demonstrate they are successful in meeting local needs. These are one-off grants for specific projects, assessed quarterly by a panel consisting of three elected councillors from AVDC and three representatives from VAHT.

The third and final funding stream, long-term revenue grants, will provide funding of up to £25,000 per year for up to three years. Voluntary and community organisations must go through a two-stage application process to receive the funding.

Councillor Pam Pearce, Cabinet Member for Community Matters, said: “Aylesbury Vale has so many community and voluntary groups who work hard for the people of the district, and we try to assist as many as possible. I would encourage more groups to apply for the Community Chest grants which will enable them to carry on the good work they do for the community.”

Matthew Applegate, Chief Executive of VAHT, said: “Just six months since the launch of the Community Chest and we are starting to see some creative, enterprising and thoroughly worthwhile ideas coming forward for the grants. The micro grants can sometimes make a real difference as to whether a community project goes ahead or not. We want to promote the idea of all our communities working together and I believe the Community Chest has an important role to play in this.”

For further details on the grants criteria or to request an application form, please call the Community Chest Grants Officer, Sarah Rothwell, on 01296 585634, or email communitychest@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk