Since 2016, 135 local projects, community groups and charities have been awarded a share of over £2 million from the Ørsted East Coast Community Fund. This milestone comes as 14 deserving local organisations are celebrating the good news that they have been awarded grants from the ninth round of the Fund.
The East Coast Community Fund is part of the community engagement programme for Ørsted’s Hornsea and Race Bank offshore wind farms. Each year, until 2037, approximately £390,000 will be available from the main fund to support a wide range of community and environmental projects.
An additional £75,000 per year is ring-fenced for a skills fund, designed to support a range of educational and training initiatives.
The community groups will each receive a share of the windfall, which is available every six months through an open application process.
In June 2020, Ørsted amended its application criteria towards its community funds nationwide in order to make access easier to those who may have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The successful groups from round nine are:
- St John’s Ambulance, St John Boston – Replacement Defibrillator Fund – £4,320
- North Somercotes Bowls Club, North Somercotes 60th Anniversary Celebratory Membership Drive – £1,285
- Bells and Whistles Exercise Group, St. Peter’s Nature Watch and Bird-Hide – £2,000
- Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, Get Kings Lynn Buzzing for People and Pollinators! – £8,900
- Welholme Works, Heneage Ward Grimsby – Reaching our Groups and Families – £3,759
- East Riding Voluntary Action Services (ERVAS) Ltd, Bridlington Detached Youth Work Project – £15,090
- Mablethorpe Men’s Shed, Mablethorpe Mens Shed – £15,516
- Sutton Bridge Community Larder, Community Larder – Railway Lane, Sutton Bridge – £19,250
- Emerge Hub CIC, Sex-workers Support Hub – Grimsby – £50,000
- Access – Supporting Migrants in East Anglia, Multi Lingual Project Worker Costs – £16,600
- Cleethorpes Town FC, Clee Town Connecting With The Community – £17,710
- The Benjamin Foundation, North West Norfolk – Youth Work – £32,376
- Citizens Advice South Lincolnshire, A Migrant Worker Helpline Advice Service for Coastal Lincolnshire – £13,320
- The Matthew Project, Bounce Back: West Norfolk Young People’s Mental Health Support – £15,000
On receiving the good news, Angela Teague, Operations Manager for Youth Services from the Benjamin Foundation said: “We are thrilled to have been successful with our application to the East Coast Community Fund. This funding will enable further development of an existing youth group in Hunstanton and will also see new provision open in the village of Dersingham. The new group was identified as a need prior to the global Covid-19 pandemic. We have liaised throughout the past year to keep the young people of West Norfolk high on our agenda. During lockdowns we have been creative in our delivery of youth provision in Hunstanton, learning along the way. We recognise it has been a difficult time for everyone but especially for children and young people. Isolation, the push to online learning and fear has had a detrimental impact on mental health and for many young people recovery and repair is a long way off. Youth Groups like these are a way for young people to meet friends or make new ones, try new activities, and learn new skills but most of all to be themselves, feel safe and have fun. This project has an added element of 1-1 support, which can be offered for a short time on an individual basis with the aim that a young person can grow in confidence to access the group sessions.”
Imran Nawaz, Stakeholder Advisor and Community Benefit Fund Manager at Ørsted, said: “This past year has been tough, so Ørsted wanted to make sure the East Coast Community Fund was more accessible than ever before. The groups chosen are nine examples of communities coming together to keep supporting each other across a wide range of areas. We are proud to be able to help our local community through projects and environment initiatives. Well done to all those who have been successful.”
In total, over the twenty years, up to £9.3 million will be made available for community and environmental projects in coastal areas of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and North Norfolk.
There are two application rounds each year for groups to apply to, and the next closing date is 28 July 2021.
The Fund is being administered by national charity GrantScape. For further details of how you can apply to the next round, please visit GrantScape’s website www.grantscape.org.uk or call 01908 247630.