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- Funding will help community groups take ownership of local institutions that have fallen into disrepair or are under threat of closure.
- The Department for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities announced the second round of allocations from the £150 million Community Ownership Fund (COF).
- The scheme will help restore Moor Pool snooker hall in Birmingham, refurbish a changing pavilion in Falkirk and save a 180-year-old village shop in Llandrinnog.
More than 30 pubs, clubs, theaters and other venues at risk of closure have been saved and put into the hands of local people, thanks to £6.67 million of Government funding.
The Department for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities has today announced allocations from the second round of the £150 million Community Ownership Fund.
The funding will help community groups take ownership of local institutions that have fallen into disrepair or are under threat of closure and give them a new lease of life, ensuring they continue to provide vital services, create opportunities and boost the local economy.
Successful projects include the Margaret Hess Riding Center in Bury, which supports disabled people, historic pubs in Warrington and Limpley Stoke and grass-roots sports clubs in Falkirk and Devon.
Leveling Up Minister Dehenna Davison said:
“We are putting beloved pubs, clubs and heritage sites back into the hands of local people to ensure these beloved institutions and the vital services they provide are guaranteed for future generations.
“With the Government support announced today, these places will continue to thrive, transform people’s lives and be run by the local community for the local community.”
Combined with Round 1 projects, this additional funding takes the overall total to £16.74m for 70 projects, with £2.0m allocated to Scotland, £1.6m to Wales and £1.3m to Northern Ireland.
Successful projects include:
- The Margaret Hess Riding Center in Bury will be saved from closure so it can continue to provide vital services to disabled people and their carers.
- Grass-roots sports clubs in Falkirk and Devon will spend more than £249,000 transforming dilapidated changing pavilions into modern, inclusive, multi-purpose facilities for everyone in the community.
- Kingswood Community Center in Southwark will receive £180,000 in funding to reopen the library and community space for weddings, birthdays and art classes.
- Historic Albert Park in Glasgow’s Southside will also benefit from a £100,000 grant to restore the clubhouse and pavilion.
- ‘HaverHub’ in Pembrokeshire, a social enterprise in the heart of historic Quay Street and the Riverside Quarter, will take ownership of their building to offer a range of educational courses for local people.
- A village pub in Kent, The Honest Miller, has been saved from closure so it can return and serve food and drink to locals overlooking the Kent Downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
- Aberystwyth and District Hospice provides vital support to people with chronic and life-limiting conditions and their carers. The grant will provide the local community with the funds they need to purchase their space and make the building more accessible to its users.
- The doors of the Lochranza Hotel Bar on Scotland’s Isle of Arran will reopen to welcome locals to enjoy their selection of malt whiskies.
- The Zion Community Arts Center in Bristol will maintain its place in the community and provide space for local history groups and businesses.
- The “Heart of Newhaven” in Edinburgh will be reinvented into a lively space for theater groups, choirs and local enterprise.
- In Northern Ireland, Glór Uachtar Tíre Community Center will be transformed into a multi-generational bedrock offering café and office space, an Irish language preschool, youth radio station and crèche facilities.
Margaret Hess Riding Center Trustee Debra Batchelor said:
“Thanks to this funding, the Riding Center can secure the property for current and future generations to benefit from the experiences of being with horses – to empower children and adults with learning disabilities, physical and mental health disabilities and emotional and social challenges. Live an active and fulfilling life through equestrian activities. This would not have been possible without the award from the Community Ownership Fund. We can now unlock many exciting opportunities to develop our features and experiences and further benefit our community. Dreams can come true!”
Cllr Steve Roche, Horabridge Parish Council said:
“The King George V Memorial Sports Pavilion in Horabridge supports 20 football teams in the village, including four girls’ teams from six-year-olds to walking seniors. This major grant is key to providing a new pavilion, fit for purpose. The old pavilion has served us well, very basic, but in a poor state of repair and this grant will help us preserve this valuable community asset.”
More information:
- The prospectus for the second round of the £150 million Community Ownership Fund has been updated to make the fund clearer and expand eligibility requirements following feedback from previous applicants.
- This second round of the £150 million Community Ownership Fund will build on the success of the first round, which awarded more than £10 million to 38 successful projects across the UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/community-ownership-fund-first round-successful-bidders
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