A TOTAL of 20 projects that help residents in Bath and North East Somerset with the cost of living have been awarded community funding grants totalling £10,000.
Local organisations have successfully bid for £500 each from Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Community Contribution Fund which enables residents to make voluntary donations to support communities and reduce inequalities.
This year the grants were made available for projects that provide residents with free or low-cost food, as well as public Warm Spaces to help people reduce their energy bills.
A cross-party panel of elected members assessed the applications, with grants awarded to nine organisations across the area to help run Warm Spaces and to eleven organisations which provide food support projects.
Councillor Mark Elliott, cabinet member for resources, said: “We are very grateful to our residents for contributing to this fund. As the cost of living rises, it’s vital we continue to support organisations in our community who are working to reduce inequalities and improve the lives of people who are most disadvantaged.”
The Warm Spaces awarded funding are:
- 3 Café Kitchen
- Age UK BANES
- Bath Abbey Learning
- Bathford Community Shop and Cafe
- Community@67, Keynsham
- Radstock Library and Community Hub
- Saltford Sports Club
- Timsbury Community Library
- Youth Connect South West
The food support projects are:
- Bath Community Kitchen to run two free, communal, 3-course meal events for up to 40 people in need.
- First Steps Bath to help provide free healthy meals and snacks for young children of families on low incomes
- Genesis Trust to replace some kitchen equipment and purchase ingredients for the hot meals they provide to their service users three times per week.
- Love Weston Café in support their weekly community hub.
- New Oriel Hall, Larkhall in support of the free and low-cost meals they provide to the local community
- P.E.O.P.L.E. Charity in Midsomer Norton to support the provision of low cost hot food and drinks to those experiencing food and fuel poverty.
- Southside Family Project towards the cost of nutritious, freshly cooked family meals in their after-school Community Hub Groups
- Sporting Family Change for the provision of food to a free community pantry in Writhlington
- St Andrew’s, Foxhill in support of their weekly, free, hot meal for residents
- St Michael’s, Twerton in support of their weekly, free hot meal for residents
- SWALLOW Charity to support two community meals prepared by people with learning disabilities to be offered free of charge to older and disabled people in Radstock and Westfield.
The Community Contribution Fund will continue for the 2024-25 financial year. Contributions are purely voluntary and separate to residents’ council tax contributions. The minimum contribution is £5, however there is no maximum contribution and residents can donate more than once.
The council plans to open the fund to charities, voluntary and community groups for a fourth funding round in Autumn 2024 if sufficient funds are raised.
To find out more, or to make a contribution visit the Community Contribution Fund webpage: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/donate-community-contribution-fund