EIGHT community-based projects have been awarded a total of £129,175 in the latest round of awards made by the Frodsham Wind Farm Ltd.
It is the 13th round of awards since the Marshes Community Benefit Fund (MCBF) was established in 2016 and the projects are from Helsby, Frodsham, Elton, Runcorn and Kingsley.
All the successful applications met the award criteria and offered ventures that would benefit the local community.
The awards are made to not-for-profit schools, charities, businesses, community groups or clubs considering a project which will benefit the local communityon the MCBF website.
The MCBF Panel meets again in the autumn to consider all applications
submitted by August 31.
The following is a summary of this round’s successful applicants and how the funding they receive will be used: –
Runcorn Rowing Club – awarded £25,000 for a brand-new purpose-built two-
storey boathouse. The ground floor will have storage for rowing boats, canoes and
launches. The first floor will provide a gym and social area/café, changing rooms,
storage/meeting room, adaptive toilets/shower and a lift. As well as additional parking which will include an electric charging point and cycle stands, there will be a viewing balcony overlooking the river.
There are plans to provide indoor rowing classes and to franchise the café for community use along with renting the meeting room and social area.
The project also proposes to provide sustainable utilities through solar panels and
harvesting rainwater.
Elton Community Centre – with an expected rise in footfall the requested £36,935 will be spent replacing the 1970s toilets with an improved up-to-date more environmentally friendly system with baby changing, disabled units, and child-friendly facilities making the community centre more inclusive. This project will all the first part of the drive to improve the green credentials of the building by reducing the amount of water that is used, adding economical hand dryers and relieving the pressure on the boiler by changing the heaters.
Helsby Concert Band – is a community concert band with 30 members aged from 10
years to over 80, with the standard of the instrument playing ability varying from
beginner to over 40 years of experience. The £2,300 will go towards purchasing
uniforms for band members, consisting of a tie jacket and overcoat. They will also
purchase business cards leaflets and banners to advertise their last night of the Proms concert which will be held on May 13..
Third Frodsham Sea Scouts – is a community group comprised of young people aged six to 14 years as well as young leaders and/or those on the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, who have been awarded £13,197 to purchase Kayaks and accessories that will enable them to continue to fulfil their obligation in relation to how much time is spent undertaking activities on the water. This equipment will provide more variety and enable them to increase the activities they offer allowing them to be more inclusive to young people who may have physical, learning or behavioural disabilities. They are also hoping that the new equipment will also allow them to venture further afield.
Frodsham Youth Association – wanting to expand their youth services so that they can create more space for young members to develop their skills, the association has been awarded £22,356 towards their project, which will involve merging
two unutilised rooms together. By opening up this space it will be able to
facilitate more young people and create a social area and café where they will be better able to supervise all activities within this zone.
Friends of St Luke’s – the £4,601 has been awarded to update the school’s outside play and learning space. A new outside wooden cabin will be installed that will be furnished with bookcases, shelving, beanbags and a large rug. The shelves are to be filled with a variety of diverse reading material, which will provide a welcoming reading space for the schools four- to eleven-year-olds.
Ho Ho Helsby – has for the past seven years been delivering an annual Christmas event that has grown from strength to strength each year, the £1,000 they have been granted will go towards the costs of providing equipment and activities for their planned village event that took place on Bank Holiday Monday, May 8 to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. It is hoped that what is a once-in-a-lifetime event for some, will bring together Helsby residents and the surrounding villages for a fun feel-good day.
Kingsley Primary School – have been awarded £21,224, which they will use to remove an old unsafe track from their main field which they will replace with a new pathway, Also they will remove the fencing that currently surrounds the current fencing around the tennis courts/hard play area and will be installing a new safe, multi-purpose fencing.
MCBF panel chairman Andrew Jones said: “I am delighted that the panel have been able to award £129,175 in this funding cycle. The diverse nature of the successful applicants will ensure that the funds provided will have a positive impact on a huge cross section of the local community.
“I would like to encourage as many community groups as possible to apply for funding in the future. The panel want to provide funds to as many worthy causes as possible and we welcome all applications. To support this, we will once again be launching a ‘Golden Grant’ process for any applicants who are seeking funding of £1,000 or less. “
Visit the MSBF website for more details.