Council provides funding for good causes - 30 July 2015
Refurbishing village halls and providing financial assistance for food festivals are just some of the good causes Arun District Council via the Joint Downland Area Committee has made contributions to.
Committee members have approved grants of more than £70,000 for community initiatives between October 2012 and March 2015. The money awarded by the Joint Downland Committee was from grant funding provided to the Committee by Arun District Council.
Most recently £1,000 of funding was spent on replacing the fingerpost sign at the junction of Lake Lane and Barnham Lane in Barnham.
Also in Barnham, the building of a Youth Room in the Community Hall received £13, 240 in October, 2012, which is the most money given out during the last three years.
Chris Allington, Chair of Barnham Community Centre Charitable Trust, said: “Barnham Community Hall was delighted to receive the grant from the Joint Downland Area Committee.
“The money paid for some of the wall furnishings, decorating, power distribution and IT network cabling among other things. It was an important part of a package of funding that saw Barnham Community Hall complete construction and open in May 2013. The hall is now a thriving venue for the whole community.”
The Arundel Food Festival received £2,265 to fund brochure design, brochure printing, the design and printing of posters, updating the website and a cookery demonstration.
A play centre in Walberton benefitted from £7,500 which was spent on improving the kitchen.
Rebecca Lapraik, Chair of Community Playcentre at Walberton, said: “Community Playcentre was very grateful to receive the grant in 2013. The funding helped pay for the building of the kitchen and utility project. This money has contributed to the completion of the Community Playcentre, which held a Grand Opening Family Funday on Saturday, 11 July so that everyone saw how the new building will be used in September.”
Whilst in Yapton seven pieces of outdoor exercise equipment for use by adults on King George V Playing Field were bought for £9,716.
Cllr Paul Dendle, a member of the Joint Downland Area Committee and Arun District Council ward member for Arundel and Walberton, said: “This funding provided by Arun District Council to the Joint Downland Area Committee has made a real difference to the communities in the downland part of the Arun District.
“A few thousand pounds can brighten up or modernise a community hall or provide playground equipment which allows people to be fit and healthy and allows events such as local amateur theatre to take place in comfortable surroundings.”
The Joint Downland Committee is comprised of councillors from Arun District Council, West Sussex County Council and town and parish councils from across the Arun district. The committee decides on the amount of grants to give to community causes which help the Downland area.