Councillors give money to local communities from the member grants scheme

People have until the end of February to get a grant from their councillor to help improve their local community.

Each of Swale’s 47 councillors has £2,400 available every year to support small-scale, local community projects through the council’s member grants scheme.

The scheme supports projects that benefit areas such as culture, sport, recreation, health, environment and community safety.

Cllr Roger Truelove, leader of the council, said:

“We make more than £136,000 available every year for local people and organisations to use on what’s important in their community. They are the ones who know what their area needs, and these grants are a way for them help to make things happen. So far this year we’ve allocated almost £49,000 to 61 different organisations and, there’s another £14,000 going through the system that will soon be allocated. Organisations can apply for as little or as much as they need by completing an application form and submitting it to the council or their local councillor. This scheme has already helped a local project addressing knife crime and youth violence by Diversity House, replaced the batteries and pads in the defibrillator at the Alexander Centre, and paid for the roundabout at the Newington Recreation Ground.”

“Eleven councillors got together to contribute £2,950, the largest amount so far this year, to The Harmony Therapy Trust in Sheerness who provide free therapy to those in need. Alongside the bigger grants, we’ve also provided for smaller organisations including £134.28 for Rodmersham School’s litter picking equipment and £232.44 for the 8^th Sheppey Scout Group’s new gas water boiler. No request is too big or small, and sometimes the smallest grant can make a big difference to a local area. This year’s scheme will run until the end of February and we encourage all local community groups to apply.”

For more information on how to apply for a member grant visit https://www.swale.gov.uk/member-grants/

Full list of grants made to date:

Upchurch Parish Council : Install roundels and slow signs around the village : £405 Cllr Alan Horton

Borden Village Fete Committee : Borden Christmas Tree Lights Switch On Event : £1,000 Cllrs Mike Baldock and Nicholas Hampshire

Eastchurch Village Hall : Refurbish entrance hallway and disabled toilet : £800 Cllr Bill Tatton

Hartlip Community Hub : Annual ”Hartlip Sings Christmas” event : £150 Cllrs Alan Horton and Richard Palmer

Borden Short Mat Bowls Club : New uniforms for the club : £700 Cllrs Mike Baldock and Nicholas Hampshire

Diversity House : Towards a ”Pop-Up” event in the community to showcase young peoples’ work : £650 Cllrs Roger Truelove, Ghlin Whelan, Corrie Woodford, Simon Clark and Sarah Stephen

Diversity House : Boyz2Men project addressing knife crime and youth violence : £1,000 Cllr Sarah Stephen

Citizens Advice Swale : Towards training costs for staff : £744 Cllrs Hannah Perkin, Tim Gibson and Paul Stephen

1242 (Faversham) Royal Air Force Air Cadets : Training Flight Simulator Equipment : £700 Cllrs Lloyd Bowen, Mike Whiting, Denise Knights, Hannah Perkin and Benjamin A Martin

Faversham Strike Force Football Club : Maintenance of Community 3G pitch : £200 Cllr Denise Knights

Warden Bay Parish Council : Install a basket/pod swing in the village park : £1,800 Cllrs Padmini Nissanga and Bill Tatton

Steering Group of St Peter & St Paul Lynsted : Repair the 18th Century Church Clock : £800 Cllrs Lloyd Bowen and Mike Whiting

Leysdown Village Hall : Upgrade fire security system and exit arrangement at the village hall : £1400 Cllr Padmini Nissanga

Lower Halstow Parish Council : Celebration for VE Day 75 : £150 Cllr Corrie Woodford

Swale CVS: Delivery of the Befriending Service : £450 Cllrs Corrie Woodford Ken Rowles Eddie Thomas

Mile Town United : Training equipment for Mile Town United FC and Mile Town FC : £300 Cllr Lee McCall

Harmony Therapy Trust: Ongoing costs to provide holistic and supportive therapy : £2,950 Cllrs Mike Baldock, Cameron Beart, James Hall, Elliott Jayes, Paul Stephen, Mike Whiting, Hannah Perkin, Ghlin Whelan, Lee McCall, Ken Ingleton and Mark Ellen

Kent Community Rail Partnership : Santa Train event : £250 Cllr Richard Darby

Queenborough Harbour Trust : Luggage trolley to help mooring holders and visitors : £450 Cllrs Cameron Beart, Peter Marchington and Simon Fowle

Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway : Towards fencing the boundary tp prevent trespass : £650 Cllrs Ken Rowles, Roger Truelove and Tim Gibson

Green Cube CIC : Set up Teynham in bloom group : £500 Cllrs Lloyd Bowen and Mike Whiting

Sheppey Heritage Trust : Purchase door and window frames for new extension : £2,000 Cllrs Ken Pugh, Ken Ingleton and Peter MacDonald

Faversham Swimming Pools : New inflatable for weekly children fun events : £1,500 Cllrs Monique Bonney, Lloyd Bowen, David Simmons, Denise Knights, Hannah Perkins, Alastair Gould, Tim Valentine, Benjamin A Martin, Julian Saunders, Ben J Martin and Eddie Thomas

West Faversham Community Association : Running cost for the club : £2,400 Cllrs Carole Jackson

The Freedom Centre : Respite break for members : £1,300 Cllrs Angela Harrison, Corrie Woodford and Lee McCall

Sheerness Swimming Club : Club equipment : £550 Cllrs Cameron Beart, Peter Marchington and Simon Fowle

SS Peter & Paul Church : Cribs from the World exhibition : £200 Cllrs Nicholas Hampshire and Mike Baldock

Upchurch Cricket Club : New disabled access lift : £400 Cllrs Alan Horton and Richard Palmer

Sheppey Matters : Young Peoples War On Waste Project : £700 Cllrs Richard Darby, Corrie Woodford, Mike Whiting and Mark Ellen

1st Teynham Scout Group : New Gas BBQ to run community fundraising events : £500 Cllr Lloyd Bowen

All Saints Church : Repair costs for a toilet and running water : £450 Cllrs Roger Clark and Corrie Woodford

Sittingbourne Christmas Lights Association : Sittingbourne Christmas lights, the switch on event and the Santa Sleigh rounds : £1,050 Cllrs Nicholas Hampshire, James Hunt, Roger Truelove, Ghlin Whelan, Mike Baldock and Corrie Woodford

Lower Halstow Over 60s : Christmas party : £200 Cllrs Roger Clark and Corrie Woodford

Friends of Newington Recreation Ground : New roundabout for playground : £200 Cllrs Alan Horton and Richard Palmer

The Alexander Centre Community Interest Company : Replace batteries and pads in defibrillator : £286 Cllrs Hannah Perkin and Eddie Thomas

The Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne : Wheels of Time Initiative : £1,600 Cllrs Mike Baldock, Monique Bonney, Roger Clark, Ken Ingleton, Alan Horton, Richard Palmer, Hannah Perkin, Roger Truelove, Ghlin Whelan, Ken Rowles and Mike Whiting

Countrywide Productions : Wild Explorer nature film project : £650 Cllrs Benjamin A Martin, Ben J Martin and Hannah Perkin

Faversham Literary Festival : Towards the literary festival in February 2020 : £250 Cllr Mike Whiting

Faversham Community Christmas Lights Committee : Fundraising activity to support Faversham Christmas Lights : £150 Cllr David Simmons

Swale Film Festival : Towards the Film Festival : £950 Cllrs Steve Davey, Tim Gibson, Ken Rowles, Roger Truelove, Ghlin Whelan and Tony Winckless

Milton Creek Trust : Fencing a new pond : £600 Cllrs Derek Carnell and Tony Winckless

Sittingbourne in Bloom : Community garden project at Johnson’s Gardens : £200 Cllr Roger Truelove

Sittingbourne in Bloom : Floral decorations for Sittingbourne town centre : £750 Cllrs Roger Clark, Tim Gibson, Ken Rowles and Tony Winckless

Thursday Dance Club : Costs of day trips : £820 Cllrs Mike Baldock, Cameron Beart, Richard Darby, Simon Fowle, Peter Marchington, Pete Neal, Roger Truelove and Bill Tatton

Swale Borough Council : New bench at Jacinth Drive : £728 Cllr James Hunt

Monday Dance Club: Monday sequence dance club running costs : £420 Cllrs Cameron Beart, Simon Fowle and Peter Marchington

1^st Upchurch Guides : Costs of resources : £300 Cllr Richard Palmer

1^st Upchurch Brownies : Costs of resources : £270 Cllr Alan Horton

Kent Equality Cohesion Council (Cohesion Plus) : Swale Fusion Festival of Light : £900 Cllrs Nicholas Hampshire, Elliott Jayes, Ben J Martin, Richard Palmer, Paul Stephen, Mike Whiting and Sarah Stephen

Community Heritage Events : Faversham Hop Festival : £2,100 Cllrs Derek Carnell, Denise Knights, Benjamin A Martin, Ben J Martin, Hannah Perkin, David Simmons, Eddie Thomas and Tony Winckless

Kemsley Short Mat Bowls : Running costs : £250 Cllr Derek Carnell

Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey : Dementia Café : £250 Cllr Roger Clark

Swampys Wildlife Rescue : Running costs : £900 Cllrs Cameron Beart, Richard Darby, Mark Ellen, Peter Marchington and Mike Baldock

Newington Parish Council : Fence around the perimeter of the zipwire : £800 Cllrs Alan Horton and Richard Palmer

Leysdown Village Hall : Clean, colour and seal perimeter of village hall : £800 Cllr Bill Tatton

Rodmersham School : Equipment for litter picking : £134.28 Cllr Monique Bonney

The Fenner Frost Foundation : Funds to support adults with a learning disability to develop the skills to access paid employment : £400 Cllr Derek Carnell and Roger Truelove

The Autism Apprentice CIC : Support to parents through workshops and assisting with paperwork : £1,800 Cllrs Derek Carnell, Tim Gibson, Alan Horton, Peter Marchington, Ben J Martin, Eddie Thomas, Tim Valentine and Corrie Woodford

Swale Borough Council : New street nameplates : £976.83 Cllrs Steve Davey and Tony Winckless

Sittingbourne Lionesses : New team football kit : £450 Cllrs James Hunt, Roger Truelove and Tony Winckless

8^th Sheppey Scout Group : A new gas water boiler : £232.44 Cllr Lee McCall