Council Steps Up Community Grants

31 local groups and projects benefit

Dover District Council has allocated more than £20,000 in funding to 31 different community and voluntary groups across the district as part of its Summer Community Grants Scheme.

The scheme encourages and supports community-led activities that result in a direct benefit for residents in the district. 

This year, the scheme is also supporting recovery projects so that organisations can adapt their offer in accordance with COVID-19 guidance, to help communities going forward. 

DDC is allocating a total budget of £44,500 for the Community Grants Scheme in 20/21, including £22.5k from Council budgets and an addition of over £17k from the Dover District Lotto (for every pound spent on the Lotto, 60p goes back into the local community).  A further round of funding will be open to applications in August 2020.

A further £72k was distributed to community and voluntary groups during the pandemic from the emergency Covid-19 Community Fund.

Community groups who have benefitted from a grant include:

Deal With IT

Gardening materials and relevant PPE to help ‘Deal With IT’ improve the quality of the local environment and the lives of local people and visitors in Deal.

Home Start Dover District

Room dividers to help Home Start Dover District facilitate safe group sessions supporting children who have a diagnosed or undiagnosed disability.

Preston Village Hall

Kitchen equipment to help Preston Village Hall facilitate more community events in the area and wider surrounding villages.

Kate Matthews, speaking on behalf of Preston Village Hall, said: ”We’re delighted with the grant given to us from Dover District Council to improve the kitchen facilities on offer at our village hall. This is something that will benefit the whole rural community and will support the local events that are planned.”

Cllr Nigel Collor, Portfolio Holder for Transport, Licensing and Community, said: ”We’re pleased to be able to give so many community groups much needed funding for a variety of local projects. I would now encourage more community groups to apply for the Winter Grants Scheme so they too can benefit.”    

For more information on grants and funding from DDC:

Visit: www.dover.gov.uk/communitygrants

Email communitygrants@dover.gov.uk or call 01304 872277.

Notes to Editors:

DDC Community Grants ‘Summer Round’ 2020

(As approved by the Appraisal Panel on 24/07/20)