Local groups receive #118,000 to regenerate communities

Community Groups across the county have benefited to the tune of £118,235 after Cumbria County Council's Cabinet approved a number of grants. The funding from the Council's Community Regeneration Fund will help projects from every area of Cumbria regenerate the economy and boost local communities. Councillor Lawson Short, County Council spokesman for the economy, said: 

"Cumbria County Council places great importance on providing support to local groups, who play a key role in their communities. All the projects we have supported today will have a positive effect on the Cumbrian economy. The County Council's help is vital in encouraging the growth of these community-based projects. It is important that groups like these have access to grants at an early stage. The grants we have approved today not only help boost the morale of communities and create or safeguard new jobs, they also help community groups secure extra funding from other organisations." 

The Community Regeneration Fund was set at £195,000 for the current financial year but the Cabinet today allocating a further £100,000 already identified for community regeneration activities to the Fund. 

The following groups benefited from today's funding:   

• Allerdale - Free for All, Wigton (£10,000 for a new community arts recycling project); Solway Rural Initiative (£10,150); Kids Zone (£3,000 towards a nursery in Workington); Bolton Nursery (£15,000 for all day nursery care) 
• Copeland - Rosehill Theatre (£15,000 to develop the community conferencing facility) Distington Walled Garden (£12,500 towards a horticultural project to provide training for long term unemployed); The Lingla Centre, Cleator Moor (£3,500). The West Cumbria Working Communities project also received £15,000 towards a project aimed at employing long-term unemployed in community work 
• Barrow - Environmental Concerns (£10,000 for a new builders waste recycling project) 
• Carlisle - Play Raffles (£12,355 towards a nursery on the Raffles estate); 
• Eden - Alston Community Gym (£8,500 to provide a community gym facility in the town); Melmerby Community Shop (£3,230 towards feasibility of village shop and PO project)