More than £325,000 awarded to community projects and training programmes through latest round of UK Shared Prosperity and Rural Prosperity Funding

Posted on October 25, 2024

Community projects and skills programmes in Boston and East Lindsey have been given a boost of more than £325,000 combined from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), distributed by the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, and Lincolnshire Community Foundation (LCF).

Several community projects, sports clubs, parish councils and village halls have been awarded more than £250,000 across the two districts in the final round of funding from LCF's GRASSroots scheme, which has been funded by UKSPF.

The GRASSroots scheme has now given £1.9million in grants. With match funding, this has led to a total investment of £2.9million in parish councils, village halls and small community projects.

Funding has also been awarded to support Boston's Christmas Event, ensuring that the success of last year is repeated and developed further in support of town centre businesses.

Additionally, more than £77,000 of savings generated through the efficient management of current contracts have been awarded to projects which fall under the People & Skills theme of the Partnership's UKSPF programme. This has been awarded after a competition between existing UKSPF Skills projects which are already successfully delivering, in order to support them to 'scale up' and reach more residents at this late stage in the programme's life.

The GRASSroots funding has been awarded to:

Boston:

Leverton Village Hall - renovation of the hall, including upgrading the toilets and kitchen space, along with the addition of a wheelchair ramp.

The Local Community Centre, Boston - New fire alarm system.

Forbes Road Bowls Club, Boston - Fibreglass shelter and new spectators' patio.

Fishtoft 400 - Portable defibrillator and provision of mobility and balance classes.

Friends of Holland Fen with Amber Hall - refurbishment of village hall toilets plus a new fridge/freezer.

Swineshead Silver Band - External building works to weatherproof building.

East Lindsey:

East Lincolnshire Food Collective, Wragby - Distribution of food to East Coast communities along with setting up of Children Eat Free.    

North Thoresby Community Orchard - Acquisition, creation and installation of a community orchard space.

Skegness Islamic Centre - Capital works to the community spaces and funding to support community activities.

Thornton Le Fen Parish Council - The development of community greens incorporating Gipsey Bridge and Bunkers Hill.

The Village Church Farm, Skegness - Development of an outdoor community space.

Stixwold Village Hall - Community garden creation project.

Horncastle Parkrun - Set up and running costs of a Parkrun group in Horncastle.

Alvingham Village Hall - Heating, cooling and ventilation system.

Horncastle & District Community Association - Replacement of centre windows.

Partney Dalby & Dexthorpe Memory Victory Hall - Refurbishment of hall toilets.

Covenham Village Volunteers - Replacing doors, upgrading kitchen facilities and building of fire exit.

Swifts Junior FC, Ingoldmells - The building of a disabled toilet and refurbishment of two mixed use toilets.

Baumber Village Hall - Building works to lay hardstanding and provide wheelchair accessibility.

Additional funding for expanding successful projects:

University of Lincoln - Higher Engineering - New to East Lindsey, this project has already been highly successful in Boston and South Holland. The University will deliver Level 4 'taster' sessions introducing young people and adult learner to AI, Agri-Tech and careers in the food production sector.

UK Fresh Produce Network (UKFPN) - Access to Finance and Institutional Investment Event - UKFPN will hold an event at the London Stock Exchange, inviting businesses from East Lindsey (mainly from the agricultural sector) to meet financial experts from banks, venture capital firms and institutional investors, with a view to securing additional inward investment.

 PAB Languages - Global Gateway - A programme supporting the development of entrepreneurship and upskilling employees of our larger businesses to engage with export and international markets - funding means it is now available in East Lindsey.

Boston Town Centre 2024 Christmas Event - Funding towards the exciting new synthetic ice rink at the event. Read more here: Boston to stage its first ever Christmas Festival complete with ice rink - Boston Borough Council

Steadfast Training - Connect2Grow - A project which is helping individuals who are out of work with skills training and support, identifying suitable vacancies, providing job interviews and follow-on in-work support. Currently running in South Holland and Boston, this funding will open the project up to East Lindsey.

Councillor Anne Dorrian, leader of Boston Borough Council, said: "It's great to see a number of projects across the Borough receiving funding which I know will go towards making a huge difference to all of the communities involved.

"I'm also delighted that funding has been made available for the town's Christmas event this year. It promises to build on the success of last year's event, which was also supported by the UKSPF, and will bring festive joy to our residents, businesses and visitors."

East Lindsey Councillors Steve Kirk, portfolio holder for The Coastal Economy, and Adam Grist, portfolio holder for Market Towns and Rural Economy, said: "This final round of awards from LCF certainly does not disappoint, with several projects across the district receiving grants. Each one will have an impact on many people and we're looking forward to seeing the results.

"In addition to this, it is brilliant to see that skills programmes will be given a boost with further funding. Many people are already taking advantage of the free training on offer from a number of different providers, made possible by UKSPF, and we are pleased that many more will be able to do this as a result of this latest funding boost."