£40k Big Society boost for 70 groups

Seventy community-led schemes across Leicestershire have scooped £340,000 from the county council’s Big Society fund.

All the money set aside for schemes last year has been invested – and the council is now urging groups to apply to this year’s fund.

Last year, the council launched the fund to enable people to take key decisions over their lives - to run local services, to develop community facilities and encourage others to take part in their community. This is part of the Government’s Big Society programme.

Successful schemes approved at the county council’s most recent grant panel meeting include:

•£15,000 for a new sports facility at Melton

•£14,865 to expand a service for homeless people at the Carpenters’ Arms in Loughborough (Charnwood)

•£5,000 to plan for a new sports club house in Appleby Magna (NW Leics)

•£1,000 for a defibrillator in North Kilworth (Harborough)

•£2,405 for youth club equipment and training at Hope community church, Hinckley (Hinckley and Bosworth)

•£10,000 to set up a new community library in Huncote (Blaby)

•£2,500 to pilot a healthy eating scheme in schools in Oadby and Wigston

Nick Rushton, the county council’s deputy leader and Big Society champion, said: I’m delighted that 70 groups will be using all our £340,000 funding to make a real difference to communities across the county.”

Cabinet support member Blake Pain, who chaired the grant panel meetings, said: This is the Big Society in action – the community coming up with great ideas and the council helping them to turn them into reality.”

For further details or to submit a bid for 2012/13, see http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/community/bigsociety.htm