Financial support of £160,000 for groups helping residents in West Suffolk during the winter

The vital work of community groups and organisations that are helping West Suffolk residents this winter, has been backed with £160,000 of new funding.

The money, which will support the work of around 60 voluntary organisations, charities and community groups was secured by West Suffolk Council.

Just under £90,000 of the funding, from Suffolk County Council through Suffolk’s Collaborative Communities Board (CCB), has been given to 40 groups and organisations following an application process in November.

The money is already being used to keep community buildings open and provide activities to help residents to stay connected and warm. This in turn will help residents reduce their daytime energy costs and lower the risk of respiratory illnesses. Residents can find out about warm spaces in their area at www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/cost-of-living/warm-spaces.cfm

Following a decision by West Suffolk’s cabinet in November, the council has also used £70,343 from its UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) money to support other related community work to help residents with the cost-of-living challenges this winter as well as supporting community resilience and the growth of community groups.

The money, which was subject to an application process, is being passed on to 23 community organisations and groups in West Suffolk including food banks and warm rooms as well as work to provide energy saving support to residents and vulnerable people and outreach work to help people with the cost of living.

Robert Everitt, cabinet member for Families and Communities at West Suffolk Council, said: “We know that with the increased cost of living, including higher energy bills, that this is a difficult winter. Over the years, through Community Chest and councillor locality budgets, we have been investing in the work of community groups, voluntary organisations, charities, faith groups and social enterprises in West Suffolk to help our residents with their health and wellbeing.

“We worked with many of these groups and supported new ones in setting up during the Covid-19 pandemic, to help some of the most vulnerable. And we know that the same local support, including that offered by community centres, village halls, churches and other community buildings, is vital at this time, which is why I’m pleased we have been able to secure this additional support and funding for them.”

The West Suffolk Council winter support fund has received £70,343 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The council is also highlighting the Discretionary Housing Payment available to help residents who are struggling with their rent as well as the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme for people who are in in financial hardship. Both schemes are subject to eligibility checks and further details are available in the finance and debt section of its Cost-of-Living webpages at www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/cost-of-living/finance-and-debt.cfm

 

CCB allocations

Organisation Monies allocated
Art Branches  £1992
Bardwell Village Hall Management Committee  £547.02
Barnham Parish Council  £2000
Beck Row Parish Council  £2200
BME Suffolk Support Group  £1950
Bradfield St George Village Hall, Parochial Church Council and Parish Council  £360
Bridge Community Church – 68 Queens Road, Bury St  £5000
Cavendish Parish Council  £750
Clare Playing fields Association  £480
Combat2Coffee, Bury St Edmunds  £4,791.60
Cowlinge Village Hall  £600
Freedom Church, Mill Road, Great Barton  £2000
Gatehouse Caring in East Anglia, Bury St Edmunds  £1043
Haverhill Community Trust  £2240
Hundon Village Hall and Playing Fields  £2592
Kedington Community Association Centre Café  £2531.54
Lakenheath Parish Council  £1682
Mildenhall Town Council  £4315
Moreton Hall Community Centre, Bury St Edmunds  £500
New Bury Community Association, Bury St Edmunds  £1600
Our Lady Immaculate and St Etheldreda, Newmarket  £900
Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St Mary the Virgin, Haverhill  £2400
PCC of Ingham with Ampton and Great and Little Livermere  £5000
PCC Troston  £1105
Red Lodge Lightwave  £5000
Red Lodge Millennium Centre  £800
Risby Village Hall  £1000
River of Life Community Church, Haverhill  £1616.44
Shepherds Grove Park Residents Association, Stanton  £4248
St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds  £740
St George’s Church, Bury St Edmunds  £200
St John Church, Beck Row  £2500
St Peters Church, Brandon  £5000
The Racing Centre, Newmarket  £5000
Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds £5000
Thomas Clarkson Centre – St Peters Church
Hospital Road
Bury St Edmunds
 £1500
Thurlow Women’s Institute  £1500
Trustees of Brockley Village Hall Management Committee  £1028.22
West Row, Parish Council  £5000
Worlington Parish Council  £286.48

Below is a table of the organisations that are to receive a share of the UKSPF funding, detailing how much and what it is to be used for. Please note that the funding is subject to Government criteria.

Name of organisation How much funding What for
Bury Women’s Aid Centre £4750 To provide energy saving equipment and measures when helping families to set up in their new homes across West Suffolk.
Haverhill Community Trust £3660 Running from The Zone, Haverhill, from 23 January to 23 March, funding will be used to provide a safe space in an indoor soft play centre, which will offer warmth, exercise, a hot meal, refreshments, and a place for parents/carers to meet. The service will help struggling families and the need has already been identified.
St Mary’s Church, Haverhill £4750 To extend warm hub at Haverhill Winter Family Café to include a hot meal to families in need. Funds will be used to update kitchen and equipment,

food hygiene training etc. The project will also demonstrate the benefits of batch cooking, saving money, time and energy, and ensure that children have the opportunity to learn alongside parents/guardians.

One Haverhill Partnership £1000 To provide capacity for the ONE Haverhill Partnership to strengthen ongoing work to benefit local communities.
Art Branches £1735 To support ten Creative Steam workshops at Steam House Café, Elsey’s Yard, Bury St Edmunds available on a first come, first served basis to anyone in West Suffolk who is using the centre and accessing the food bank.
Bury Drop In £4750 To assist in the delivery of the existing provision at Bury Drop. The charity delivers two weekly drop-in sessions held weekly, Tuesday and Friday, 11am-1.30pm.
Newmarket Open Door £5000 Funding towards costs of running of foodbank
Our Special Friends £2250 Towards client system costs that will help manage referrals to the benefit of the people that use its services.
Pakenham Village Hall and Playing Fields Association  £3500 Replacement of existing Children’s Play Area on Pakenham Playing Field giving greater resilience to the health and wellbeing of the local community
Mobility Aids Loan Service, Christchurch Methodist and United Reform Church Newmarket  £1500 Funding towards cost of new boiler to heat the hall and to help with cost of running the heating for those volunteers maintaining and providing mobility equipment and for the public who come to try out and collect equipment.
St Mary’s Church Kentford  £2500 Grant monies towards the installation of a servery and toilet inside St Mary’s for community use.
Rural Coffee Caravan  £5000 For ongoing work to help tackle rural isolation and improve health and wellbeing.
The Racing Centre, Newmarket  £4400 Project COLD is already helping on average 89 people per day through its soup kitchen. The free of charge service will also establish a fruit and veg stand which will include the basics for a simple meal and items such as bread and milk.
Lightwave, Red Lodge £2245 For work to help people living on low incomes to conserve energy through small improvements to their home.
The Link, Haverhill £3500 The Link project, run by The Salvation Army in Haverhill, will be run by volunteers and will create a database of local organisations, services, groups and clubs. People will then access this to find out about the local help and support available to them.
West Suffolk Hive Community Interest Company £1688 West Suffolk Hive runs a community garden, well-being and education space in a four-acre site in Bradfield St George. Funding will go construction of a new fully insulated and heated community building. This will then be used by people  including pre and post-natal families, older people wellbeing practitioners to access and deliver services.
REACH Community Projects £2500 For research into whether there is a need to employ an engagement worker to further the work of The Drug and Alcohol Recovery Group (a subgroup of One Haverhill).
Wood Monkey Workshops £1000 To help with its energy costs for its work helping disadvantaged, excluded and SEN children stay warm while mentoring them, both to improve their mental health and deliver skills training.
West Suffolk Citizen’s Advice £2500 To help provide advice in a warm, comfortable and safe space. Office in Brandon will be open, for drop-in triage on Tuesdays, from 10am to 11.30am from 1 November 2022. Bury St. Edmunds office is open for face-to-face appointments.
Gatehouse Caring in East Anglia, Bury St Edmunds £3957 To help with energy costs associated with Gatehouse which will be continuing community lunches throughout the winter, ensuring vulnerable people have can get a hot meal in a warm, safe space. Gatehouse will also continue to host respite care services twice a week, as well as yoga sessions and other health provisions. Everyone attending sessions will be offered hot refreshments.
Worlington Parish Council £3658 Towards costs of providing the village hall as a safe warm space for residents.
Our Lady Immaculate and St Etheldreda Newmarket Foodbank £2500 To help people to get out in winter and provide food, entertainment, and companionship.
St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds £2000 Toward costs of providing a hosted and welcoming warm space with free hot drinks on Thursdays from 10am-3pm open for 5 months (22 weeks from November 2022 to March 2023). A place to work (desks, free wifi and charging available) or to be with others (to reduce loneliness and isolation). Board games and other activities are available to improve wellbeing. The Cathedral will provide a limited number of free hot meals on site where need is identified by the welcoming team and will provide up to 20 freshly cooked microwave-ready meals per week for distribution through a foodbank.

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