The village of Wembdon, near Bridgwater, has recently received a boost of almost £40,000 from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund to improve facilities for young people in the village.
The two grants, which were awarded in the last year from the HPC Community Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation, are:
Amelia Thompson, Senior Programmes Manager for Somerset Community Foundation, said: “We’re delighted to have awarded these grants to the village of Wembdon. By developing an inclusive play area, social wellbeing has been improved in the area, alongside benefitting from professionally delivered youth work for the young people in the local community.
“We’ve seen that this funding has helped improve the economic wellbeing of local families too, as they no longer need to travel further afield to access play and social opportunities.
“If you run a local community project in the area, or have an idea for one, especially if you think it will improve local community facilities and have a positive impact on the quality of life for residents, please do get in touch.”
Anne Reed, from Wembdon Parish Council, said: “We’ve received some really positive reactions from the users of the accessible swings, and their families and carers. We’ve been able to see the swings in use on a daily basis, and it’s been wonderful to see children with health conditions or impairments playing on the purpose built equipment.
“I’ve spoken to some residents of a nearby residential home for adults with learning and physical disabilities, and they were also very enthusiastic about the wheelchair-enabled swing. It’s proven to be more popular than we could ever have imagined!”
Andrew Cockcroft, Senior Stakeholder Relations Manager at Hinkley Point C, added: “We are passionate about supporting the communities in which we operate. By investing in Wembdon, we’re fulfilling our ambition of improving the lives of local people, ensuring the benefits of the project are felt for generations to come.”
Wembdon has benefitted from a total of £163,404 of grants from the HPC Community Fund since the fund was launched five years ago. In addition to these two grants, the following funding has also been awarded from the HPC Community Fund, since 2018:
Somerset Community Foundation manages the HPC Community Fund, which includes the Open Grants Programme, which is for larger applications, and the Small Grants Programme, which awards grants of up to £20,000.
The funding is exclusively for projects and work that will help to mitigate the impacts and increase the opportunities of the Hinkley Point C project in local communities.
Visit www.hpcfunds.co.uk for more details. If you would like to discuss your project or idea please contact Amelia Thompson, Senior Programmes Manager: amelia.thompson@somersetcf.org.uk or call: 01749 344949
The HPC Community Fund is part of a wider £20 million commitment of funding, provided by EDF through Section 106 agreements. It is available for communities that are affected by the development of the new nuclear power station, to help promote their social, economic and environmental wellbeing and enhance their quality of life. Hundreds of projects have benefitted so far, and in total almost £13.3 million in grants have been awarded to date.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is a charity that helps passionate people in Somerset change the world on their doorstep by funding local charities and inspiring local giving and philanthropy. They aim to build stronger communities in Somerset where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. They provide rewarding and impactful ways for donors to give through them, to the causes and places they care about most. Together, they fund amazing organisations and the passionate people that change lives every day.
Since SCF were founded in 2002 they’ve awarded more than £20 million in funding, changing thousands of lives across Somerset.
Join Somerset Chamber of Commerce to give your business a stronger voice both locally, regionally and nationally. Combined with local town chambers, we represent over 2,000 businesses across Somerset with a direct line to policy-makers at all levels.
