Funding boost for community buildings

Community and voluntary organisations across the borough are benefiting from £300,000 of funding from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to enhance, modernise and improve their facilities.

A total of 14 organisations have received a share of the Community Infrastructure Fund helping them to improve their premises for users, increase income and reduce costs or make environmental improvements.

Grants of between £5,000 and £50,000 were available to enable existing facilities to better meet the needs of their communities both now and in the future.

Among those benefiting from the funding are players at Stratfield Turgis and Hartley Wespall Cricket Club who were bowled over after receiving a grant of £12,480 to refurbish the showers and changing rooms at the club's pavilion.

The expanding club, which is keen to keep growing its women's team and youth section, needed to make improvements so the facility is more appealing to new and existing members.

Community facilities sharing the pot include Cliddesden Village Hall, which received a £10,000 grant to replace draughty exterior fire doors, and Barlow's Park Management Association, which received £40,000 to install solar panels on the Stacey Pavilion at Barlow's Park in Tadley.

Hill Rise Hall Community Association in Brighton Hill, Melrose Community Association in Popley and Silchester Village Hall in Silchester also all received grants for toilet refurbishments at their community facilities.

Cabinet Member for Communities, Partnerships and Inclusion Cllr John McKay said: "Supporting the borough's community and voluntary sector is important to help them deliver services and activities that are so valued by our residents.

"As a council we provide funding to these groups and organisations to develop new projects, provide new or additional equipment and enhance the facilities where they take place. This new grant was created to support improvements to the buildings by funding projects to extend, expand, improve or modernise them to achieve a wide number of benefits from increased usage to reducing carbon emissions and lowering energy bills.

"In this first year of applications there have been some really good improvement projects demonstrating just how important this funding is and how it can make such a big difference to these facilities that are the hubs of our communities."

The 2024/25 scheme will launch this summer with a larger pot of £500,000. For the full list of last year's grant recipients and further information about the fund criteria and application process visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/infrastructurefund

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