Community grants announced for 2020/21

Shipston Town Council has agreed to award grants totalling £21,050 to support community groups and charities over the next financial year. This is an overall increase of £1,000 compared with last year.

The grants are designed to support a wide variety of local initiatives and this year’s recipients include:

• Shipston in Bloom – for the provision of flower displays in Shipston
• Shipston Wool Fair – to fund new and innovative attractions
• Shipston Cricket Club – to provide a non- turf practice facility
• Shipston Community First Responders – to help cover the response vehicle running costs, response equipment and public access defibrillator costs
• Townsend Hall – to fund facilities for a portable wheelchair lift to enable disabled access to the stage
• Shipston Proms – contribution towards the staging of the 2020 Proms (pictured)
• Shipston Tennis Club – to resurface the practice court with all-weather tiger turf and new fencing
• VASA – to support the recruitment and training of volunteer drivers and office volunteers, Sit [&] Get Fit, and core costs for the first year of The Caring Kind
• Shipston Youth Club – to continue funding existing staff
• Shipston Churches Holiday Club – covering the running costs of the holiday club
• Town Band – to fund instrument mutes and equipment upgrades
• Shipston Sports Bowls Club – towards a new sprinkler system for green watering
• Citizens Advice South Warwickshire – a contribution to CASW’s outreach service

[nbsp]In addition, the council has put aside nearly £40,000 towards identified Shipston projects, including support for the new Shipston Museum and the riverside amenity project which was identified in the Neighbourhood Plan.

Mayor, Dan Scobie, said: “Supporting our community groups and voluntary organisations is one of the tasks we most enjoy as a town council. We are really pleased to be in a position to increase our grant funding this year and look forward to seeing the community benefit from these investments