Community projects in Telford and Wrekin celebrate share of £500,000

Local community groups, projects and initiatives across Telford and Wrekin received over half a million pounds in support in the last twelve months, thanks to funding awarded by Telford & Wrekin Council members.

The Telford & Wrekin Councillors’ Pride Fund is allocated annually to each member, to support improvements or projects that help to deliver the council’s five priorities in their ward areas to protect, care and invest and create a better borough.

For 2022/23, the Councillors Pride Fund stood at £540,000, with each councillor allocated £10,000, consisting of £5,000 from the Councillors’ Pride Fund and an additional £5,000 one-off ‘on your side’ funding. During the year, 100 per cent of funds were allocated, to over 400 (402) applications.

Councillors and applicants were also encouraged to seek match funding for their grants, to ensure the funding can go further. In 2022/23 almost £250,000 extra in match-funding (£248,212) was provided from partners including Town and Parish Councils, meaning for every £1 of Councillors’ Pride Fund spent, an extra 46p of support was generated from other sources.

Councillor Raj Mehta, Cabinet Member for inclusion, engagement, equalities and civic pride, said: “The Councillors’ Pride Fund gives each ward member funds to support groups and initiatives that make a real grass roots difference in their local areas, often helping projects that would struggle to access other grant funding.

“Last year, this meant local causes benefited from over half a million pounds in support from their ward members, match funded with almost quarter of a million more from partners, stakeholders and town and parish councils.

“That every pound invested has generated an extra 46p in match funding from partners such as Town and Parish Councils shows how, by working together, even a relatively small amount of money can go a long way in supporting our communities.”

During the year, almost half the funds (46 per cent) were used to support the council’s priority for every child, young person and adult to live well in the borough. This included £28,326 to food bank and community fridge projects, £9,928 to ten different uniformed groups such as local Brownies, Guides, Scouts and Air and Sea Cadets to support equipment and activities and £22,228 to support youth clubs around the borough.

Youth funding included £20,795 to set up new youth provisions in Dawley and Lightmoor, which attracted a further £10,250 in match funding, offering young people places to socialise and engage in meaningful activities outside of their home or school.

Councillors’ Pride Fund grants also supported other council priorities during the year including £5,000 in Woodside towards the development of a new community library at the Park Lane Centre, £2,000 for a new damson orchard and extra tree planting and £5,786 helped to change litter bins to make it easier for people to recycle their rubbish in Newport.

Councillors also granted £3,850 towards renovating the area around the pool at Ludford Drive Green Guarantee site in Brookside, which had silted and heavily overgrown and £2,828 to support environmental improvement works at Little Apley Pools in Shawbirch and Dothill.

Pride Fund grants also attracted an extra £6,000 match funding to support CCTV cameras in play areas and parks in Church Aston and Lilleshall, supported a mobile CCTV camera for Priorslee, and other CCTV equipment for Newport North and West and The Nedge.

Road safety was also a focus, with a total of £17,650 to purchase Speed Indicator Devices for Wrockwardine Wood and Trench, Donnington, Edgmond and Ercall Magna, Malinslee and Dawley Bank, and Oakengates and Ketley Bank wards, supported by additional match funding.

And across the borough, in Ironbridge Gorge, Malinslee and Dawley Bank, and Oakengates and Ketley Bank, councillors used some of their allotted funds to purchase life-saving defibrillators, and for bleed control kits to complement existing defibrillators in Woodside, Madeley and Sutton Hill.

For 2023/24, each of Telford and Wrekin’s 54 ward members has £5,000 available to them through the Councillors’ Pride Fund, which totals £270,000.

Many local groups and projects have already benefited this year, and the fund remains is open for applications, via ward councillors, until February 1, 2024.