Council awards £160,000 for local community projects

PR2492/RC/MF - 27/02/2023

Mid Sussex District Council has awarded almost £160,000 in Section 106 developer contributions and Council grant funding to support valuable community projects in the area.

The Cabinet Grants Panel met on 20 February 2023 to discuss the Council’s latest round of grant funding allocations and agreed to issue a total of £159,000 to 9 community organisations. The funding awards will be formally confirmed on 2 March following a 10 day ‘call-in’ period.

Clarion Futures, a charitable foundation established by the Clarion Housing Group has been awarded £52,500 to help the Quarry Café and Community Fridge in East Grinstead to create an attractive outdoor seating area for people visiting the café or using the recently upgraded playground alongside.

The Quarry Café supports the local community by collecting surplus food and creating meals for those who need a helping hand. The new outdoor seating area will create additional space, providing an attractive area for residents to meet and enjoy quality food and drink at affordable prices. The pathways will be improved, with two drop down kerbs and a ramp, increasing accessibility to and around the community café.

Haywards Heath Town Football Club received £12,239 towards the development of an indoor café and education room at Hanbury Stadium. The club’s Pilgrim Hut is currently only suitable for storage, but the Board has ambitious plans for renovation that would include the installation of a new kitchen and outdoor patio area. The refurbished hut will provide improved catering facilities playing staff and supporters, a place for players to rest and recover away from the clubhouse and a secure classroom for educational activities.

Worth Parish Council was awarded £65,509 towards the installation of CCTV cameras in the villages of Copthorne and Crawley Down. The cameras will be monitored by Sussex Police as part of a CCTV Partnership, helping to deter anti-social behaviour and petty crime.

The funding awards to Clarion Futures, Haywards Heath Town Football Club and Worth Parish Council are all funded by Section 106 contributions, financial payments made by developers towards the improvement of local infrastructure.

Mid Sussex District Council demonstrated support for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine by granting £17,752 to three local organisations that are working to help them settle in the area. All Saints Lindfield received £8,660 to set up a new drop-in service at The Yews, Haywards Heath. Being Neighbourly in East Grinstead received £3,543 towards the establishment of a support group and updating their website to include a page for Ukrainian refugees. In Burgess Hill and the surrounding areas, HUGS 4 Ukraine received £4,900 towards creating a website, supporting drop-in sessions and delivering celebratory events.

The Council also allocated £5,000 towards the installation of 28 solar panels on the roof of 1st Hurstpierpoint Scout Group headquarters, £5,000 towards upgrading the kitchen and outdoor seating at Balcombe Cricket Club and £1,000 to help local charity Befriended set up a new community choir.

Councillor Norman Webster, Mid Sussex Cabinet Member for Community said:

“We’re really lucky to have so many people in Mid Sussex who are willing to give up their time to support their local community and who work so hard to make our District such a wonderful place to live.

“Charities and voluntary groups are working on some fantastic projects and I’m delighted that we’re able to support so many with grant funding. Each project is going to make a real difference to the lives of local people by encouraging participation in sport, preventing crime, improving sustainability, and helping those in need.”

For more information contact the Mid Sussex District Council Community Services Team on 01444 477495 or email Regina.Choudhury@midsussex.gov.uk.

ENDS