Projects that will benefit communities on the Isles of Scilly and in West Cornwall are being invited to apply for a grant from the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s £30,000 Community Fund.
Applications for the second round of awards from the fund will open at the start of July.
Bids to the Community Fund are open to voluntary groups or charities, schools and education establishments, community clubs or societies, and individuals undertaking not-for-profit projects for the benefit of the wider community.
Grants of between £150 and £2,000 will support projects that will benefit communities on the Isles of Scilly and in West Cornwall.
Earlier this year the Community Fund awarded £1,500 towards replacing the 150-year-old leather bellows on the St Mary’s Parish Church organ, built by renowned maker Henry Willis. The work was completed over a period of weeks and the organ is now back in use.
Church organist Julia MacKenzie said: “This was an extensive project which needed to be done on the mainland. The main sponsor was the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, through its Community Fund. We are most grateful for the generous donation.”
Other recipients of the first round of awards include:
- £1,500 towards a new marquee, lightweight tents and camping equipment for Guides and Brownies groups on the islands. The groups are planning a camp in August 2016.
- £600 to support Julian Morel and his sons Finley, 13, and Shea, 11, who are cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End in July to raise awareness and money for the Alzheimer’s Society and support the memory café on the islands
- £2,000 towards a creative literacy project working with children on the Isles of Scilly, Mousehole, Newlyn and Penzance, taking the history of Royal Mail Ships as inspiration. Workshops will be taking place on the islands in June.
- £150 to help convert St Erth’s Christmas lights to low-energy LEDs in time for Christmas 2016
- £1,000 to support the charity Young Enterprise to deliver hands on enterprise and financial education programmes in schools in West Penwith. The money will pay for next year’s programme.
Terry Ward, chairman of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s Community Fund, said: “The Community Fund has already made a significant difference to several excellent projects on the islands and in West Cornwall and we would like to invite anyone who is currently involved in a project which would benefit our local communities, or anyone who has a creative vision which they would like to see come to fruition, apply for our round two funding.
“As a major local employer the Steamship Group is delighted to be able give something back to the communities we serve and our committee will look forward to meeting again to assess some of the new, exciting and worthwhile applications that will no doubt be put forward.”
Full details, eligibility criteria and application forms are available from the Steamship Group’s website and the recipients will be announced later this year. All projects are judged by members of an independent community fund panel.