East Berkshire community groups encouraged to grab share of £1m community fund

Community groups across East Berkshire are being urged to apply for grants from a £1m fund set up to help towns and villages be better prepared for emergency situations and extreme weather events.

Parish councils and community action groups have already benefited from donations of more than £150,000 from Southern Electric Power Distribution, the company that looks after the electricity network across central southern England. The energy company is now seeking applications for its Resilient Communities Fund for causes that will benefit communities large and small. The deadline for this round of money is September 25th.

Almost £20,000 has been handed out to organisations in East Berkshire to date, with Colnbrook Flood Action Group securing funding for essential equipment and training to support the village’s emergency plan, and Datchet Parish Council receiving cash for a purpose-built chamber to house the town’s emergency water pump-out facility.

In other parts of central southern England the fund has been used for a range of activities and equipment around community resilience, including flood prevention schemes, first aid kits and training, appliances for community hubs such as village halls, and emergency communication initiatives.

Stuart Hogarth, Director of Distribution for Southern Electric Power Distribution, is now urging more groups to come forward and claim a share of the cash: “We had a great selection of applications for our initial round of grants with groups requesting small sums to buy first aid kits and two-way radios, up to thousands of pounds for emergency generators and upgrading kitchen appliances in community buildings. We even pledged £20,000 of seed funding for a £2.5m flood defence scheme in Berkshire.

“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to help so many local communities cope with potential emergency situations caused by extreme weather events and I hope many more groups will apply in our second round, having now seen the types of projects we can support.”

Community groups and not-for-profit organisations across central southern England can apply for grants of between £500 and £20,000. For more information on application criteria, visit www.ssepd.co.uk/resiliencefund.