Witney News - Grants boost for community projects

Grants boost for community projects

Grants agreed by West Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet are set to unlock nearly £470,000 investment into the district’s local economy and cultural facilities infrastructure.

A total of over £68,000 has been awarded to a wide range of community schemes to help with building works and improvements that will benefit a number of local communities.

Kilkenny (Carterton) Cricket Club is one of the grant beneficiaries. With nearly £10,000 from West Oxfordshire District Council, £3,000 from Carterton Town Council, £3,000 from the Cricket Club and £33,750 from the Community Covenant Grant, the Club has reached the target needed to upgrade its cricket facilities at the Monahan Way Pavilion in Brize Norton.

Improvements at the cricket club ground will provide practice nets and an artificial match pitch in the wicket strip area.

Jason Penn, Kilkenny Cricket Club Development Officer said: “Currently we have no outdoor net facilities and this is a barrier to training, especially to help us develop children and young people’s skills as they are an important part of the Club’s future. They are currently travelling to neighbouring towns and villages to practice and consequently sometimes end up joining other teams.”

Improvements at Kilkenny Lane Cricket Club will benefit both the military and civilian community.

Details of the remaining grant awards are:

· Witney Blanket Hall - £12,000 towards a scheme costing over £187,000, which aims to transform the historic Grade II Blanket Hall on Witney’s High Street into a living woollen weaving and blanket making museum.

· Charlbury Corner House and War Memorial Hall - £24,000 towards a £120,000 project to improve and enlarge the Hall kitchen and add a new room to the rear. This will make the Hall useable for a range of activities, benefitting all users.

· Ascott under Wychwood Parish Council - £21,000 towards a scheme costing £99,000 to install a multi-use games area. The all-weather facility will provide somewhere for young people to meet and play all year round.

· St Leonards Church, Eynsham - £2,500 towards the £10,000 cost of replacing an existing window at the church. A new window will reduce loss of heath, providing a better environment for all the community groups using the church hall.

Cllr Richard Langridge, Cabinet Member for Local Economy and Communities said, “I am delighted that, despite local authority cutbacks, we have been able to maintain our community facilities grants again this year, as I know how vital these projects are for our local communities.

“They are all dependent on other funding contributions, but will serve towards liberating nearly £470,000 in total for the district.”

The decision to award the grants was made at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 13 November.

For more information about the Council’s grants schemes, visit www.westoxon.gov.uk/grants