Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund – first grant awards made!
April was an exciting month for the Community Fund. After years of planning, the first Micro Fund grants were awarded and the Vision Fund was launched.
MICRO FUND
Everyone at Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund CIC was delighted by the amazing response to Round 1 of the Micro Fund. At its meeting in March, the Board had 126 proposals to assess – from both small and developing businesses and community groups – between them requesting more than £390,000!
Some difficult decisions had to be made, and it was disappointing that many strong applications could not be supported this time. Great though that 36 amazing and wide-ranging projects across the Fund area were awarded grants. Between them they will involve and benefit well over 10,000 people.
Details of all funded projects are on our website – they included:
- A young people’s production of South Pacific in the Coliseum Theatre Aberdare. Roger Williams of Showcase Siogerdd Performing Arts Association, said: “We work with young people on a range of performing arts projects, and this grant will enable us to put on a production of South Pacific later this year. This will be an amazing experience for all the young people involved – and hopefully for our audiences too.”
- Dark Sky Wales Sidewalk Astronomy project, a programme of innovative street-based astronomy activities for young people across the Upper Rhondda and Upper Cynon Valleys. Allan Trow of Dark Sky Wales, said: “We’ll be introducing young people in the Rhondda and Cynon Valleys to astronomy, aiming to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour. This might sound like an unusual approach, but we know it works and we have the strong support of the police. It’s a really positive and creative way of tackling a challenging problem. Our Micro Fund grant will enable us to reach even more young people.”
- Afan Vale Chocolates, a small business based in Glyncorrwg – a grant will support the purchase of essential machinery to grow the business and potentially expand the workforce. Anita Angove, chief chocolate maker, was delighted with the Award. She said: “We are a small business barely keeping up with the rapidly growing demand for our produce – being able to buy our new machine will free up time for marketing and promotion and will really help our business to grow.”
Micro Fund Round 2 is open now! The closing date for applications is 14.8.17, and Application Forms and all details are on the Fund website – www.penycymoeddcic.cymru
The Form has been redesigned in response to applicants’ feedback, so hopefully is a bit easier to use this time!
The message to those who were not successful in Round 1 is to talk to us and try again. Most of the applicants who were successful had been in touch to talk through their proposals before putting pen to paper. You can give us a call on 01685 878785 – or book a slot for an informal chat. This is where we are going to be:
- 10th July, 09.00-13.00, Cymer
- 10th July, 14.30-19.00, Neath Valley
- 11th July, 12.00- 18.00, Cwmparc
We’ll be around for some time, so no need to panic. If your idea needs a bit more work before you apply, it’s better to take your time and make sure that everything is in place so that you’re good to go if you’re successful. There will be at least two Micro Fund rounds each year.
VISION FUND
The Vision Fund is also now well and truly open for business and proposals are coming in
thick and fast. If you have project idea that is a bit out of the ordinary and has the potential
to make a real and lasting difference, we would love to hear from you! The Vision Fund
offers grants of over £5,000 for projects that help to deliver the priorities identified by
communities themselves – they are all set out in the Fund Prospectus. The Vision Fund has
a 2-stage application process, starting with a brief Expression of Interest. Proposals can be
submitted at any time and all details are on the website. Again, it’s essential that you have a
chat to us before you start filling in the form. Give us a call, or book a slot at one of our
Vision Fund surgeries:
- 25th July, 12.00-18.00, Blaengwrach
- 1st August, 09.30-13.30, Croeserw
- 26th September, 09.00-16.00, Treorchy
All of us involved in the Community Interest Company are grateful for the ongoing support of Vattenfall, and for all their hard work to bring the Fund to this point.
CONTACT US
Tel. 01685 878785