Community groups and projects in North West Leicestershire can now apply for a grant from a funding pot of £150,000 to help enhance local areas.

North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) has opened the latest round of its UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Community Grant and is seeking applications until June.

This third round of Government funding follows similar application windows in 2023/24, which saw 43 community and voluntary groups successfully apply for grants to benefit the local community.

Previous successfully funded projects include:

• Coalville Town Youth FC, which received a £6,000 grant towards training coaches, encouraging younger players to become coaches, and specifically to increase the number of female and BAME coaches at the club
• A number of community buildings and village halls which received grants to install wifi or make improvements to kitchens and other facilities (Belton Village Hall, Breedon Parish Hall, Hemington Pavilion, Hugglescote Community Centre, Moira Village Hall, Oaks Storer Hall, Scotlands Park Bowls Club).

Projects should be able to meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Increase the number of visitors to an area
• Improve the perception, or accessibility, of an area
• Increase the number, or perception, of events
• Involve volunteers

Pre-application advice is available to community groups looking to apply by emailing [email protected]

The total of £150,000 available in this application period has been split by population size across every area of North West Leicestershire.

However, some areas of the district were either unsuccessful or did not apply in the last round, so the council is particularly encouraging applications from projects based in:

• Castle Donington
• Isley cum Langley
• Long Whatton and Diseworth
• Measham
• Normanton le Heath
• Packington
• Snarestone
• Stretton en le Field
• Swepstone
• Thringstone
• Whitwick
• Worthington 

The council's UKSPF Community Grant has received £300,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

There will be a fourth and final round of applications from August-October 2024.

Councillor Tony Gillard, NWLDC Portfolio Holder for Business and Regeneration, said: "This is a great opportunity for local community groups to secure funding to help get their projects off the ground.

"We've seen from previous rounds just what a wide range of exciting projects are happening in North West Leicestershire for the benefit of the local community.

"We want to make sure we award all of this funding and welcome applications from across the district.

"This money has the potential to really change things for the better and provide some worthy local projects with a much-needed funding boost."