More than £1 million for community groups in South Oxfordshire

THOMLEY Activity Centre, based at Worminghall near Thame, has been awarded part of £1 million grant funding for community groups, charities and support organisation across the district.

South Oxfordshire District Council, which has awarded the funding, intends the money to help ensure that important services such as support for disabled people, carers, and the elderly can continue to be available locally for South Oxfordshire residents.

The lucky groups awarded funding, including Thomley

The revenue grant funding will help groups to pay for things such as salary costs, rent and rates, marketing and publicity, and transport and utility costs. The groups receiving funding are:

Thomley Activity Centre – £97,500
Age UK Oxfordshire – £93,289
Berinsfield Information and Volunteer Centre – £56,814
Community First Oxfordshire – £74,250
FISH Volunteer Centre – £12,000
Home-Start Southern Oxfordshire – £66,706
My Life My Choice – £16,840
Nomad Youth & Community Project – £80,000
Oxfordshire Association for the Blind – £25,000
Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis Centre – £52,500
Riverside Counselling Service – £65,000
South & Vale Carers Centre – £83,508
South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance – £94,000
Style Acre – £66,000
The Chiltern Centre for Disabled Children – £100,000
TRAIN – £79,297

Cllr Elizabeth Gillespie, Cabinet Member for Grants at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “As a council we are delighted to still in be a position to offer this significant funding to these organisations. They all play a vital role in providing support services to many people across the South Oxfordshire community and this funding will help to ensure that residents will continue to benefit from these services over the coming years.”

Grant Hayward of Collaborent, who assisted council officers with workshops for the grants application process, said “Not only is it good to see the financial commitment from South Oxfordshire District Council, but I have been really impressed with the range of support it has provided to these charities and groups in helping them explore new opportunities of becoming more sustainable and less dependent upon grant funding.”

The council’s grants officers will work with these organisations to ensure spending is appropriate over the four year grant period.

Community groups in South Oxfordshire looking to improve their facilities, such as carrying out building improvements, can now apply for Capital Grant – for more information visit www.southoxon.gov.uk/grants.