‘Thriving children’ grant funding awarded to town councils and parish councils
Wem Town Council, Cleobury Mortimer Town Council and Bishop’s Castle Town Council have recently been awarded grant funding from Shropshire Council to support activity for children and families, with applications re-opening for further bids.
The remaining pot of thriving children grant funding is £105,000 and town and parish councils can work with local activity providers to bid for up to £25,000 for additional activity in their communities to support the health and wellbeing of the children, young people and families.
The project is the result of a collaboration between Shropshire Council and the NHS, with financial input from the Integrated Care Board Personalised Care funding and public health. In the wake of the pandemic, this funding has been secured with the understanding that coronavirus, and our national response, has left its mark on young people and their communities.
Shropshire Council first opened applications earlier this year, calling on town councils and parish councils to apply for support with projects that enrich the opportunities for young people in their community and they received a diverse range of applications.
Bishop’s Castle Town Council’s successful bid will support workshops in music and cooking for children between the ages of 8 and 11 years, as well as a youth café for 11 to 16 year olds. This will be delivered in partnership with a popular open mic music session that is already held in the town, South Shropshire Youth Forum and Hereford Diocese. A youth forum is also planned as part of the project, allowing young people in Bishop’s Castle to voice their experiences directly to the town council.
Cleobury Mortimer Town Council are partnering with South Shropshire Youth Forum and will also offer an active education programme with St Mary’s Youth Project, focusing on climbing for pupils in upper key stage two and their families. The projects aim to promote the importance of keeping healthy and leading active lifestyles.
Wem Town Council have planned a project to help young people to understand their own emotional health and wellbeing, with access to a qualified youth worker and touching on subjects such as stress, sleep issues and bullying.
Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care, public health and communities, said:-
“It has been great to see the inspired and varied bids for the thriving children grant funding so far, and we are looking forward to following the progress of the successful projects.
“We know that our town councils and parish councils have the in-depth local knowledge and connections to deliver the activities best suited to the needs of their own communities, and to partner with existing groups to ensure that the benefits will be ongoing.
“We hope to receive bids from other parts of the county as part of this next round of funding, which has now opened.
“At its core, the funding is to enable healthy, vibrant communities, where young people have the opportunity to thrive and grow with the support of their community.”
Dr Priya George, GP and NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Lead for Mental Health and Children and Young People, said:-
“The pandemic has hit our young people hard; every child has the right to be active and find an activity they love. The thriving children grant funding is a great step forward.
“We want children to be happy and healthy. Activity can help with exactly this – it not only keeps children fit and healthy but helps them grow in confidence and learn vital skills, such as teamwork and recovering from life’s inevitable setbacks.
“This funding will help support our commitment to ensuring children and young people living in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin get the best possible start in life.”
Town councils and parish councils have until Tuesday 2 May 2023 to submit their bids for the Thriving Children grant fund.
