2004-05

Cheshire Community Strategy Innovations Fund

First Round (2004-05)

On 1 April 2004, Cheshire County Council established a new £50k fund, to be administered through The Cheshire Partnership, to support the delivery of the Cheshire Community Strategy outcomes and objectives and its seven key themes of:

• Innovation and New Ways of Working
• Positioning Cheshire in the Wider World
• Community Well-Being
• Valuing Diversity and Tackling Inequality
• Thriving Rural Communities
• Shared Prosperity
• A Sustainable Environment

68 applications were received from a cross-section of organisations and partnerships representing all areas of the county, seeking total funding in excess of £350k against the £50k threshold.

The Cheshire Partnership Strategy & Monitoring Group met in January 2005 to undertake an initial sift of the applications against agreed criteria and, whilst acknowledging the worthiness of all applications received, it was clearly impossible to support all projects.

Congratulations go to the following projects which were successful in securing Innovations Fund support:-

Age Concern Cheshire
"Wear Purple” Taster Days in Rural Areas of Vale Royal - to increase access to arts activities for those over 55, initially in the Vale Royal area.

Crewe and Nantwich Credit Union Limited
“Moresavers” – to promote the Credit Union ethos of thrift and good money management in a secondary school community and to contribute to increasing the prosperity of communities in Crewe.

Congleton Borough Council
Pilot Music Project with members of the Gypsy and Traveller Community (Middlewich).

Cheshire Federation of Women’s Institutes
"See and Be Seen Campaign” – to enlighten householders to the dangers of poor property/house name/number visibility and “Message in a Bottle Promotion” – to assist in the promotion and delivery of Data Link Packages that will aid the first response services arriving in the event of a trauma or accident.

Cheshire RIGS
“Walking through the Past Town Trails” – to promote and subsequently help safeguard local geology, geomorphology, soils and landscapes of the area.

Chester in Partnership (LSP for Chester district)
“Rooms for Hire” – to create an information service of premises owned by community, voluntary and faith groups across Chester district available for hire.

Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust
“Silk Town Strolls” – to encourage wider participation of a healthier lifestyle by promoting (leaflet format) gentle exercise via an increase in walking within the local environment (leaflet format).

Vale Royal Borough Council
Frodsham Forward - Audit of nature conservation sites within the Frodsham area.

Malpas Alport Primary School
Arts Work for a Multicultural Society in Broxton, Cheshire – community event centred around 10 rural primary schools culminating in a multicultural arts performance.

Middlewich Town Council
“The Norman Middlewich Project – The Partnership Legacy” - to provide lasting elements of the project that will have a sustained benefit for local people.

Tiverton Village Hall
“The Sandstone News” - to extend and further develop this community magazine produced three times per year.

YMCA Chester and Ellesmere Port (EPN Live)
“Production Line Showcases” – to run monthly young band showcases, to train young volunteers in sound engineering and to hold a Cheshire-wide band event over the summer.

For those unsuccessful in this round, colleagues in the County Council’s External Funding & European Unit are available to explore and identify alternative potential funding streams. Please contact Stephen Wright (01244 603331) to discuss applications directly.