Marshes Community Benefit Fund – 9 Projects Awarded Grants totalling £9,000
The Marshes Community Benefit Fund (MCBF) Panel reveals which projects have been awarded funding from the latest round of awards from the annual £120,000 community payments made by Frodsham Wind Farm Limited.
Nine community-based projects have been awarded £9,000 in this the first ever round of the Golden Grants Awards.
This is the first time the MCBF has awarded money in this way since the Marshes Community Benefit Fund was established in 2016.
“This the very first round of the Golden Grant Award saw nine community-based projects awarded a total of £9,000. Entrants were asked to submit an idea in the form of a ‘creative piece’ of work, showcasing how the grant would be used to benefit their project and the local community. This could be in the form of a short video or a poster, poem, letter or even a song. All applications were uploaded and shared across social media accounts.
This enabled applications to be submitted from groups, that fell within the boundary for the Marshes Community Benefit Fund Awards and met the criteria for the main MCBF grant, to apply for the New Golden Grant of up to a maximum of £1,000.
The Panel members analysed each of the applications agreed to award £9,000 nine worthy recipients, from Helsby, Frodsham, Ince and Alvanley. The panel felt that successful applications met the criteria of the Golden Grant Award and the money awarded would improve the recipients project’s ability to benefit the local community.
Are you part of a not-for-profit school, charity, business, community group or club considering a project which will benefit the local community? Have you considered that your project might meet the criteria for funding from the MCBF? If so, we would love to hear from you. Please consider applying, even if you have applied in the past and not been successful. Guidelines for the two types of application and details of the award process are available on the MCBF website.
The MCBF Panel meets again in the Spring of this year to consider all applications submitted by the 28th February 2023 deadline for the Main MCBF applications and again later in the year for the Golden Grant award.”
Joycey Bammeke-Bailey, MCBF Panel Member, PR
The following is a short summary of this round’s successful applicants and how the £1,000 funding they receive will be used, please check the projects social media page to view their creative applications: –
Frodsham Volleyball Club – towards equipment, court hire and balls.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hP9xkMoI4K4
Helsby Players Drama Group – to help fund The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe show.
https://www.facebook.com/100008892872522/videos/855918145835953/?idorvanity=355235466481601
Ho Ho Helsby – a marquee to keep stalls and people attending their event warm and dry and also a covered float for the parade.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hohohelsby/?mibextid=6NoCDW
L.I.F.T.S – DBS checks, training and covid tests.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ohadM3abew
Manley & Mouldsworth pre-school – to fix and replace bathroom equipment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwa-prxJeJM&feature=youtu.be
Real Talk Solutions – PSHE quality mark, teaching children on body image and social media skills. Curriculum offered into 3 local schools
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuUPhSKwHds
The Good Shed – to help keep the community warm this year.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/799387614537277/posts/819465749196130/?mibextid=6NoCDW
Friends of St Luke’s Catholic primary school – will use the money towards funded places for school activities.
https://twitter.com/fosl_frodsham?t=NWJpHQZdOH1dIfD9RAhqgQ&s=09
Helsby running Club – paper water ups for this and future years races.
https://www.facebook.com/RunHelsby/
A Word from the Chair
The Golden Grants awards represents an evolution of the Marshes Community Benefit Fund. This addition to the funding options gives us the ability to support organisations who are requesting funding of £1,000 or less, these organisations may often be overlooked by other funders despite the benefits that they bring to the community.
By moving away from traditional paper based applications and embracing the social medial application process, we receive a real insight into the benefit that these funds will make to the successful applicants.
I would like to thank our partners for supporting the new awards and the panel members who worked so hard to make this idea a reality.
Andrew Jones, MCBF Panel Chair
The Marshes Community Benefit Fund was set up by Frodsham Wind Farm Ltd (owned by Foresight Group) managed and operated by Belltown Power. The £66m project consisted of 19 wind turbines on the Frodsham Marshes, adjacent to the Manchester Ship Canal and the Mersey Estuary.
Frodsham Wind Farm Limited is committed to providing an annual Community Benefit Fund (CBF) of £120,000 for community projects each year over the life of the wind farm. Payment is made in two instalments annually of £60,000. The MCBF has been set up as a not-for-profit unincorporated organisation (NOU) with a formal constitution.
Members retire by rotation or resignation. Names of MCBF members are given on the MCBF website where enquiries about joining may be made if a vacancy arises, along with details of the application process, eligibility criteria and deadlines.
Community groups, charities, schools, businesses and clubs may apply to the MCBF governing Panel for funding towards not-for-profit projects which are designed to benefit the local communities. Guidelines for applications and details of the award process are available on the MCBF website.
The MCBF will allow groups and organisations to apply for grants between £150 and £60,000. There will be two application rounds per year with closing dates being 28th February and 31st August each year. Projects for which grants are requested should be located within the defined MCBF geographical area. A plan showing the area is available on the MCBF website.
Applicants will be required to have a written constitution a set of rules or a governing document and a bank or building society account with a minimum of two signatures in place before a grant can be made from the MCBF.
The Panel will consider applications twice a year, the main criteria for successful grant applications will be:
- The social, economic and environmental benefits which will stem from successful implementation / completion of the project
- The level of community support for and involvement with the project.
Other factors that will also be considered and which must be demonstrated as part of the grant application include:
- The ability of the applicant to deliver the project
- How the benefits will continue after completion of the project, i.e. its sustainability and legacy
- Value for money
- Presence of any match-funding (for grant applications over £2,000).
Further details of the individual projects should be sought from the recipients of the funds.
The Frodsham Windfarm has a liaison committee website at www.frodshamwindfarm.co.uk
For more information, please contact the communications email enquiries@marshescbf.uk