Suffolk community projects urged to take advantage of Havebury funding

April 18, 2012 - PRLog -- Projects which improve the lives of people in Suffolk could be in line for a share of money from Havebury Housing’s Neighbourhood Investment Panel.

The panel helped more than 60 good causes in the St Edmundsbury area last year, and members are looking for other projects to support in the coming 12 months.

Grants in the 2011/12 year included £1,677 for a media hub at the Haverhill Arts Centre in the high street.  The project was set up to increase access to and use of the hub’s existing space and equipment, giving young people in Haverhill the opportunity to work together to develop their creative and computer skills via involvement in music production.

In a similar vein, grant money was given to Optua East Anglia for its Share Arts Day which took place on April 21 at Thurston Community College.  The day provided creative, musical and artistic opportunities for children and adults of all abilities and ages.  The project was granted £2,000.

The Neighbourhood Investment Panel also supported a woodland nature project on the Westley Estate in Bury St Edmunds.  A quiet garden area with seating for locals will be created on the estate using the grant money of £16,526, as well as meadow planting, bulbs and buddleia bushes plus a habitat for insects and butterflies.

Meanwhile, 170 trees will be planted across Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill and Clare with a grant of £12,750 from the Neighbourhood Investment Panel.  Of these, 85 are to replace trees that have been felled due to death, disease or being in inappropriate locations.  The trees will be carefully located and will visually and environmentally enhance the area.

Grants were also given to various estate improvement programmes, such as a new footpath in Chimswell Way, Haverhill which will provide safer access to existing bus stops.  This project, which will also serve the wider community, was allocated funding of £26,719 subject to planning permissions.

Vetch Walk on the same estate was also given £1,881 for new fencing and hedge plants, aimed at creating a natural barrier to prevent cars parking on grassed areas.  Elsewhere, £1,350 was granted for a shrub area on recently refurbished land next to 29 Eyre Close. Again, this will prevent inappropriate parking and will help to improve the aesthetics of the area. Other parking measures were taken in Cambridge Close, Haverhill, where £474 was spent on putting up timber bollards.

Other community projects in Suffolk benefited from money from Havebury, including the Bury St Edmunds Photographic Society.  The group’s 45 members matched funded a grant of £1,694.25 to purchase a laptop, Photoshop package, calibrator and projector.

At Stanton Village Hall, £1,500 was received by the committee to install a hearing loop system and associated PA equipment.  This will enable people with impaired hearing to attend meetings, plays, concerts and other staged performances, plus social events and competitions.

If you represent a community project in Suffolk and would like to find out more about grants from the Neighbourhood Investment Panel, call 01284 722035.

Visit : http://www.havebury.com

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