COUNCIL

Report of: Executive Member for Community, Leisure & Culture, Mark Robinson

To: Informal Executive Briefing, xx November 2020

Author: Clive Rayner, Grant Officer, Community Foundation

Subject: Match Funding applications

Purpose: To consider the decision to award match funding to six projects.

Recommendation:

That the Executive Member for Place approves the following grant awards:

 £878 (or 50% of the total project cost, whichever is the lower amount) to Thompson Millennium Green Charitable Trust to install fencing/bollards to prevent vehicles from accessing the Green.  £3,894 (or 50% of the total project cost, whichever is the lower amount) to Parish Council to renew fencing around a play area.  £5,000 (or 34% of the total project cost, whichever is the lower amount) to the Benjamin Foundation to establish two youth groups in Watton.  £5,000 (or 18% of the total project cost, whichever is the lower amount) to Whissonsett Village Hall to carry out electrical renewal and kitchen replacement works.  £1,500 (or 48% of the total project cost, whichever is the lower amount) to Heath Trust to carry out urgent tree work and to clear scrub making access easier and to help the heather habitat to regenerate.  £5,000 (or 29% of the total project cost, whichever is the lower amount) to Wayland Partnership Development Trust to replace the boiler in Wayland House.

BACKGROUND – Thompson Millennium Green Charitable Trust

1.1 Thompson Millennium Green Charitable Trust was set up to provide and maintain an open space as an area for informal recreation, play and leisure.

1.2 This grant would help the charity to protect the Green from encroachment by motor vehicles. At the moment the green can be freely accessed by vehicles at two points on its boundary. One of these is a small car park which presently is unfenced, the other is a break in the boundary hedge. The grant would see low height heavy bollards installed around the perimeter of the car parking area and a post and rail fence and a lockable gate to close the break in the boundary hedge. The gate would allow access when required.

1.3 For some time there has been concern in the village that the green is easily accessible by vehicles and therefore at risk of being used by those illegally camping with resultant litter and other dumped articles. 1.4 The cost of providing the fencing/bollards is evidenced at £1,756 by a Breckland based business and the Trust will provide the 50% match funding from its reserves.

1.5 The application makes a case around the ‘Your Place’ priority of improving the quality of public spaces to be cleaner, greener and safer. As the Trust has minimal income and reserves it would struggle to deal with irresponsibly fly-tipped rubbish and so this investment in fencing/bollards is a sensible precaution. It income has been adversely affected by the need to cancel the Thompson 5k and 10k Run.

1.6 Breckland member Philip Cowen has confirmed that he “wholeheartedly supports the application.”

BACKGROUND –Scarning Parish Council

1.7 Scarning Parish Council would like to replace the wooden fence around its young children’s play area at Scarning Water Meadows. This area includes four swings, a toddler tower and two springies. It is part of a wider play area that includes a range of facilities such as an adventure trail, outdoor fitness equipment, picnic benches, two Youth Shelters and two football goals. The current fence has been in position for over 15 years and is rotten at the base and recently, one side of the fence tipped over and had to be put back in position using wooden props. The Parish Council has repaired the fence over the years, but it is now in need of replacement. The Parish Council sees this as the first stage of improvements to the area as a whole.

1.8 The Parish Council has leased the site from Breckland Council for over 20 years and has recently renewed its lease of the site.

1.9 Three quotes were sought and the cost of the work is evidenced at £7,788. The Parish Council will provide 50% of the funding from its reserves.

1.10 The application is relevant to the ‘Your Place’ priority of improving the quality of public spaces to be cleaner, greener and safer. In its current condition the fence presents a potential hazard to the area’s users and the self-closing gate is in need of replacing.

1.11 Breckland member Paul Hewett has confirmed his support for the project as follows: “I wholehearted support this application which will enhance and improve a play area that is used widely within the community.” Lynda Turner has also confirmed her support.

BACKGROUND –The Benjamin Foundation

1.12 The Benjamin Foundation is a registered charity providing a wide range of services for young people and families across Norfolk.

1.13 The grant will be used to help establish two new youth groups for young people in Watton, one for those between the ages of 8-11 and one for those 12-16 years of age. The groups will serve as focal points for engaging young people, providing them with a place to go and meet safely with friends, a chance for some fun, including access to holiday activities, and to share personal concerns they may have with a supportive youth worker. The focus of the work will be primarily to reduce the impact of loneliness on the young people and in the process improve their mental health, wellbeing, confidence, and self-esteem levels. This will be achieved by providing positive activities otherwise out of their reach, group work sessions exploring key issues, and gently encouraging young people to be open about their concerns and support needs. Young people will be supported to build confidence and trust in their abilities to manage in current or future challenging personal or social situations and to raise their aspirations.

The groups will operate over 46 weeks a year from February 2021 and will be based at the Watton Youth and Community Centre. There is a broad based local partnership keen to support this work and reinvent Watton's former Youth and Community Centre as a thriving community hub. Partners include The Charlotte Harvey Trust, Watton Town Council, The Wayland Partnership, St Mary’s Church, Action for Children, Breckland Youth Advisory Board and an alliance of local businesses. An estimated 120 young people will benefit from the project.

1.14 Watton is a relatively isolated market town, with limited transport links and a perception among young people that there is a lack of sufficient local activities catering for their social and leisure needs. These needs have been identified in Watton and its surrounding parishes via a range of local survey and consultation works undertaken by local community organisations, including Breckland Youth Advisory Board. Problems with bullying, mental health and concerns about drug use, drinking and smoking are key concerns for young people, as outlined in the Breckland YAB 2020/21 Strategy. The Covid-19 pandemic will have added to the issues faced by young people and these groups will potentially be an important part of young people’s recovery.

1.15 The grant application is costed over a two year period with the first year costing £14,703 and the second, £14,999. A Breckland Match Funding grant would contribute towards the year one staffing costs. To date £2,500 is secured towards year one and a grant application to the Geoffrey Watling Charity is awaiting decision in December. The Match Funding grant would equate to 34% of the year one cost. Any grant offer should be conditional on the other necessary funding being secured.

1.16 The application is most relevant to Breckland’s Your Health and Wellbeing priority. The grant will support the creation of two youth groups that will engage young people in fun activities which are good for their physical and mental health. The groups also enable key mental health and wellbeing issues to be explored with the young people, raising their awareness about these issues and enabling them to seek help and boosting their confidence to do so. In addition, the groups will provide opportunities to identify issues that may require wider family engagement to help those struggling with relationships and in need of support. It also enables any safeguarding issues that might be present to be identified and addressed.

1.17 The application has received support from all three of the Breckland members representing Watton. Councillor Kiddell comments that: “I'm so pleased you are working on this. It is a very much needed service to Watton’s forgotten generation. You have my full support. As a single mother of 19 year old twins, I know first- hand the lack of youth provision in this town. I will do as much as I can to support this venture”; Councillor Gilbert comments that: “it is good to see that your youth work is still going ahead. You have my full support” and Councillor Bowes comments that “I am fully supportive of this project”. BACKGROUND – Whissonsett Village Hall

1.18 Whissonsett Village Hall Are applying for funding to replace the very dated electrical installation. The installation is very outdated and at times the supply cannot cope with the demand, resulting in fuses blowing and outages, which disrupts the events and potentially could cause safety issues. The grant would also contribute to improvements to the kitchen facilities which again are very dated and does not support the events that people want to be able to stage in the hall. Currently a number of hirers have to prepare food for events in their own homes and bring it to the hall. It is hard to maintain the required levels of cleanliness in the current kitchen to meet Health and Safety requirements.

1.19 The combined costs of all of the work including making good is £28,100. This is an increase from the figures quoted in the application due to the likely need to replace a ceiling following the works. The cost of the electrical and kitchen works are appropriately evidenced by quotes but the replacement ceiling and making good works are only estimates because the full extent of these cannot be known with accuracy at this stage.

The village hall has £10,000 of the required funding in hand and is making further grant applications to add to this. Awarding a £5,000 Match Funding grant will mean that more than 50% of the funding is raised and will potentially influence the success of other grant applications. The grant of £5,000 would represent around 18% of the total cost. Any grant offer should be conditional on the other necessary funding being raised.

1.20 The application is relevant to Breckland’s Your Place priority in particular the working to ensure that residents have access to have access to a high quality and diverse leisure, arts and cultural offering. The village hall is the only community venue in the area and is increasingly needed to ensure that the elderly & vulnerable have access to groups and events at which they can meet others and socialise.

1.21 Breckland member Trevor Carter has confirmed his support for the project as follows: “I would like to register my full support for the Match Funding Application relating to the upgrading of the Village Hall. During my time as Councillor I have become very much aware of the importance of a functioning Village Hall to the residents of rural villages many of whom may be aged and infirm. With little or no Public Transport and without transport of their own people feel isolated and lonely.

In such villages this is where an active and well-run Village Hall can help in meeting the needs of residents in providing various forms of social activities. Over the years it has been my pleasure to regularly attend the twice monthly well- attended Coffee Morning's, Carpet Bowls, Slide Shows, meetings and functions of various kinds and the pleasure of my being invited to speak to various ladies groups.

However, none of these events can function effectively without the ability of the organisers to meet the need for providing various forms of refreshments and also to attract bookings for events where more formal food may need to be prepared. The present kitchen is old, worn and poorly equipped as a result, it is unable to meet the increasing demands being placed on the Village Hall by virtue of the fact other local villages have no such facility. The provision of this grant will enable the Village Hall Committee to meet the needs of the vulnerable, lonely and infirm residents who during times such as these are at most risk.”

BACKGROUND – Bawdeswell Heath Trust

1.22 Bawdeswell Heath Trust was originally focussed on providing support to local residents through the provision of coal/fuel and small grants. It continues to make small bereavement grants. It now also maintains Bawdeswell Heath as a safe and accessible public space.

1.23 The project will see urgently needed work to make trees damaged by storms safe and will also see volunteers carrying out a range of work to clear scrub making access easier plus helping the heather habitat to regenerate. A local group of volunteers is being convened and this will provide outdoor, meaningful activity in a safe environment at a time when many other local activities are curtailed. This will be supplemented by work undertaken by mid Norfolk Conservation volunteers.

1.24 Damage to trees has made the wooded areas more at risk and some urgent work to remove the greatest hazards has already been undertaken. Incursion of gorse has threatened open heather areas and made access more difficult and reduced amenity space.

1.25 Further work on the trees will be undertaken by professional tree surgeons with appropriate insurance in place. This will cost £300 per day with five days of work being carried out - total £1,500. The match funding element will comprise £200 for a professional woodland management specialist, £380 for management advice from Norfolk Wildlife Trust, two days of pro bono work by a local tree surgeon and two days of labour provided by Bawdeswell Hall estate and additional volunteer labour from Norfolk Conservation Volunteers. The total value of the match funding including in-kind contributions is £1,630. The grant therefore represents a 48% contribution.

1.26 The project is relevant to Breckland’s Your Place priority around improving the quality of public spaces to be cleaner, greener and safer. Bawdeswell Heath is currently used by approximately 150 people a day with a higher number of users at weekends. It is said to be particularly valued by older people who obtain exercise and a degree of safe social contact (e.g. dog walking in small groups) and by families with children learning about nature and building dens.

1.27 Breckland member Bill Borrett has written as follows: “I am very happy to confirm that the application for Match Funding has my full unqualified support. I think that the proposed use of the money to supplement the Community Volunteers to carry out works to this important public open space is just the sort of activity that the scheme should be supporting.

BACKGROUND – Wayland Partnership Development Trust

1.28 The Wayland Partnership Development Trust is a registered charity whose mission is the cultural, economic, environmental and social development of the Wayland area which covers the town and 13 surrounding villages. The Trust owns and operates Wayland House which provides affordable rental space for small businesses, conference facilities, a sensory garden and memory café, a jobs club and art gallery and provides a base for a range of community projects.

1.29 The grant will contribute towards the cost of a new boiler to replace one that has been condemned. Without a functioning boiler it cannot continue to fulfil its important role in the local economy and community scene.

1.30 The Trust has sought quotes but has only been able to obtain two. Its preferred contractor is not the cheaper of the two but has been selected on the basis of its reputation and the thoroughness of its quotation which demonstrated an understanding of the client’s needs. Although the grant application gave the cost as £14,429, VAT needs to be added to this bringing the total to £17,315. The Trust will contribute £9,000 from its reserves towards this. The Trust is exploring a range of options to source the remainder of the funding including approaching partner parishes, the local Rotary Club and local businesses for support. If necessary it could use more of its reserves. A grant of £5,000 would represent a 29% contribution.

1.31 The work of the Wayland Partnership is relevant to Breckland’s Your Health & Wellbeing, Your Place and Your Opportunity priorities. In terms of Health and Wellbeing, Wayland House is the base for a dementia cafe project and also hosts a sensory garden on site. The Dragonfly Gallery is a base for exhibitions and workshops which help to improve the town’s arts and cultural offering. The building also hosts a job club that helps to address barriers to work. The Trust has other initiatives in the development stage such as a proposed Digital Creative Media Centre for Wayland House which will help regenerate Watton and Wayland, provide training and employment as well aa leisure activities.

1.32 Helen Crane, Breckland District Councillor ( Ward) has confirmed her support for the application as follows: “As Breckland district Councillor for four villages that are in the Wayland area, and a member of the Wayland partnership committee as my outside council commitment, I support the application for the grant towards a new boiler. Although not a project as such, without it the partnership will not be able to deliver important services to the community. Wayland house is an imperative part of the Wayland partnership and without the boiler none of the programmes of events, tenants, including the police will be able to remain and by default the building would not be viable and we could see a major contributor to the community leaving us. Community projects are managed from Wayland House and meet very well Breckland District Council’s core strategic aims of health and wellbeing, opportunity and place. Post Covid the partnership will again focus on what it has always done, and will continue to do so as an important asset to the Wayland/Breckland area.”

2) REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION(S)

2.1 The six applications meet the criteria of the scheme and there are sufficient funds available to support these applications. 3) EXPECTED BENEFITS

3.1 Thompson Millennium Green Charitable Trust - the Millennium Green will be protected from unauthorised encroachment Scarning Parish Council - the safety of the play area will be improved The Benjamin Foundation - Young people will have improved leisure activities and support with their mental health and wellbeing Whissonsett Village Hall - Safety at the village hall will be improved and the hall will be more attractive to existing and potential hirers Bawdeswell Heath Trust – improve safety, access and the habitat of the woodland/heath Wayland Partnership Development Trust – enable Wayland house to continue to function as a base for cultural, wellbeing, community and business activities

4) IMPLICATIONS In preparing this report, the report author has considered the likely implications of the decision - particularly in terms of Carbon Footprint/Environmental Issues; Constitutional & Legal; Contracts; Corporate Priorities; Crime & Disorder; Equality & Diversity/Human Rights; Financial; Health & Wellbeing; Reputation; Risk Management; Safeguarding; Staffing; Stakeholders/Consultation/Timescales; Transformation Programme; Other. Where the report author considers that there may be implications under one or more of these headings, these are identified below.

4.1 Financial

4.1.1 The Match Funding reserve held by Norfolk Community Foundation has a current available balance of £71,997. In addition to the recommendations totalling £21,272 in this report there are a further £28,359 of applications previously sent for decision. The total of applications awaiting decision is therefore £49,631 and there are therefore sufficient funds to meet the recommended expenditure.

5) WARDS/COMMUNITIES AFFECTED

5.1 Thompson Millennium Green Charitable Trust – All Saints & Wayland/Thompson. Scarning Parish Council - with Scarning/Scarning The Benjamin Foundation - Watton Whissonsett Village Hall – Hermitage/Whissonsett Bawdeswell Heath Trust – Upper Wensum/Bawdeswell Wayland Partnership Development Trust – Watton plus surrounding villages (Ashill, , , , , Great , , Merton, Ovington, Saham Toney, , & Breckles, Thompson).

6) ACRONYMS

6.1 Any acronyms are explained in the body of the report

Lead Contact Officer Name and Post: Clive Rayner, Grant Officer, Norfolk Community Foundation Telephone Number: 01603 623958 Email: [email protected]

Key Decision: No

Exempt Decision: No

This report refers to a Discretionary Service

Appendices attached to this report: Appendix A – Applications and Proforma B