A range of sports clubs, charities and parish councils are set to benefit from funding to improve health and wellbeing, strengthen communities, enhance local facilities and support nature recovery projects across South Cambridgeshire
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The Community Chest grants will support projects ranging from outdoor bowls and women’s cricket to improved village facilities, family support services and biodiversity initiatives
Cllr Dr Lisa Redrup, Lead Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities, said: “These projects demonstrate the incredible difference that community organisations, volunteers and parish councils make to people’s lives across South Cambridgeshire. From creating opportunities for people to get active and tackle loneliness, to supporting families, improving valued community spaces and boosting biodiversity, these grants will help local groups deliver benefits that can be felt for years to come.”
Five Community Chest Grants totalling £9,250 are being given to:
Melbourn Dynamos Football Club – £2,000
- The grassroots football club, which supports 367 members and has served the community for more than 20 years, will launch a new walking football programme. Funding will help cover pitch hire and keep participant costs low during a 30-week pilot programme designed to tackle inactivity, reduce loneliness and support people with long-term health conditions.
Fen Drayton Bowls Club – £2,000
- The community bowls club provides opportunities for people of all ages to take part in both outdoor and indoor bowls. The grant will fund repairs to the ageing timber edging surrounding the outdoor bowling green, improving safety, sustainability and the quality of play.
TLC: Talk, Listen, Change – £2,000
- The charity provides emotional wellbeing and relationship support services for children, young people and families. Funding will help deliver the “Bridging the Gap” programme, offering specialist support to families where neurodiversity is present or suspected, helping improve communication, confidence and family relationships.
Graveley Parish Council – £1,250
- Graveley’s village hall is the parish’s only public meeting space and serves as a vital community hub. The grant will fund 40 new stackable chairs as the final stage of a wider refurbishment programme, ensuring residents can comfortably attend community events and activities.
Gamlingay Leisure – £2,000
- The charity runs a community gym and multi-use games area serving Gamlingay and neighbouring villages. Funding will contribute towards replacing two heavily used cross-trainers, improving access to high-quality fitness equipment for members, exercise referral participants and community groups.
There are also three Biodiversity Grants totalling £6,000 which are being awarded to:
Duxford Parish Council – £2,000
- The parish council is leading a project to create a native chalkland wildflower meadow at Duxford Recreation Ground. The scheme will introduce more than 50 native wildflower species, improve habitats for pollinators and other wildlife, and deliver significant biodiversity gains in a highly visible public space.
Friends of Duxford School – £2,000
- The charity supports Duxford School and works to improve the environment for pupils and the wider community. Funding will enable the planting of mature native holly and hawthorn hedging to strengthen the school boundary, improve biodiversity and provide valuable habitat for local wildlife.
Gamlingay Parish Council – £2,000
- The parish council will plant two mature flowering cherry trees in the village playground. The trees will provide much-needed shade for children and families during hot weather while also delivering biodiversity benefits by supporting pollinators and other wildlife.
The latest round of Community Chest grants were approved in a meeting of the Grants Advisory Committee.
The scheme supports local projects that improve quality of life, strengthen communities and create opportunities for residents across South Cambridgeshire. Find out more here
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