An incredible £4 million* has been awarded to local initiatives in Somerset since the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund was launched in 2017.

Val Bishop, Programmes Director at Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), who administer the Fund, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that in just three years we’ve awarded over £4m in grants. The HPC Community Fund continues to support many groups and organisations’ projects to increase opportunity and improve the quality of life and wellbeing in communities most affected by the construction of Hinkley Point C, reaching smaller ‘grassroots’ charities as well as larger organisations.

“If you have any ideas that you think we may be able to support with grant funding then please get in touch with us.”

Andrew Cockcroft, Senior Community Relations Manager, Hinkley Point C said: “I am extremely proud to see the substantial positive impact our Community Fund is delivering to a wide variety of groups and organisations in the local area surrounding Hinkley Point C. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that the benefits and opportunities of the project are accessible for local people, especially as the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to affect us all.”

The HPC Community Fund delivers the Open Grants Programme for larger applications, typically over £10,000, and the Small Grants Programme awards grants of up to £5,000 – or up to £10,000 over three years – for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises that normally operate on less than £100,000 per year. Visit www.hpcfunds.co.uk for more details on deadlines for applications.

Somerset Community Foundation recently awarded grants worth almost £430,000 to five groups from the HPC Community Fund’s Open Grants Programme:

• Navigate Charity were awarded £150,891 for a three-year project to work with colleges and communities in Sedgemoor and Somerset West and Taunton to deliver accredited financial management educational workshops and one-to-one debt support and advice
• Life Cycle UK were awarded £99,790 for a three-year project to promote cycling in Taunton, Bridgwater and the surrounding areas through various activities including training bike mechanics and community cycling support workers and providing an electric bike loan scheme
• Haygrove School, Bridgwater, were awarded £50,000 towards a multi-use sports pitch to increase their facilities available to the local community
• State of Trust were awarded £49,421 for a music and dance project which will be delivered in local schools, colleges and care homes to explore migration and how and why communities change
• Inspired to Achieve, Yeovil, were awarded £79,388 for an 18-month project to coordinate and train job coaches to support young people with special educational needs and disabilities into local employment in Sedgemoor and across the whole of Somerset

Navigate were recently awarded a grant to provide financial education to the community through delivery of innovative and engaging workshops. They believe that working with people to educate and provide financial resilience is the cure to the mounting problem of poverty and debt.

Mel Allen, CEO at Navigate, talks more about how they’ll be spending their £150,891 grant from the HPC Community Fund: “Our work benefits individuals and families facing financial hardship and exclusion. We provide financial education to the community through delivery of innovative and engaging workshops. Our workshop, Navigate the Money Maze, provides effective money management training through group participation, simplifying money matters for all to understand. We believe this is key to the ongoing alleviation of debt and poverty.

“Our grant from the HPC Community Fund will help to increase the delivery and reach of this vital programme through the development and accreditation of the course. By providing attendees with a qualification, this will contribute to lifelong educational achievement, increased housing and employment opportunities, and provide an opportunity to meet others and increase community involvement and inclusion.”

An initial grant of £198,000 was also recently awarded from the HPC Otterhampton Ring Fenced Fund to Otterhampton Village Hall towards their refurbishment project.

The HPC Community Fund is part of a wider £20 million commitment of funding, provided by EDF through Section 106 agreements, for communities that are affected by the development of the new nuclear power station, to promote their social, economic and environmental wellbeing and enhance their quality of life.

If you run a local community project in Somerset and would like to find out more about grant funding from the HPC Community Fund please call Somerset Community Foundation on: 01749 344949 or visit: www.hpcfunds.co.uk

*£4,280,592 as at 25/11/2020