First groups benefit from £23m Sizewell C Community Fund

• £300k awarded to nine organisations in first round of funding
• Awards range from £2k to £170k for groups across East Suffolk
• Sizewell C Community Fund is open throughout the year, every year, for the next decade

Sports clubs, advice agencies and community facilities are among the very first organisations to receive financial support from the Sizewell C Community Fund.

The fund is worth £23m in total and around £2m is being made available to local organisations each year for the next ten years.

In the first round of awards, nine charities and not-for-profit groups which deliver services in the East Suffolk area have received grants amounting to more than £300,000.

The groups which will benefit include:

• Citizens Advice East Suffolk: £170,000 to recruit, train and co-ordinate volunteers to provide advice to local residents over the next three years
• Leiston Youth and Community Angling Society (LYCAS): just under £7,000 to fund a variety of initiatives, including surveying Haylings Pond in Leiston and buying angling equipment for use by people who do not have their own.
• Young People Taking Action: £19,000 for outreach work to support young people in Leiston, Saxmundham and the surrounding areas
• Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall: £30,000 to increase the diversity of performances at the hall to attract new audiences and promote community cohesion.
• Saxmundham and District CIC: £12,500 to install replacement windows at The Fromus Centre. This will help to reduce noise from a neighbouring trainline that will carry freight for Sizewell C.
• Slaughden Sailing Club: £4,500 to buy an electric engine for a boat to help people build confidence on the water.

Three other organisations also benefited from the first round of funding, with funds ranging from £2,000 to £64,000.

Suffolk Community Foundation is administering the fund using their extensive experience in grant making to the voluntary sector.Eligible charities and not-for-profit organisations can bid for grants for up to three-year funding periods. There is no minimum or maximum grant size.

The money is being awarded to projects in the East Suffolk Council area which promote the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of the communities most impacted by the construction of Sizewell C, and which enhance people’s quality of life.

Anna Hughes, Interim Chief Executive of Suffolk Community Foundation, said: “This important fund will make a significant difference to our local communities by providing opportunities to support quality of life and wellbeing over the next decade. We are delighted that the first grants have now been awarded.

“We look forward to watching the successful projects progress over the coming months and seeing first-hand the benefits they will bring for communities and their residents.

“We will award the next round of grants early next year and would encourage any charity or community group who is considering applying to visit our website or speak to our team to find out more.”

The Sizewell C Community Fund is open all year, so organisations can apply whenever is convenient. Suffolk Community Foundation provides support, resources, and one-to-one guidance for applicants, including advice on writing applications.

Julia Pyke, Sizewell C Joint Managing Director, said: “It’s wonderful to see the amazing projects that will benefit from this first round of funding from the Sizewell C Community Fund.

“These are groups and organisations that make a significant difference to communities in this region, and it’s deeply rewarding to know that the fund will enable them to enhance and extend the great work they do here.

“This is only the start of a decade of local support from the fund – the beginning of a lasting legacy for this area. We can’t wait to hear more about how these organisations are putting these grants to work.”

For more information, eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit sizewellcfund.org.uk or call 01473 602 602.