Project Name
Re-cladding of scout hut

Location
Leiston and surrounding areas

Summary

The Scouts have had a presence in Leiston for over 100 years, bringing young residents together to engage in activities which build confidence, resilience, teach new skills and improve wellbeing. They identified the impact that Sizewell C construction in and around the town will have on younger residents, and they demonstrated how this resulted in an exacerbated need for the work the Scouts do.  

Their Scout hut was structurally sound, but in need of re-cladding to secure the group’s home for the future and they applied to the Community Fund for the cost of this work. The organisation had raised £500 to put towards the project, but the Community Fund provided the total cost, leaving the Scouts this extra money to put towards activities or equipment to benefit the children and young people.

In addition to providing a warm, dry and welcoming environment, the improvements also serve to reduce the group’s heating costs – keeping membership ‘subs’ down for families.

Website
www.scouts.org.uk

Total Award
£40,969.00

Grant Period
Over 1 year

Location
Leiston and surrounding areas

Summary
Citizens Advice has had a presence in Leiston and wider East Suffolk for many years, providing advice to local residents on a wide range of issues. As with their previous application to the Community Fund, they used their knowledge of the existing need locally and combined this with data from Sizewell C impact assessments and conversations with their counterparts in Somerset (where Hinkley Point C is being built) to demonstrate that the expected changes and pressures on the housing market locally during the construction of Sizewell C would increase the need and demand for specialist housing advice for local residents.  

In order to meet this increased demand, they applied for funding to employ a specialist housing and debt caseworker, and an adviser to help residents at risk of eviction to remain in their homes by providing early intervention support and liaison with landlords and the local authority’s housing services team. In addition, the specialist caseworker will train others at the organisation, including volunteers, to be able to continue this work after the grant period – demonstrating sustainability and adding to the legacy of benefit from funding this initial period of work. 

Website
www.caes.org.uk

Total Award
£153,885.30

Grant Period
Over 3 years

Location
Leiston, Aldeburgh and surrounding villages

Summary

The organisation has been supporting clients in Suffolk for over 40 years, and was able to demonstrate how Sizewell C construction activity would disproportionately impact people living with an acquired brain injury in Leiston, Aldeburgh and the surrounding villages.  

To reduce the impact on this client group, the organisation sought funding to extend the operating hours of their Leiston and Aldeburgh hubs, planning a tailored programme of researching, writing and performing a series of musicals as a way to understand and cope with change when living with a brain injury.  

The organisation was able to clearly demonstrate how the project had been designed to achieve the maximum benefit to their client group – equipping them to handle the changes around them and also aiding in their rehabilitation, with the writing and performing of music helping to create and strengthen neural pathways in the brain. 

Total Award
£137,406.60

Grant Period
Over 3 years

Website
www.headwaysuffolk.org.uk

Location
Leiston, Saxmundham and surrounding areas

Summary

The organisation identified how both the challenges and opportunities created by the construction of Sizewell C would impact families in Leiston, Sax and the surrounding villages, increasing the demand for their volunteer-led support offering to families, which they already successfully deliver in the area.  

To meet this demand, they sought funding to increase capacity – recruiting, training, co-ordinating and supporting volunteers to deliver tailored support to families, including through home-visiting services, stay and play groups and targeted assistance to parents of children with special educational needs to help them navigate assessment and support pathways. 

The organisation’s deep knowledge and experience gained working in Leiston and Saxmundham, strong links with other voluntary groups in the area, and extensive community support for their plans, all combined to demonstrate how the organisation was well-placed to deliver this project successfully. 

Total Award
£201,881.73

Grant Period
Over 2 years

Website
www.homestartinsuffolk.org

Location
Leiston and surrounding areas

Summary

INK Festival identified a need to create opportunities where incoming Sizewell C workers and existing Leiston residents could meet, explore creativity together and build relationships to enhance community cohesion.  

They sought funding to expand their existing work in Leiston by offering free script writing courses for adults in the town, as well as courses for children held during the Easter holidays at a local school. The culmination of these would be performances staged at the annual INK Festival in Halesworth, with the grant award including a provision for transport to increase the number of school-aged children from Leiston able to attend the festival and benefit from the experience. 

Total Award
£10,000

Grant Period
1 year

Website
www.inkfestival.org

Location
Kelsale-cum-Carlton

Summary

The villages of Kelsale and Carlton, situated south of Yoxford with the A12 cutting through the parish, have a much-loved and well-used community asset – their recreation ground. But, without a ready power supply or water source available, events relied on power cables run from a nearby house or the use of noisy generators. In addition, watering flower beds and saplings planted as memorial trees was difficult – limiting the use of the grounds for these purposes.  

The Parish Council sought funding to run water and power to the recreation ground, with an application that demonstrated how the villages would be impacted by Sizewell C construction and evidenced comprehensive engagement with, and support from, residents in the parish for their plans.  

Total Award
£14,397

Grant Period
1 year

Website
www.kelsalecarltonpc.org.uk

Location
Saxmundham and surrounding areas

Summary

Since 2014, Sax Community Fest has brought the community together in Saxmundham for an annual festival organised and run by volunteers, combining performances and displays of local music, arts, crafts and cultural opportunities which can be accessed for free by all.  

In their application, the organisation demonstrated a need and want for community events such as this, as well as the opportunity it offers to bring existing and new residents together to enhance community cohesion, supporting one of the areas most affected by Sizewell C construction. 

As their previous core funding had been reduced, the organisation sought a 3 year grant to cover the cost of staging the festival during this period, while they implemented their plans to increase income generation and work towards financial sustainability. As such, their award was tapered, reducing over the grant period – with the expectation the organisation would generate an increasing amount of income each year. 

Website
www.saxcommunityfest.co.uk

Total Award
£105,404

Grant Period
Over 3 years

Location
Villages impacted by Sizewell C construction including Wickham Market, Yoxford, Stratford St Andrew, Kelsale and Snape 

Summary

Identifying villages in the district where impact from the construction project would be significantly felt, the applicant recognised a need to provide opportunities for people to come together, celebrate and connect with their communities and benefit from the positive wellbeing effects that cultural participation can bring.  

The organisation sought funding to deliver a range of readings and workshops in local villages of a newly-staged version of the classic book ‘Akenfield’, chronicling the oral history of residents in Charsfield near Wickham Market during another period of change affecting village life. 

An aspect of the application that was particularly well received by the Panel was the ‘unlocking’ of additional funding from another body as a result of the Community Fund grant, further extending the benefit of this award by enabling the writing and production of the play and accompanying score to be realised. 

Website
www.shakefestival.com

Total Award
£10,000

Grant Period
1 year

Location
Campsea Ashe and surrounding villages

Summary

Situated close to Wickham Market and with the East Suffolk railway line running through the village, the organisation used Sizewell C impact assessments to identify how the village would be affected during the construction phase. The application demonstrated a need for the community to have a venue that offered opportunities locally for residents to come together and participate in social activities, as well as enjoying concerts and other cultural performances.  

In order to enhance the venue to better accommodate these secular community events, the organisation sought funding to improve disabled access to the building, create toilets and a kitchen, and upgrade the heating system. They were able to demonstrate considerable local support for the project, which will leave a legacy of benefit in Campsea Ashe for years to come. 

Website: www.campseaashechurch.org.uk

Total Award
£84,240

Grant Period
1 year

Location
Sizewell, Leiston, Aldeburgh, Theberton, Middleton and surrounding areas

Summary

Located in Sizewell and supporting clients predominantly from Leiston and the surrounding villages, the organisation was able to confidently identify how their client group would be impacted by the  construction of Sizewell C and demonstrate how this resulted in a greater need for the services they provide, which improve wellbeing, reduce social isolation and are well supported by the community. 

The organisation therefore sought funding to continue and expand their services benefitting older and/or less able members of the local community – providing regular ‘bath days’, lunch clubs and music afternoons. To meet the challenges of the coming years, the funding included an element for a Community Co-ordinator to focus on closer working with other local voluntary groups, as well as specialist equipment to increase capacity and enable residents from other nearby towns similarly impacted by Sizewell C to benefit from the organisation’s services.  

Website: www.wardenstrust.org

Total Award
£122,507

Grant Period
Over 3 years

Location
Leiston, Saxmundham, Yoxford, Wickham Market and surrounding areas

Summary

The organisation was successful in the first round of Community Fund awards, with that grant enabling outreach work to be undertaken to reach more young people in and around Leiston and better inform their organisation’s strategy for the Sizewell C construction period.  

To further this objective, the organisation applied to the Community Fund to increase hours for the management team and senior youth work staff, enabling the Project Manager to concentrate on strategy and long-term planning, taking the results of the information gathered during the initial year’s outreach funding and delivering a business plan for meeting the needs of local young people over the next decade.

Total Award
£185,820

Grant Period
Over 3 years

Project Name
Programming activity

Location
Aldeburgh and surrounding towns & villages

Summary
With the increased traffic on roads in the area impacting communities, the organisation identified the need to expand and diversify the range of events and performances staged at the venue in order to increase opportunities for local residents to come together and access arts and culture.

To do this, they sought funding to increase the contracted hours of their part-time programmer, enabling them to undertake inclusive community engagement and expand and diversify their events line-up to meet the needs and wants of the community. They also identified an opportunity in the construction of Sizewell C, with the incoming workforce being a potentially new audience, engaging with and programming for whom would help generate additional income for the organisation, helping to secure the financial viability of the venue, as well as playing a role in enhancing cohesion in the community between Sizewell C workers and existing residents.

Website
www.aldeburghjubileehall.co.uk

Total Award
£30,000

Grant Period
Over 3 years

Location
Leiston and surrounding areas

Summary
Citizens Advice have had a presence in Leiston and wider East Suffolk for many years, providing advice to local residents on a wide range of issues. Using their knowledge of the existing need locally, they combined this with data from assessments in the Community Impact Report and conversations with their counterparts in Somerset (where Hinkley Point C is being built) to identify an anticipated increase in demand for their advice services throughout the Sizewell C construction period.

In order to meet this increased demand, they wanted to employ a dedicated Training Manager to recruit, train and co-ordinate volunteer advisers to provide advice to local residents each year on housing, employment, debt, benefits, consumer rights and many more topics.

Website
www.caes.org.uk

Total Award
£170,358

Grant Period
Over 3 years

Location
Easton and Letheringham

Summary
The hall is a frequently used community asset located near the Wickham Market Park and Ride site, and the organisation identified how increased traffic and noise in the area would exacerbate the need for a space in the village where residents could meet, socialise and engage in activities which improve wellbeing.

The funding was sought to replace the hall’s old fluorescent lighting system, which had started to fail, with a low-energy LED system – achieving the joint benefits of enabling the hall to continue to be used and enjoyed by the local community, while also reducing the hall’s energy consumption and enabling hire charges for the venue to remain low.

Total Award
£1,896

Grant Period
1 year

Location
Leiston and surrounding areas

Summary
This community angling club was set up in the 1970’s and members know first-hand how an increase in the local population that comes with a Sizewell construction project brings an increased demand for access to the sport and their facilities, enabling them to provide a relaxing and enjoyable past-time to the new arrivals and opportunities to both boost their membership income and enhance community cohesion between the Sizewell workforce and existing local residents, but also putting increased demand on the ecology of the pond.

In order to meet this increased demand, the club sought funding to purchase angling equipment that could be hired or loaned to prospective members and guests, invest in security equipment, and commission an environmental survey of the pond to inform a business case and plan for increasing the capacity of the pond and stabilising its ecosystem.

Website: www.leistontowncouncil.gov.uk/facilities/haylings-pond/

Total Award
£6,864

Grant Period
1 year

Location
Peasenhall

Summary
Located near to the Yoxford Roundabout and Northern Park and Ride sites, the Parish Council identified that concern from residents over increased traffic through the village exacerbated the need for their long-standing plans to create allotments and a play area on land due to be transferred to them from a private developer.

The residents wanted spaces within the village where they could come together, socialise and engage in activities which increased wellbeing. These spaces included community allotments and an outdoor playground for children. The Parish Council plan to expand the playground further, subject to funding, and will engage with residents over the grant period to find out what they want phase 2 to look like.

Website
https://peasenhall.onesuffolk.net/parish-council/

Total Award
£26,000

Grant Period
Over 2 years (from project commencement)

Location
Saxmundham

Summary
As an area identified in the Community Impact Report as being affected by the construction of Sizewell C, the organisation recognised the well-utilised Fromus Centre to be a key community asset in Saxmundham, providing a hub where residents can meet, socialise and engage in a wide range of group activities which promote both physical and mental wellbeing.

Responding to feedback from their users, the organisation sought a grant to fund the replacement of the venue’s old and drafty single-glazed windows with new double-glazed toughened glass, increasing enjoyment of the venue and reducing energy costs

Website
www.fromus.org.uk

Total Award
£12,500

Grant Period
1 year

Location
Pakefield & Leiston

Summary
The Seagull has been working with the Pakefield community since 2009 and used their in-depth knowledge of local issues and strong links with young people and other VCFSE groups in the community to articulate how existing need in the area would be exacerbated by the construction of Sizewell C. In addition, the organisation welcomed the opportunity to expand their services to Leiston, where the Panel agreed there was an unmet need.

The grant was to fund a 2 year multi-stranded project aimed at improving mental health and wellbeing in children and young people, using a mix of story-telling, arts, music and dance. In addition, the organisation planned to use the contribution towards their core costs awarded as part of the grant to resource feasibility/scoping work to inform a subsequent bid for funding to deliver services in Leiston. The organisation anticipated that a 2 year grant would be sufficient for them to demonstrate the impact of their work to other funders, unlocking additional income streams to improve the financial sustainability of the organisation.

Website
www.theseagull.co.uk

Total Award
£64,615

Grant Period
Over 2 years

Location
Aldeburgh and surrounding areas

Summary
The club was founded 50 years ago by workers from Sizewell that relocated to the area who created a sailing club that today prides itself on its accessibility to the community and enjoys strong local support as a result, participating in the annual school sports week and other community events. They identified that current and prospective members could benefit from the wellbeing benefits being on the water can bring to reduce any adverse impacts resulting from disruption related to Sizewell C construction, and the increase in population created an opportunity for the club to increase their income through new memberships from the Sizewell C workforce.

Funding was sought by the club to purchase an electric motor for a boat they owned, enabling the vessel to be used to transport and escort members and guests – increasing the confidence of those taking to the water and further increasing the accessibility of the club to a wider range of people in the community.

Website: www.slaughdensailingclub.co.uk

Total Award
£4,572

Grant Period
1 year

Location
Leiston, Saxmundham and surrounding areas

Summary
With over 20 years supporting young people in and around Leiston, the organisation recognised how they’re well-placed to play a key role in supporting young people living in areas impacted by Sizewell C construction. Drawing on their experiences of the adverse effects of Sizewell B construction in the area, they identified both the potential impacts as well as the need to engage further with young people locally to find out how they were being impacted by Sizewell C construction activity, how existing needs were being exacerbated, whether any new needs were being created, and how best to support the young people over this period of change.

The funding was sought to enable this by working with existing users of their hubs in Leiston and Saxmundham, as well as through ‘detached’ youth workers visiting the surrounding villages and parts of town where young people hang out and engaging with them. The organisation planned to collate data and insights captured over the grant period to inform a strategy for future youth work in these areas over the longer term.

Total Award
£19,036

Grant Period
1 year