Rampion Offshore Wind Rampion Fund grants over £230,000 to Sussex communities in its second round of grants

Rampion Fund grants over £230,000 to Sussex communities in its second round of grants

  • 19 community groups are to receive a total of £230,249 from Rampion Fund second round.
  • Lancing Parish Council will receive a large grant of £50,000 1 towards the redevelopment of the Monks Recreation Ground, including nature area, tree planting, recreation equipment and dog waste powered lighting. This scheme involves an extensive local community partnership, built to develop the project.
  • Tide of Light community group received £8,952 for a community project which will include a life size polar bear sculpture made entirely of milk bottles
  • Community Transport Sussex received £45,500 to replace their ageing diesel community bus with a new more eco-efficient mini-bus and two fully electric wheelchair accessible vehicles. This will help to provide up to 9,000 passenger journeys and support hundreds more people tackling social isolation
  • Ashurst Village Hall received £10,000 to install solar roof panels to the newly built Ashurst village hall in order to enhance its already eco-friendly credentials, which includes an air source heat pump.

Rampion and the Sussex Community Foundation have today (25 July) announced that the second round of grants has been distributed from the £3.1 million community fund set up by the offshore wind farm last autumn. Overleaf is a complete list of grants awarded to 19 groups from across East Sussex, West Sussex and the city of Brighton & Hove.

Chris Tomlinson, Development and Stakeholder Manager for the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm said: “We were particularly encouraged by applicants such as Ashurst Village Hall, taking refreshing and progressive approaches to energy generation for their community building, which will save costs in the longer term.”

The Rampion Fund is designed to help fund local projects, particularly those with links to the environment and ecology, climate change and energy, as well as those that work to improve community facilities, with some consideration for energy generation and use.

The Rampion Fund is managed by Sussex Community Foundation, a local grant-making charity. It supports the local community, from Littlehampton Harbour in the west, to Beachy Head in the east and up to the A272 near Twineham in the north.

Kevin Richmond, Chief Executive at Sussex Community Foundation, said: “We were delighted with the quality of the applications we received, over 50% of which were from groups that had never applied to us before. That was very encouraging as we are always looking to reach out to sections of the community that need support from our growing band of fund-holders and donors.”

The deadline for the next round of applications to the Rampion Fund is Friday 14th September 2018. For more information, visit www.sussexgiving.org.uk/rampion or call 01273 409440. Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 are available, with higher grants up to £50,000 for larger capital projects subject to matched funding.

1807-Rampion-Fund-Second-Grants-Photo
Image Description: Irene Soler, with her community design project, A Drop in the Ocean, an installation along the Volks Railway Fence on the seafront in Kemp Town, Brighton. (photo credit: Darren Cool)

Rampion Fund second round grants:

Name Amount Project
Benfield Wildlife and Conservation Group £900 For costs related to securing a First Aid at Work certificate to meet regulations and a mammal licence to carry out work with the dormouse habitat.
2nd Southwick Scouts £1,500 Funding to transform a small plot of land at the scout HQ into an eco safe environment to learn, growing and cooking fruit and vegetables skills, and water and compost recycling.
1440 (Shoreham-by-Sea) Squadron, Air Training Corps £2,549 Funding to buy expedition equipment necessary for young people to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and to train adult volunteers
Victoria Park Volunteer Group £3,736 This funding will support this group to work with others to create a memorial garden to the beach fishermen of Worthing.
Cycling Without Age - Seaford Chapter £5,800 This funding is to buy a specially adapted battery-powered trishaw used by volunteer cyclists to take older residents on rides around the area.
Refugee Radio £6,950 Funding to support a weekly walking group for people with PTSD and depression to improve their wellbeing through engagement with the South Downs and the natural environment.
Brighton & Hove CAB £10,000 Funding is to support Brighton & Hove CAB's Warmth for Wellbeing project targeting vulnerable residents living in fuel poverty.
The Rawson Hall £9,500 Funding will support the installation of a overhead projector at Rawson Hall, which is run for the benefit of Bolney Parish residents.
KP-Projects £15,000 This funding will support the creation of the Living Coast Undersea Experience , an environmental educational installation using virtual reality technology.
Ashurst Village Hall £10,000 Funding is to install solar roof panels to the newly-built Ashurst village hall. The hall already benefits from an air source heat pump and under-floor heating system.
Moulsecoomb Forest Garden & Wildlife Project £10,000 Funding will support Supported Internships for adults with learning disabilities, using the garden as a stepping stone to further volunteering and ultimately paid work.
Heene Community Association £9,920 Funding is the help tackle to knife crime and encourage young people to integrate and participate various activities of the centre.
Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust £10,000 Funding will support a project to survey and track harvest mice on the Sompting Brooks.
Community Transport Sussex £45,500 Funding is to replace the ageing diesel Henfield community bus with a new more eco-efficient mini-bus and two fully electric wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Transition Town Worthing £10,000 Funding is to support a community energy service which helps people and community groups to improve their use of energy and to better insulate their homes and buildings.
Feedback £10,000 Funding is to support volunteer gleaning where local volunteers salvage vegetables and fruit at farms and orchards which otherwise would simply go to waste.
Tide of Light Community Group £8,952 Funding is to support the delivery of a schools and community recycling project.
Carers Centre for Brighton & Hove £9,942 Funding will support young carers through a mixture of creative workshops linking their caring roles to our wider impact upon the world and through fun, respite activities.
Brighton Dome and Festival £50,000 Funding towards a major capital project to revitalise and transform Brighton Dome’s heritage venues including improved accessibility, lighting and heating systems.