First projects share £270k of new community fund

A dozen community projects in East Lancashire will share more than £270,000 of new funding after 60 organisations applied for cash, it has been announced.

It is part of the government's £20m Pride in Place programme, with the Darwen Town Board committing £250,000 to add to £20,000 from Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Two Gates Bowling Green and Social Club will receive £20,000 to pay for the urgent repairs it needs to remain open in.

Chairman John Bentley said: "For almost 130 years, the bowling club has been at the very heart of the community and this new funding means we can carry out the work and continue to open our doors, hopefully for many more generations to come. We are over the moon."

In total, the board received more than 60 bids worth in excess of £1.3m.

The other successful applicants for funding are:

• Derwent Hall for redecorations
• Darwen Cricket Club to provide year-round opportunities for young people
• The wider community, including older residents, will also be able to try walking cricket at its new indoor centre
• Sunbird Records to strengthen its grassroots music programme as it approaches its 10th anniversary
• Darwen Heritage Centre to help make the building and exhibitions more accessible
• Darwen Youth Zone's hugely successful StreetZone bus will be extended
• Junction4 Skatepark to support a Darwen Urban Culture Programme
• Hoddlesden Millennium Green for a forest school and community activities
• The volunteer-run Parochial Church Council of St James Over Darwen for emergency building works as part of plans for a new community hub
• The Making Rooms - based in the new Maker Zone at Darwen Youth Zone - gets a grant for a pilot project to give young people hands-on, industry-relevant learning experiences
• Launchpad - a partnership between Blackburn College, Newground Together and Darwen Youth Zone to help young people re-engage with education
• Newrad Fisheries to improve the angling club's lodges, making them more accessible for wheelchair users, and tackling invasive weeds affecting the water

Darwen Town Board chair Tracey Alcock told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We have been absolutely blown away by the response to this Darwen Community Fund pilot.

"This initial list of 12 projects shows what incredible work is already under way in the town."

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