Scheme to make community buildings in Powys more sustainable gets extra £419k

19 August 2024

A project aiming to 'rebuild community foundations in Powys' has received an extra £419,400, due to high demand.

Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO) has received the money to offer grants to community-owned facilities for:

• Repairs and maintenance
• Generating renewable energy
• Installing electric vehicle charging points

The award to PAVO was made by the Powys Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) Local Partnership, after it heard the grant scheme was oversubscribed and experiencing high demand. It receives its funding from the UK Government and is managed by Powys County Council's Economy and Climate Service.

The £419,400, is in addition to £812,999 allocated to the same grant scheme earlier in the year, making a total of £1,232,399.

"The aim is to provide community buildings, including community centres, village halls, community owned toilets and sport facilities with support to continue building on the progress made during phase one of this project," said Clair Swales, PAVO's Chief Executive Officer.

"The people and organisations looking after our community buildings in Powys, have identified the current issues impacting them as: the cost-of-living, utility bills, maintenance and energy efficiency. This project will support them to develop their resilience, with better skills, knowledge and confidence so, that they can be sustainable in the long-term."

Councillor David Selby, Powys County Council's Cabinet Member for a More Prosperous Powys and Chair of the Powys SPF Local Partnership Board added: "After being advised that many of our communities were struggling to access funding to make improvements to their buildings, we are pleased to have been able to provide extra financial support to assist with this valuable work. As a council, we want to support our communities to be more sustainable for future generations as part of our Sustainable Powys approach."

The Rebuilding Community Foundations in Powys Grant has been fully allocated by PAVO and is now closed. If you have questions about it, or any other PAVO grant schemes, email: grants@pavo.org.uk, or call 01597 822191 or 01686 626220.

• The UK Shared Prosperity Fund.