OVER £28,000 in grant funding has been awarded to a diverse range of local community organisations by Penzance Council has recently awarded.

Councillors resolved to support eight grant applications for a range of upcoming events and ongoing projects, including Penzance’s spectacular midwinter festival and the popular town centre hanging baskets.

Penzance Council provides grants to local community groups and charities who are working to benefit the residents and environment of the local area. Due to an unprecedented demand on grant applications in 2024, the total grant funding budget was allocated before the end of the financial year.

To address this, the grant funding budget has been increased for 2025/2026, making more grants available for community organisations. To ensure that grant funding is available throughout the financial year, four defined grant windows have been introduced to spread the funding budget.

During the first two grant windows of this financial year, £28,168 has been awarded to eight community organisations including Montol Festival, Penzance Community Flora Group, YMCA Cornwall, West Cornwall Women’s Aid, Redwing Contemporary Art CIC, Citizens Advice Cornwall, Friends of Penzance Burial Ground and Nanc Provisions CIC.

The £7,500 of grant funding from Penzance Council awarded to Montol Festival CIC will be used to deliver a bigger and better festival than ever, to be enjoyed safely by visitors and members of the local community.

Matching funding from Penzance BID, the £3,168 of grant funding from Penzance Council will provide 240 beautiful hanging baskets and floral displays within the town centre next year, benefitting residents, business owners and visitors to Penzance.

The £4,364 of grant funding will be put towards a project to convert two existing spaces on their site in Penzance into four additional flats for homeless young people. The project is in direct response to their large and increasing accommodation waiting list, which currently stands at 46 young people, 10 of whom are under 18 years old.

West Cornwall Women’s Aid will use the £3,776 of grant funding to project manage and deliver this year’s 16 Days of Activism – a high-profile event that aims to bring the community together on the issue of violence against women and girls, and includes a Solidarity Walk and vigil.

Redwing Contemporary Art CIC now have the opportunity to purchase this building as a community asset and will use the £2,909 of grant funding to contribute towards the associated legal costs and stamp duties.

With the £1,826 of grant funding, Citizens Advice Cornwall will be replacing laptops and ancillary hardware at their Penzance Office in order to maintain appropriate cyber security for client data, which is essential for their advice service.

Grant funding of £2,327 will be used for a full tree survey – and all the associated pruning, felling and chipping works – which is legally required before the burial ground can be opened to the general public.

The £2,298 of grant funding will help to provide this secure storage, and make sure that activities can be reactive based on individual needs.

The next round of grant applications will be considered at the Finance & General Purposes Committee meeting on Monday, October 20. The final grant application window will open on Monday, December 15.

Local community groups and charities can find out more about how to apply on the Penzance Council website: www.penzance-tc.gov.uk/grants/ or by contacting the council offices (Tel: 01736 363405 or email  [email protected])