COMMUNITY minded people in the Isle are being called to have their say on the spending of a new charitable fund.
The Tweenbridge Wind Farm Community Benefits Fund will become available in 2012 for groups in Crowle, Ealand, Sandtoft and Belton as well as Thorne and Moorends, Hatfield, Hatfield Woodhouse, Fosterhouses, Stainforth and Fishlake.
The South Yorkshire Community Foundation will deliver the funding in local communities and is looking to canvas opinion on how the charitable money should be used in the area.
A consultation event will take place at the Moorends Miners Welfare and Community Development Centre on January 18, and SYCF chief executive Pauline Grice said she hoped the whole community would come out in force to have their say on the fund.
She said: “It is vital that the thoughts and views of local people are taken into account with this new funding from the Tweenbridge Community Benefits Fund that will become available in 2012.
“We want to hear from as many people as possible, so we can make sure that the funding goes towards tackling the issues in communities that people care about most.
“The drop in consultation event will provide an excellent opportunity for people in the area to come and speak to us, tell us what they think the priorities of the fund should be and even volunteer to be part of the decision making panels.”
The charitable funding, provided by E.ON Ltd, will see £55,000 per year made available in grants to local communities for the next 25 years.
Initial priorities for the funding will include improvements to community buildings, environmental improvements to the area, energy conservation and increased use of renewable energy, in line with the philosophy of E.ON Ltd, who have provided the charitable funding for the area.
At the event in January, local people will get the opportunity to influence these priorities and offer their own by completing a questionnaire on how money should be spent and will also be able to volunteer to sit on the grant making panel that will decide where the money is spent.
The drop in day will be held at Moorends Miners Welfare & Community Development Centre, 24A West Road, Moorends on Wednesday January 18, 10am-1pm and 2-4pm.
For more information contact SYCF on 0114 2424857.