News

Statement

Building Resilience in Communities Limited 

Media Statement

Building Resilience in Communities (BRIC) is a Lincolnshire-based charity supporting vulnerable children and their families. 

The Trustees of Building Resilience in Communities (BRIC) have regrettably taken the decision to cease trading and close the charity with immediate effect.

Following a review of the company’s financial position, the charity ceased to operate on 2 February 2024.

BRIC has worked in the county, supporting families for nearly 40 years, and in that time has faced many financial challenges. 

The sector has seen funding cuts over the years, but it has become increasingly difficult with reduced funding and ever-increasing overheads to support the effective delivery of services.  With this in mind, and the uncertainty of any further funding, the Trustees made the only decision possible in the best interests of the charity.

The Trustees commented:   

“It is with immense sadness that the closure of the charity has resulted in job losses of a staff team with so much skill and dedication to make a difference to the families of Lincolnshire alongside the commitment of our volunteer team.

BRIC have had positive outcomes for the children and families across the county and are incredibly proud to have been part of the voluntary landscape in Lincolnshire.

We provided emotional support and practical help to children and their families to get them back on their feet after dealing with issues such as illness, disability, abuse, isolation and the demands of having a family “

Kingsbridge Corporate Solutions will be instructed to assist in the winding up of the company’s affairs.

2.2.24

www.kingsbridgecs.com

Lincolnshire Community Foundation

The number of good causes and community groups benefitting from the North Kesteven Community Lottery is set to expand.

Lincolnshire Community Foundation and North Kesteven District Council continue to work together to identify and invite local charitable organisations to apply for grants of up to £500.  The aim is to target and support smaller, volunteer-led, non-profit organisations operating across North Kesteven for the benefit of local residents. 

The application process is straightforward and help is available at every step (eligibility, structures, governance etc) from our team.  Funds should be used to ensure the good health and mental wellbeing of residents; to promote connectivity (digital/peer support); to host community/cultural activities and events that bring communities together; to support youth activities including uniformed groups. 

Examples of the type of project costs that can be requested include volunteer expenses, resources and equipment, event costs, premises costs, sessional fees, running costs, insurance and annual subscriptions.

The closing date for receipt of applications is on 1^st March 2024, with decisions notified within 6-8 weeks. 

Details are available on the Lincolnshire Community Foundation’s Grants Page at www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk.

If you have an idea and want to speak to Grants staff at the Lincolnshire Community Foundation before applying, please call 01529 305825.

Councillor Sally Tarry, who has overview of community initiatives at North Kesteven District Council, said that the entire ethos of the NK Community Lottery was to connect communities to the good causes operating locally and to make it easier for them to access small funding opportunities.

“Small regular sources of funding can be the difference between a community group surviving and flourishing. With this fund meeting both running costs, overheads and general expenses as well as specific expenditure linked to any projects, we anticipate it making an enormous difference to the vibrancy and variety of community life within North Kesteven.

“When the 500 or so players of the NK Lottery buy their tickets weekly, they are not only doing so in the hope of winning up to £25,000 for themselves, but also in the knowledge that most of their £1 ticket purchase will directly benefit good causes locally. Being able to re-distribute some of that money in grants of up to £500 each is a wonderful way of ensuring maximum benefit across the broad sweep of community organisations, operating in support of community cohesion and the District’s ongoing wellbeing.

The NK Community Lottery was launched in December 2021, offering players the opportunity to win up to £25,000 from a £1 ticket. When buying a ticket at  www.NKlottery.co.uk players can choose to nominate one of the 72 good causes currently signed up to receive a 50p share of the £1 stake. A further 10p goes into a general good causes fund, or 60p if no specific cause is nominated. It is that general good causes fund that is now available for redistribution to eligible community groups.

Hayley Crawford, Grants Manager at Lincolnshire Community Foundation says: “The Fund is a wonderful opportunity for the community to apply for funding to receive support in continuing making North Kesteven prosper. I’d encourage any group interested in applying, but not sure whether they might be eligible, to contact us at LCF”.

For an application form and more information: Contact hayley@lincolnshirecf.co.uk Telephone (01529) 305825, or download an Application Form from our Grants Page at www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk

Lincolnshire Community Foundation

Lincolnshire Community Foundation are delighted to be working in partnership with SWEF Enterprise grants in being able to provide small start-up grants of up to £2000, to young people of Lincolnshire (aged between 18-30), looking to start up their own businesses.

Please follow the link to our website, where you can see the guidelines and application forms.

Claire Edwards is the Grant manager for this fund, so should you have any queries or require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact at claire@lincolnshirecf.co.uk.

Rural England Prosperity Fund

Staff and Trustees at Lincolnshire Community Foundation (LCF) in conjunction with North Kesteven District Council are pleased to announce the launch of a capital grants scheme, Rural England Prosperity Fund which is available to charities, community groups, social enterprises, Parish & Town Councils etc operating for the benefit of people living in the North Kesteven District Council area.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund is complementary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda providing £2.6 billion of funding for local investment England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by March 2025.  The fund will support capital costs only and is aimed to level up communities, providing access to activities and opportunities for people living in rurally isolated areas.

£74,389 will be available in the current financial year with a closing date for receipt of applications and supporting documentation on 16 February 2024.  Bids of between £5,000-£10,000 for capital costs will be considered. Substantially more funding will be available in the subsequent financial year when requests of between £5,000-£25,000 (again for capital costs) will be welcomed; closing dates on 1 May and 14 September.  Decisions to be notified within 6-8 weeks. Payments are usually made in arrears.  However, where an applicant doesn’t have the financial resources to cover the project costs, payments may be made in advance or in staged payments. 

Grants should enable places to invest in and/or restore their community spaces and create the foundations for growth at neighbourhood level.  The intention is to strengthen the social fabric of communities, building pride in place by improving local community facilities, creating opportunities to bring people together and create social connections that will grow and thrive. Projects must be in a rural area e.g. towns, villages and hamlets with populations below 10,000, or market or ‘hub towns’ with populations of up to 30,000 that serve their surrounding rural areas as centres of employment and in providing services.

Examples of the type of investment that will be considered include:

• the purchase of property, land, or buildings by the community for the community. 
• the purchase of equipment (including replacement).
• the conversion, improvements or refurbishment of buildings for community purposes.
• the creation or enhancement of walks, trails and cycle paths including access improvements.
• capital investment designed to improve the sustainability and resilience of rural communities including the creation of new services and amenities or improvements to existing provision in support of community cohesion and inclusion. 
• Investments in renewables, green power and energy efficiency measures which lessen the reliance of Rural Communities on fossil fuels and make a positive contribution to Net Zero e.g. projects aimed at reducing fuel costs at a time of exponentially rising prices, Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points, solar panels and ground source heat pumps.
• Investments in digital connectivity, awareness, and infrastructure which will improve community confidence, including broadband.

These are examples, and we would welcome and encourage potential applicants to get in touch to have a chat about a prospective bid.  The application process is straight forward, and help is available every step of the way from out the LCF team.

Applicants should demonstrate value for money and therefore the decision to match fund proposals may be critical. The greater the funding requirement the greater the expectation that applicants will be required to contribute. 

Full details are available on the Lincolnshire Community Foundation’s Grants Page at www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk.

In a joint statement, Councillor Mrs Sally Tarry, who has overview of community initiatives at North Kesteven District Council, said that the potential presented through the Rural England Prosperity Fund in connecting communities and opening up new initiatives, approaches and opportunities was impressive.

“We know how innovative our communities, charitable organisations, social enterprises and local councils are in identifying and initiating activities for the benefit of residents and in building supportive, safe, cohesive communities. To be able to access up to £10,000 towards capital costs through this initial allocation of funding has the potential to make the world of difference for such initiatives.

“I am excited to see the range of ideas that come forward and encourage any group or organisation that thinks they may be eligible to connect with the Lincolnshire Community Foundation to progress their bid and ensure the money is put to best use in bringing forward and sustaining projects that matter to people and make a difference to community life.

“Later in the year we will have a further £225,000 available, in grants up to £25,000. To have the ability to direct around £300,000 of government funding into levelling up and strengthening the foundations of our flourishing communities is most welcome. I believe it will have a significant impact in developing pride of place and community growth at neighbourhood level”.

Sue Fortune, CEO at Lincolnshire Community Foundation says: “This is an opportunity for local organisations providing crucial services across our rural communities to access much needed funds to improve local facilities that will benefit residents now and into the future, whether it’s to install a new kitchen in a community hub, secure   funding to complete a community play area or complement funds already secured to install solar panels.  I’d encourage anyone interested in applying, but not sure whether their project is eligible, to contact Hayley Crawford at the Foundation”. For an application form and more information: Contact Hayley Crawford  hayley@lincolnshirecf.co.uk Telephone (01529) 305825, or download the Fund Guidelines and an Application Form from our Grants Page at https://lincolnshirecf.co.uk/available-grants/

LVET is an infrastructure organisation representing areas within the voluntary and community sector, your feedback is vital for us to improve the way we do things in the future.  The purpose of the survey is to check we are listening to our members. Delivering what you need and expect, learn about the areas where you think we are doing well, and areas where you feel we could improve. 

We have an LVET away day in January and these survey results will help shape our plan going forwards, so it is important we know what is important to you. Following the away day, we will share progress and keep you updated along the way. 

Information shared with us is anonymous: unless you would like to include your contact details at the end for us to contact you directly to gather any further information if required. If you choose to share your email contact with us, it will only be used for the purposes of responding to this survey.

You can share your thoughts here.