£500,000 set aside for communities from sale of Exeter Airport

COMMUNITIES in East Devon can now apply for up to £30,000 of funding to help them refurbish, improve or even build community buildings.

COMMUNITIES in East Devon can now apply for up to £30,000 of funding to help them refurbish, improve or even build community buildings.

Due to a windfall of half a million pounds from the sale of Exeter Airport, the Community Council of Devon (CCD), which administers the 'Multi-use Community Buildings Grant' is, until 2010, able to raise the individual maximum grant it can give from £15,000 to £30,000.

The Fund isn't just for village halls; it is open to buildings anywhere in East Devon which are run by the local community on a charitable basis.

A condition of each application is that there must be match funding of at least twice the amount of the grant from other sources, so to receive £30,000 of funding, community organisations would have to provide £60,000 from elsewhere.

However, if they opt to apply for a smaller amount of funding they could get a grant for two thirds of the cost of the project, up to a total of £6,000. This is because applications for up to £6,000 may be funded through CCD and also by East Devon District Council. This joint scheme has been running for several years, most recently benefitting community buildings in Whimple and East Budleigh.

Councillor Andrew Moulding, EDDC's Portfolio Holder Resources said: "This is an excellent opportunity for communities from all around East Devon to apply for larger grants to help them continue and build upon the fantastic work they already do.

"I would urge people to apply for this large pot of money whilst it is available, and let the relevant people in their communities know it exists.