Thousands of pounds of community cash is set to be spent on organisations across the Ottery parish.

Sidmouth Herald: Members of the Men's Shed in Ottery celebrate its first birthday.Members of the Men's Shed in Ottery celebrate its first birthday. (Image: Archant)

Ottery Town Council approved the recommendations of the finance committee at last Monday’s meeting, allocating money to support 14 groups and charities in the area.

The biggest beneficiaries include £1,000 to the town’s Men Shed towards the cost of putting in a planning application to move to the football club.

Members debated the recommendation to grant £250 out of the £1,000 asked for by the Ottery Food and Families Festival.

The event’s committee requested the sum to go towards enhancing signage, provide a visitor shuttle service from the football club and Finnimore estate and more children’s events.

Councillor Roger Giles suggested the amount be doubled, but members said it was the same amount as last year and said businesses did not benefit from the day.

Cllr Giles said: “This is one of the highlights of the social calendar in Ottery when you take out Pixie Day in June and carnival. This is the most important event that gives the most enjoyment to most people in Ottery and it’s a big help for Ottery businesses. It puts Ottery on the map and brings people in and it seems to me a bit niggardly to give £250.”

The council also outlined it would make funding available for the town’s netball club, in its bid to raise £30,000 for new lights to play all-year round at The King’s School - but left the amount in abeyance until the council had received outstanding Section 106 money from developers.

The council will reconsider the Ottery St Mary Town Band’s bid as the grant figure previously proposed by the council was accidently omitted from the paperwork, and will need to be resubmitted before a decision could be made.

Funding was to be left in abeyance for the station’s youth centre until it resumed operation.

The council also awarded grants to:

? OSM Joint Guide and Scout committee £300

? Ottery St Mary and District Health and Care Forum £450

? Ottery Community Theatre £330

? Ottery Help Scheme £900

? Ottery in Bloom £500

? Ottery St Mary Twinning Association £500

? Tale Valley Trust £100

? Tipton St John Community Hall Trust £750 – payment will be made following an invoice confirming completion of the works.

? Tipton Times £300 - payment will be made following an invoice confirming completion of the works.

? Tipton St John Playing Field Association £4,000 – money already in reserves

? Citizens Advice East Devon £1,000