A community fund has supported 14 projects in North Warwickshire and Nuneaton in its first year.

Develop Warwickshire – a joint venture between Warwickshire Property & Development Group (WPDG), Vistry and Warwickshire County Council – launched the fund to support projects positively impacting the communities near its development sites.

Community groups and organisations are able to apply for up to £2,000 grant funding or in-kind support. The fund has awarded 14 grants since it launched in December 2023.

Aspire in Arts, a not-for-profit youth organisation based in Nuneaton, has benefited from the fund and received a £1,689 grant.

The organisation moved into its new town centre home last year and the grant has been used to part-fund new first floor restroom facilities.

Aspire in Arts supports more than 200 local people, runs five youth clubs per week and offers support to young people who aren’t in education or employment.

Kirsty Lowrie, Director at Aspire in Arts, said: “We are here to support young people in Nuneaton and to be there for people who need that support the most. We moved into our new building around a year ago, it’s a huge space and perfect for what we want to do.

“However, there has been a lot of work to do, much of that is ongoing, and funding from organisations like Develop Warwickshire is crucial to help us achieve our ambitions.”

Other groups to have been supported this year include Nuneaton Men and Women in Sheds, which used the funds to purchase a new router table for its workshop.

Warton Community Speed Watch, which promotes road safety in the community, has been able to purchase a speed gun through the fund, while Nuneaton North Scout Group has purchased new loft ladders and a hatch to enable access to their loft space.

White Hart Community Group has used funding to convert a woodwork workshop into a meeting room and Bedworth Ex Servicemen’s Bowling Club has been able to install new external wooden doors to prevent break-ins.

Props, costumes and programmes from a production of Beauty and the Beast at Weddington Primary School were funded through the scheme.

Volunteer group Baxterley in Bloom has installed a bench and bought a hydrostatic mower with support from the Develop Warwickshire Community Fund.

Councillor Peter Butlin, Deputy Leader of Warwickshire County Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property said: “The Develop Warwickshire Community Fund is a fantastic way to extend the work of the joint venture for the benefit of local people in North Warwickshire, Nuneaton, and Bedworth.

“Through Develop Warwickshire we are creating sustainable, high-quality, and affordable new homes that really enhance our county and the community fund is a valuable extension of this work making a difference to a range of projects and schemes that play an important role to local communities.”

Develop Warwickshire is currently delivering two residential schemes in Nuneaton and North Warwickshire, a 71-home scheme in Warton and a major 1,700 home development at Top Farm in Nuneaton.

The annual grant fund is comprised of £25,000 in cash and £25,000 work in-kind from the joint venture partners.

Stuart Buckley, Managing Director of WPDG, said: “We launched the fund a year ago with the aim of leaving a positive lasting legacy on communities in North Warwickshire and Nuneaton.

“The take-up from local organisations has been fantastic and we have been able to support a wide variety of different projects and meaningful causes.

“It was great to visit Aspire in Arts and learn about the excellent and important work they are doing for the community in Nuneaton. They are a perfect example of the projects and organisations we are aiming to support through the fund.”

Paul Costiff, Development Director at Vistry, added: “It is vital to integrate new communities with those already established when creating new places to live in. This fund is one of the ways we can make a real difference to those living around our schemes and leave a lasting legacy in our communities.”

To find out more about the Develop Warwickshire Community Fund, visit www.developwarwickshire.com/community-fund-and-applications/