Gateshead Council has given away more than £22,000 – and its delighted!
A total of £22,373.60 has been distributed to local community groups by Gateshead Council as part of a scheme to promote neighbourliness.
In a unique event which blended the BBC TV programme “Dragon’s Den” and the ITV game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”, Gateshead Council invited community groups to pitch for funding in front of a live audience – who were then asked to vote on whether they should receive funds or not!
The money Gateshead Council gave away had been allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) specifically to fund activities which promote community cohesion. But instead of letting councillors or council officers decide who got the money, Gateshead Council took the unusual step of letting the local community make the decisions instead.
The event, which was held at Gateshead College last month, attracted 10 different groups representing a wide cross section of the community, including people from disabled groups, ethnic minority communities, refugee organisations and women’s groups.
As well as being there to pitch for their own organisation, they also provided an enthusiastic audience who eventually voted to award:
· £4,750 to a group who wanted to stage a celebration of the Hindu Lohri Festival, which would also involve workshops with artists in local primary schools,
· £810 to the Birtley East Tenant’s and Residents Association for an intergenerational Christmas party, in which local young people serve food prepared by adults to older people who will have been transported to the venue by volunteers,
· £2,700 to a group of learning disabled volunteers who run nightclubs for the learning disabled in Gateshead and who want to open them up to non-learning disabled young people to help break down prejudices and barriers.
· £4,263.60 for a Gateshead Multicultural Football Training Scheme aimed at providing football training for people from different backgrounds, including refugee communities.
The event was opened by Councillor David Napier, Gateshead Cabinet member for Safer Stronger Communities.
“This was a brilliant event – everyone had a great time and we were able to grant funding for some genuinely interesting community events,” he says.
“Many of the presentations were colourful, innovative and entertaining, and ranged from the usual PowerPoint presentation to exuberant song and dance routines.
“In the end, the audience were required to make some difficult decisions, but they made some good ones and I am sure the groups who have benefited from their decisions will make excellent use of the funding they have received.”
A total of ten projects applied for grant aid and seven were successful. Groups left with cheques totalling £22,373.60 which had been presented to them by the Deputy Mayor of Gateshead, Councillor Joe Mitchinson.
The unsuccessful applicants will now be contacted by Gateshead Council and other funders to discuss how alternative other funding for their projects might be found