Peterborough City Council offering up to £4k in grant funds to community groups that aid older adults

Community groups in Peterborough are being invited to bid for funding that will help encourage older adults to be more socially connected.

Launched by Peterborough City Council, the initiative will focus on providing activities which will enable people aged over 65 to make better use of physical activity groups, lunch clubs, community transport, cultural activities and peer support groups.

“We are fully committed to helping older residents to get active, learn new skills and make friends as part of our work to create strong and sustainable communities,” said Councillor Saqib Farooq, who is the council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Health.

The council has said the deadline for applications will be December 21.

Representatives from groups and charities can bid for grants of up to £4,000. This amount will be offered for a period of two years, with the potential to extend for up to four further years.

Councillor Farooq wants any community group within the city that runs or organises older adults community activities to take full advantage of this opportunity:

“This is a unique chance for groups to get funding,” he said, “I would urge them to get in touch.”

Councillor Farooq is also adamant that he would like the word to be spread, encouraging even those who play no active role in organising community activities for older people to pass on news about the scheme:

“I would urge everyone to make any community groups and organisations aware of this scheme so they can help make a real difference to older people in our communities.”

Groups will need to meet certain criteria in order to apply, and all grant applications will be evaluated by a panel with representation from various local government departments.

Along with the amount of funding requested by each community group, the panel will take into account the number of older adults expected to benefit from the funds when making its evaluations.More information about the criteria, along with detailed instructions on how to apply can be found at www.peterborough.gov.uk/community-activities-grants