£300,000 handed out to Peterborough groups to bring communities together

The third - and final - wave of successful organisations has now been announced, with a total of £300,000 now handed out as part of Peterborough City Council’s Communities Fund.

The fund was made possible thanks to the city being chosen as one of five integration areas across England and Wales in 2018.

The winning bids were selected by the Peterborough Together Partnership Board, which looked for applications which demonstrated longevity and a commitment to bring the city’s many diverse and growing communities together:

. The Peterborough Diwali Festival Committee - £5,100 to deliver the Peterborough Diwali Festival, which is celebrated every year in Cathedral Square.

. Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) Dogsthorpe branch - £16,630 to deliver a Growing Communities project, which aims to bring communities together to transform neglected communal green spaces in Dogsthorpe into cleaner, more biodiverse spaces that will make neighbourhoods more attractive, pleasant places to live.

. KingsGate Community Church - £16,072 to deliver the ‘Celebrate Parnwell’ project, which aims to foster community spirit by bringing people of different backgrounds together to celebrate local identities and culture and develop strong and positive relationships.

. 62 Gladstone Street (arts group) - £5,396 to launch a new summer programme for all young people in and around Peterborough, including arts-based workshops, talks and courses, such as monthly film clubs with cinema from all corners of the world.

. African Caribbean Association - £1,275 to put together a Celebrating Windrush Day event on June 22, which will bring people of Caribbean descent and their neighbours closer.

. Cambridge Women’s Resource Centre (Peterborough branch) - £17,000 to deliver the Together 4 Women project, which will support women into employment through group work and one to one provision. The project will work with vulnerable women with complex needs such as debt, domestic abuse and mental health issues from all cultures and backgrounds. It would be open to all women in the Peterborough area, but focus on those who are not in education, training or employment.

. Metal Arts - £10,967 to develop and launch a visual arts project with international artist Kate Genever, called ‘Consequences’. The project celebrates intercultural, inter-generational conversations between women across Peterborough through collaborative drawing.

. Peterborough Asylum and Refugee Community Association (PARCA) - £15,575 to engage with women who find it difficult to get their voice heard and support them to take part in community work, building capacity and confidence to integrate in society.

. Community First - £16,915 to deliver Project Thrive, which will enhance the lives of those living in the Central, Millfield and New England areas to improve the environment, community safety, young people’s activities and sense of belonging through volunteer-led action.

Adrian Chapman, service director for communities at Peterborough City Council, who sits on the Peterborough Together Partnership Board, said: “We are delighted the Communities Fund has been so successful. We’ve received over 120 applications from community groups around Peterborough all with some great ideas on how to engage and integrate communities even further.

“Unfortunately we didn’t have an infinite amount of money to give out and so not everyone could be successful, but I know the panel considered each application long and hard and were really impressed by the quality.”

Cllr Irene Walsh, cabinet member for communities, said: “Throughout the Communities Fund I have been amazed by the variety of projects which will engage a real cross section of the community - young, old and from a number of nationalities, faiths, cultures, interests and backgrounds.

“This is exactly what the funding was intended for and I look forward to seeing these projects develop and how they will benefit our residents.”