UKSPF funding boost for local projects

Sixteen projects and initiatives across the district have benefitted from United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) money over the last few months.
The city council has been awarding the grants having secured this UK government funding for schemes that invest in local communities and spaces.
Three such projects are Startlab, Arcade Britannia and the Whitstable Beavers and Cubs.
Startlab (pictured below), which received UKSPF funding of £9,960, is a community arts programme with a focus on inclusion and creativity led by the Canterbury Theatre & Festival Trust.

It runs across the district and features a wide mix of activities, including a collaborative choral project for primary school children, an all-inclusive community dance project for aspiring choreographers and dancers, and professionally-led comedy workshops for the over 60s.
Beach Creative (pictured below) in Herne Bay was awarded £8,324 in UKSPF funding for the Arcade Britannia project, a celebration of the central role of amusement arcades in British culture.

The initiative comprised an exhibition and a variety of events with its centrepiece being an interactive digital recreation of a late 1980s seaside arcade enhanced by stories of the people who worked and played there.
And a new Whitstable Beavers and Cubs group (pictured top), as part of the 2nd Whitstable Sea Scouts, is thriving following its funding boost of a contributory UKSPF grant of £1,900.
The group runs from Blean Village Hall, and as well as providing all sorts of fun activities for local children, the project also increases the number of volunteer ‘leaders’ required to grow Beavers and Cubs packs to ensure schemes can continue for years to come.
Cabinet member for economic development and inclusion, Cllr Chris Cornell, paid a visit to all three projects to hear more about how the UKSPF grants had made such a difference.
He said: “We’re very proud to have funded schemes for people of all ages across the district through our UKSPF money. It was really inspiring to see that so many people have benefitted from all of these, making new friends and enjoying experiences they otherwise would not have had.
“When you are making decisions on who and what to fund, you can get a sense of what can be achieved by reading an application, but it’s only through seeing the outcomes with your own eyes that you realise how special that is.
“I thank everyone involved in all our UKSPF-funded projects for their passion, commitment and support for their local communities.”

Published: 28 January 2025