£4,000 boost for local groups at area board

TWO grants totalling nearly £4,000 were awarded to local groups by the Melksham Area Board at their meeting last month. 

Financial help for new football kit, coaching and operational costs for AFC Melksham disabled football team; and a new sound system, LED lights and loft insulation for Keevil Village Hall, were the two projects awarded a grant – which both came to £3,987. 

A request for a grant of £1,300 from Carer Support Wiltshire to support the new monthly Melksham Carers’ Café, held at the Kings Arms Hotel in the Market Place, was deferred, with councillors requesting more information about how the money will be used. 

The charity’s application said that the grant was to help towards staffing, marketing and venue costs for the carers’ café. 

Cllr Jonathon Seed described the application as ‘short on detail’ and said that he was concerned that £500 of the £1,300 grant request was ringfenced to pay for coffee and cake at ‘commercial rates’. He also queried the ‘sustainability’ of the project and called for the application to be looked at again once the charity had an opportunity to discuss their project in more detail with councillors. 

In response, the charity’s representative said that whilst the location of the carers’ café may be ‘more expensive’, the charity believes that ‘carers are worth it’ and deserve the ‘small break every month’. 

Cllr Nick Holder offered to work with the charity to help reduce the cost of the café without ‘dissipating the effect’ on the carers. 

AFC Melksham disabled football team was given £1,000. Their application said, “Each year AFC Melksham run weekly coaching sessions for disabled people aged 11 upwards. These sessions are free to users with FA qualified, DBS cleared coaches giving their time free of charge. We also enter the teams in Wilts FA Ability Counts leagues and they play 5 tournaments a season across Wiltshire. 

“Most players cannot afford fees or kit, so we support this need from kind grants such as this. This meets a need in Melksham and surrounding areas that otherwise is not in place. We also actively encourage parents and carers to come along to make it a family weekly event.” 

Keevil Village Hall Committee was awarded £2,987 towards improvements in the hall. Their application said, “The existing sound system is old and the hearing loop system doesn’t work. We have quotes to supply and install an updated sound system including new hearing loop.”