23 July 2010 - Suffolk Communities Benefit from COMMA Funding Awarded to Local Groups by ACRE

COMMA, the Community Aggregates Fund, aims to compensate communities affected by quarrying, by supporting community-based projects in their area.

The successful projects, all undertaken by local people themselves, received grants of between £3,000 and £8,000. They will provide a diverse range of local benefit to the relevant communities. Projects funded include a multi use games area in Layham, maintenance to Nacton Village Hall, repairs to Waldringfield Village Hall car park, elderly/disabled access to Westleton Common and Offton and Willisham community shop.

Since 2007, Suffolk ACRE has locally administered this annual grants programme funded by Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF). Nationally COMMA has attracted over 900 applications and has awarded funding to a value of £1,788,050 to 190 projects which address a wide range of needs in communities affected by aggregates extraction or transportation.

The money makes a real difference at local level. The fund has been valued by local community groups who have contributed their own financial resources, time and voluntary effort, alongside the grants, in order to make these projects a success.

Over the past four years nine Suffolk projects have benefitted from the programme, receiving a total of £85,848. This is the final round of the current programme.

Barry Henson, Community Support Manager for Suffolk ACRE SAID:

“Suffolk ACRE is delighted with the outcome of this year’s COMMA round of funding applications and we very much hope that the programme will continue in future years. Local community organisations looking for funding for their projects should continue to contact us to take advantage of our Funding Advice Service, which has helped to bring over £1.75m into Suffolk in the last full year”.

Sylvia Brown, Chief Executive of National ACRE, said:

“ACRE is delighted to have been able to support such a diverse and exciting range of community initiatives through delivery of the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. It clearly demonstrates how relatively small amounts of investment can harness local effort and fundraising to produce genuine and lasting benefit for communities. It also shows how, given an appropriate impetus, England’s rural communities can and do respond positively to the Big Society principles of self reliance and community action.”

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Storer, Funding Advisor for Suffolk ACRE on 01473 345300.

Source: COMMA 23/07/2010