Agenda and minutes

To note any apologies.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor J. Lake.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 June 2022 (previously circulated).

The Minutes of the meeting held on 22 June 2022 were agreed as a correct record and noted by the Chair.

Members to receive a verbal update on the Small Community Grants application for The Inclusion Project Charity.

Members received a verbal update on the Small Community Grants application for The Inclusion Project Charity.

The Inclusion Project Charity had two conditions on their Small Community Grant 2022/23, these were:

1.)   Members wanted to know whether the money received will benefit the Welwyn Hatfield Community, for example will events be held within the borough or is there transport provided.

2.)   Members wanted confirmation on the targeted age group.

The response from the Charity was

1.)   Yes, we will hold the event in the Welwyn Hatfield Community, and it will benefit Welwyn Hatfield residents. 

2.)   The target age group is 18+ adults with Learning Disabilities and / or Autism (and their families).

These conditions were approved by the then Head of Communities and Housing Strategy on 28 July 2022.

RESOLVED:

(unanimous)

The Board noted the update.

Report of the Executive Director (Place) detailing the applications for Annual Community Grants 2023/24.

Report of the Executive Director (Place) detailing the applications for Annual Community Grants 2023/24.

Thirteen applications had been received for consideration for Annual Grants for the financial year 2023/24.

The applications received total £202,437.98 which was more than the available budget of £73,000. Members of the Grants Board were asked to consider the applications set out in Part II of the report and agree funding.

Members are not able to exceed the total budget available.

Grants awarded are subject to agreement from the Council’s Cabinet during the budget setting process for financial year 2023/24.

Falcon Judo Club - £ 2,000.00

The "Judo for All" project will help young members of the community be more active and have the opportunity to spend their time both effectively and actively. The charity recognise the huge negative impact of the Covid-19 crisis on young people's mental health and wellbeing. Furthermore, there is a known fact that students who practice martial arts for longer, are more confident and make better progress at school: healthy mind in a healthy body. They are less likely to become bullied or bullies, use alcohol or drugs, or join gangs.

The charity strongly believe that this project will increase the number of active teenagers in the community and help them get back to normal as soon as possible after the Covid-19 crisis.

The charity are a not-for-profit judo club; and are part of the British Judo Council. The club will deliver free judo sessions for teenagers. The club will aim to popularise the sport (including self-defence techniques) among young people in the local community. Judo is a sport which helps students to build their confidence, strengthen the student's mind and body through training, while learning discipline, perseverance and respect.

The following points were noted:

·       Members thought it was a good project.

·       It was noted that the Falcon Judo Club were not seeking funding elsewhere and members thought it was a risk.

·       Members wanted to encourage the club to look at alternative funding and apply for the Council’s Small Community Grant.

REJECTED a grant of £2,000.

Forever Young People - £19,260.00

Forever Young People CIC combines multi-sport activities and mentoring. The programmes support young people with mental health issues who were displaying self-destructive behaviours and have suffered from social anxiety during Covid-19. These young people are specifically referred to Forever Young People due to mental health issues via doctors, teachers, the youth services, and the various council support teams.  Most referrals were from sufferers with high deprivation, issues with gangs, anti-social behaviour, substance misuse etc. Many have challenging home lives and would not otherwise attend multisport sessions.

The group of young people engaged through this programme have seen huge growth across several areas including:

Better wellbeing, raised self-awareness, understanding in self-regulation, higher confidence and self-esteem, less criminal behaviour, and building on transferable skills.

The following points were noted:

·       Members thought this was a good cause that helped young people tackle mental health issues and benefit the community.

·       Members were not impressed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Members were asked to spread the word about the small community grants and encourage organisations to apply before the deadline for applications.

Members also wanted applicants to have guidance when applying for grants as the application forms can be difficult to interpret.