Community grants
A one-off grant of up to £10,000 could be available for voluntary or community groups who provide a service that covers most of Greater Manchester. Funding is available for projects in the areas of culture, education and young people, social and community cohesion, economic development and job creation.
Your group must be a properly constituted voluntary sector organisation providing a countywide service, and the money is only for fixed term project costs or for events or brief programmes, not ongoing spending. A spokesman for AGMA, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, said: “For the best chance of success, applicants will need to show they are active in seven or more of the Greater Manchester districts: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.”
The deadline for applications is 31 July and they will be considered by AGMA councillors in November. Applicants are advised to contact the AGMA Grants Unit before applying on 0161 234 3364, or email agma.grants@notes.manchester.gov.uk
Blue badge boost
Improvements to the way the disabled Blue Badge scheme is administered are now complete with the integration of services under a single roof at Pemberton. Now customers from throughout the borough will deal directly with the dedicated car badge team at Wigan’s Civic Centre. Application forms can still be collected from local libraries and adult services offices, or downloaded at www.wigan.gov.uk
The new arrangements mean a quicker, more consistent and cost effective service.
A warm front is on its way in
In the last issue of Borough Life, we reported a free gift of cavity wall and loft insulation for the over 70s – with no strings attached – and hundreds of you have already taken advantage. Now, if you don’t mind looking ahead to freezing February even though it’s only flaming June, Borough Life has news of another amazing offer to help you stay warmer this winter.
If you own your own home or rent it from a private landlord, you could qualify for a grant of up to £2,700 under a national scheme called Warm Front. Households occupied by someone aged 60 or over, a child under 16, a pregnant woman or a disabled person can all qualify as long as they are getting a relevant benefit such as Income Support, Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit or Pension Credit.
You could get loft insulation, draught proofing, cavity wall insulation, hot water-tank insulation or even new central heating with a combination boiler and up to five radiators. All successful applicants will be visited at home by a trained assessor to check what's needed.
Even if you do not qualify for a Warm Front Grant because you don’t receive a relevant benefit, you may still be eligible for a £300 rebate. This is available to all householders aged 60 or over who own their home or rent it from a private landlord, and who either have no central heating system or one which isn’t working.
To check if you’re eligible contact the Greater Manchester Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on Freephone 0800 512012 or, from mobile phones, telephone 0161 242 5819. For details of a range of other energy saving benefits, visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk (external link).
Donors... The gift of life
Wigan Council is backing a major drive to increase the number of organ donors.
July 6-13 has been designated National Transplant Week, and a special information bus is visiting Wigan to make people more aware of organ donation and the importance of joining the donor register. The eye-catching red London bus will be in Standishgate outside the Grand Arcade on Tuesday 8th July.
Benn there, done that
Environment secretary Hilary Benn has visited the 300-home Ince Central estate, beneath which a ‘cocktail of contaminants’ was discovered by council contractors back in 2003. The minister saw for himself the ongoing multi-million pound programme by the council and Wigan and Leigh Housing to get rid of the contamination.
Free car seat advice
Eight out of ten children’s car seats are not fitted properly, according to worrying new research. The council’s road safety team can offer free, impartial advice on what seats are best for your car. They can also arrange short term loans of car seats.
Contact the team for an appointment on 01942 488250.
New shop is just the job for Leigh
Shoppers in Leigh may have noticed a little extra help on the high street recently. The opening of the new Skills Shop in Market Street means that ‘new job’ or ‘training course’ can now be added to the weekly shopping list.
Like its pioneering sister in Wigan, which generated hundreds of opportunities for local people on the back of the Grand Arcade development, the Leigh Skills Shop offers a range of services to help local people improve their job prospects. It showcases the opportunities being generated from council-backed new developments in the area, such as Leigh Sports Village and Bickershaw.
Already, over 400 people have dropped in, and staff have helped nearly 200 people with vocational qualifications and around 50 others gain essential basic skills. “The Wigan success meant that we were able to secure an additional £250,000 funding for the Leigh scheme,” explains council leader Peter Smith.
“We want to help local people reach their full potential and ensure that they do not miss out on the many job opportunities on the way.”
You can drop in to the shop at 8 Market Street from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, or phone 01942 404456.
Experience could make all the difference
Do you have experience in business, housing or financial management, or development law? If so, Wigan & Leigh Housing (WALH) would love to hear from you.
The company, which manages 23,000 homes on behalf of Wigan Council, has recently completed a five year, £250 million investment programme and ambitious plans are in place to provide more affordable homes in the borough. Now WALH is looking to recruit independent, non-executive directors to join the company board. The right people will be committed, enthusiastic and imaginative, able to contribute to the company vision of creating better neighbourhoods.
These are unpaid, voluntary positions, though expenses will be paid and training given. It’s also a great opportunity for personal or career development. Anybody interested should contact Edward Flanagan on 01942 486523, visit www.walh.co.uk or e-mail recruitment@walh.co.uk by 18th July.
If you go down to the woods...
Bouncy castles… pah! Face-painting… forget it! Playgrounds… oh please!
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust has been thinking long and hard about the serious business of having fun. And this year, to celebrate National Play Day, the play team wants to make things a little bit more risky. Play development officer Diane Winnard explains: “Playing out used to mean exactly that, going out into the fresh air and open spaces, having an adventure and getting a bit mucky.
“How we play as children has a lot to do with the people we become as adults and if we don’t take the odd risk every now and again we won’t know how to deal with them in adult life.”
Diane adds: “We will be heading to the woods at Lilford Park in Leigh and we will be encouraging the children to take part in building dens, playing adventure games, making mud pools and climbing trees.”
There will even be a place where the children can ‘park’ their parents for the day while they go off into the woodlands. And it will all be supervised by fully qualified play team members.
National Play Day takes place on Wednesday August 6 at Lilford Park, The Avenue, Leigh, between 10am and 3pm. It’s completely free and open to everyone. To find out more call 01942 886780.
