Funding Boost for Community Events in Parks and Greenspaces

LOCAL community groups can now apply for funding to provide events and activities in Tameside Parks and countryside from the Greenspace Cultural Activities Fund.

£30,000 has been allocated from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to support projects across Tameside which can contribute skills and training, health benefits, sustainability and a whole host of other benefits aligned with the funding priorities.

The council was successful in securing a £1.9million grant from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities fund, which aims to build pride in place and increase life chances.

The UKSPF funding has been used to support in a wide range of initiatives across Tameside from increasing employment opportunities to cultural events and playground facilities.

So far it has helped to create jobs and support potential entrepreneurs, as well as supporting residents with job searches and gaining employment. A team is also in place to help young people who are not in education, employment or training into work.

The funding has also supported creative events, including the annual lantern parade, Fridays on the Square in Ashton and Stalybridge Street Fest, which is now an established local food and live music event that has brought people together and supported local businesses, boosting economic growth.

Work to restore Stalybridge Civic Hall is part funded by the UKSPF and community groups in Hyde are also able to apply for funding to deliver cultural activities. Elsewhere, the mechanisms within the St Petersfield fountains have been repaired, enabling the significant feature to be brought back into use.

Improvements have already been made to parks, play areas and countryside sites, including creating a new path and improving the existing paths at Denton’s Granada Park and drainage work at Cheetham Park, Stalybridge, to make the sites more accessible. Planting has also taken place. Work at King George V Playing Fields, Ashton, and Mottram Park in Longdendale, will start in the next few months with plans for more inclusive play equipment.

Cllr Jack Naylor, Executive Member – Inclusive Growth, Business and Employment said: “The grant that we secured from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund has already supported a wide range of initiatives, including helping to create jobs, as well as deliver cultural events that bring people together.”

“We will continue to invest the funding into enhancing Tameside as an attractive place to live, work and play.”

Cllr Denise Ward, Executive Member – Climate Emergency and Environmental Services added: “It’s important that while we continue to conserve and improve our parks and playgrounds and greenspaces that look to find new ways and events to ensure that we encourage even more people to enjoy and use Tameside’s fantastic outdoor spaces.”

To apply for funding and find out more information visit: www.tameside.gov.uk/ukspfgreenspacegrants