New funding pots created for groups across Telford and Wrekin

A series of new funding pots worth £285,000 are being created for borough groups across Telford and Wrekin to bid for.

The new Telford 2020 Fund will go towards some new as well as supporting a number of tried and tested community-led funding schemes.

The first of Telford 2020 Fund’s schemes is £75,000 to support a range of events and initiatives in the borough to mark the 75th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day.

Telford & Wrekin Council will open a £20,000 pot that community groups can bid for to host their own events and activities to mark 75 years since the end of World War II. These are likely to centre on the VE Day Bank Holiday weekend 8-10 May.

The pot will also help fund a borough VE Day event on 8 May, details of which will be published in due course, as well as a range of other initiatives linked to the anniversary, details of which are being finalised.

A number of other different funding pots will also be created by the Telford 2020 Fund and more details of these will follow soon.

Council leader Shaun Davies said: “The Council creating such bidding pots linked to events such as Telford 50 has been a great way to encourage and fund borough groups and organisations to come forward with their own ideas and events that involve thousands of people, reaching right across Telford and Wrekin.

“Through this new Telford 2020 Fund, we can now target a number of new initiatives.

“Given the borough’s very strong links with the Armed Forces, it’s only right that we offer support to communities to remember those who fought in World War Two and mark the 75th anniversaries of. VE and VJ Day.

“I look forward to many more groups getting involved through the Telford 2020 Fund and, with our support, helping to make their ideas happen.”

The Telford 2020 Fund has been created with money left from the Council’s £2 million Telford 50 Legacy fund launched in 2018.