Forty-five treasured institutions across the United Kingdom are given taxpayer funding to safeguard their future
Pubs, museums and sports clubs across the United Kingdom have been given vital funding from the taxpayers to secure their future for generations to come.
Forty-five treasured spaces in our villages, towns and cities will receive more than £12.3m in taxpayer funding so they can be run by the community, for the community.
Thanks to the latest funding from the taxpayer’s Community Ownership Fund, these institutions will be owned and run by hardworking community groups.
£1 million will rebuild a historic Yorkshire railway bridge in urgent need of repair, which carries the railway line over Bridgehouse Beck between Keighley and Oxenhope.
The taxpayer funding will protect a tourist rail line which is used by more than 250,000 passengers a year, and will improve transport infrastructure in the region so that the local economy can continue to thrive. The original bridge was built in 1867, and the railway line has featured in dozens of films and TV shows over the years including The Railway Children in 1970.
David Pearson, Co-ordinator for External Finance & Resources at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society, said:
An educational aerospace discovery centre in Kinross will be created with £300,000 from the fund, offering interactive learning opportunities and exhibitions which will inspire future generations to pursue STEM careers. And the Vale of Aeron pub in Ystrad Aeron, Wales, which was known as a favourite haunt of the legendary poet Dylan Thomas, has been given £300,000 for renovations to keep it open and make it accessible to the whole community.
Jacob Young, Minister for Levelling Up, said:
Other projects which have received funding include:
The Community Ownership Fund has now given £49.3 million for 195 projects across the UK.
This includes almost £8 million for thirty-three pubs so that local people can still go to their beloved local, and £14.6 million for sixty-six community centres so they can continue to play an important role in people’s lives.
The latest round of allocations includes £770,057 for three projects in Wales, £992,825 for four projects in Scotland and more than £1m for four projects in Northern Ireland.
Changes which came into effect for this round of bids also meant that all projects could bid for up to £1 million in funding, not just sports clubs, and the amount organisations needed to match funds decreased to only 20%, to allow more places to benefit.
The George pub in Kent previously benefited from a £250,000 grant from the fund, which allowed it to reopen in May 2023. The pub shut during the Covid-19 pandemic and the owners decided to sell up and retire, but locals were able to get the doors open again because of the funding and are now planning for the future.
Local resident Alex Withington said:
The Community Ownership Fund is currently open again for bids and will close on 11th October 2023, and groups are being urged to apply for up to £2m in funding for the very first time.
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