Penzance Council has recently awarded over £28,000 in grant funding to a diverse range of local community organisations. Councillors resolved to support eight grant applications for a range of upcoming events and ongoing projects, including Penzance’s spectacular midwinter festival and the popular town centre hanging baskets.
Penzance Council provides grants to local community groups and charities who are working to benefit the residents and environment of the local area.
Due to an unprecedented demand on grant applications in 2024, the total grant funding budget was allocated before the end of the financial year. To address this, the grant funding budget has been increased for 2025/2026, making more grants available for community organisations. To ensure that grant funding is available throughout the financial year, four defined grant windows have been introduced to spread the funding budget.
During the first two grant windows of this financial year, £28,168 has been awarded to eight community organisations including Montol Festival, Penzance Community Flora Group, YMCA Cornwall, West Cornwall Women’s Aid, Redwing Contemporary Art CIC, Citizens Advice Cornwall, Friends of Penzance Burial Ground and Nance Provisions CIC.
Montol Festival
Taking place on 21 December, the shortest day of the year, Montol is an annual arts and community festival in Penzance, which celebrates the midwinter solstice, Cornish midwinter traditions of the past, and customs associated with Old Christmas.
With Montol falling on a Sunday this year, the event organisers are planning a ‘Super Saturday’ of public workshops and activities the day before the main event. The £7,500 of grant funding from Penzance Council awarded to Montol Festival CIC will be used to deliver a bigger and better festival than ever, to be enjoyed safely by visitors and members of the local community.
Montol Festival organisers commented: “A huge thank you to Penzance Council for awarding Montol grant funding again. The money will ensure that this year’s festival goes ahead and is brighter, more brimful and safer than ever before.”
Penzance Community Flora Group
The Penzance Community Flora Group is team of volunteers dedicated to enhancing and maintaining the planted spaces in the heart of Penzance. Their aim is to foster a strong sense of civic pride by creating attractive, welcoming planted spaces that reflect the town’s vibrant spirit and community values.
Matching funding from Penzance BID, the £3,168 of grant funding from Penzance Council will provide 240 beautiful hanging baskets and floral displays within the town centre next year, benefitting residents, business owners and visitors to Penzance.
YMCA Cornwall
Established in Penzance over a hundred years ago, these days YMCA Cornwall can provide 50 young people with a safe, affordable home and the support they need to build a successful, independent future.
The £4,364 of grant funding from Penzance Council will be put towards a project to convert two existing spaces on their site in Penzance into four additional flats for homeless young people. The project is in direct response to their large and increasing accommodation waiting list, which currently stands at 46 young people, 10 of whom are under 18 years old.
West Cornwall Women’s Aid
West Cornwall Women’s Aid (WCWA) supports women and their children who have experienced domestic abuse, sexual violence, exploitation and / or trafficking. They deliver a range of services that make up a trauma-informed wrap-around programme to enable women and children to thrive.
West Cornwall Women’s Aid will use the £3,776 of grant funding from Penzance Council to project manage and deliver this year’s 16 Days of Activism – a high-profile event that aims to bring the community together on the issue of violence against women and girls, and includes a Solidarity Walk and vigil.
Redwing Contemporary Art CIC
Based in Penzance, Redwing Contemporary Art CIC aims to improve the income and circumstances of artists who have trouble engaging with the mainstream art system. Working out of the former Sir Humphry Davy pub on Alverton Street, they offer a wide range of workshops, exhibitions, and classes, as well as operating initiatives such as the Penzance Repair Café, Community Larder and Land for Nature project.
Redwing Contemporary Art CIC now have the opportunity to purchase this building as a community asset and will use the £2,909 of grant funding from Penzance Council to contribute towards the associated legal costs and stamp duties.
Citizens Advice Cornwall
Citizens Advice Cornwall is a charity offering free, independent and confidential advice on welfare benefits, debt, housing, relationship issues, employment and redundancy, consumer, legal issues and more. Last year, the charity helped 450 clients from Penzance Parish with a wide range of issues.
With the £1,826 of grant funding from Penzance Council, Citizens Advice Cornwall will be replacing laptops and ancillary hardware at their Penzance Office in order to maintain appropriate cyber security for client data, which is essential for their advice service.
Friends of Penzance Burial Ground
The Friends of Penzance Burial Ground are a group of volunteers committed to restoring and maintaining a former burial ground in Heamoor, with the aim to open it up as a community memorial garden.
Grant funding of £2,327 from Penzance Council will be used for a full tree survey – and all the associated pruning, felling and chipping works – which is legally required before the burial ground can be opened to the general public.
Nance Provisions CIC
Nance Provisions CIC delivers bushcraft workshops in an outdoor setting to help individuals develop a connection with nature and improve their confidence. Practical skills are developed through activities ranging from archery to angling, drone flying to DIY.
Delivering such a wide range of activities in a forest school setting, Nance Provisions CIC are in need of a shipping container and storage racks to ensure that all the necessary equipment is available close to hand. The £2,298 of grant funding from Penzance Council will help to provide this secure storage, and make sure that activities can be reactive based on individual needs.
Further Grant Applications
The next round of grant applications will be considered at the Finance & General Purposes Committee meeting on Monday 20 October. The final grant application window will open on Monday 15 December. Local community groups and charities can find out more about how to apply on the Penzance Council website: www.penzance-tc.gov.uk/grants/ or by contacting the council offices (Tel: 01736 363405 or Email: [email protected])
