A dozen community groups in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge have this week shared a huge £19,456 boost during the annual grants hand-out from the Town Council.
At a meeting of the council’s Finance and Resources Committee on Monday evening (September 4th), councillors reviewed each of the local groups’ grant applications in detail before voting to approve these:
- Burnham Excellent Entertainment Society (BEES) £1,000 (pictured top)
- Burnham and Highbridge Air Cadets £486
- Burnham Pantomime Society £2,500
- Burnham Heritage Group £1,220
- Burnham and Highbridge Sea Cadets £400
- Highbridge Community Hall Trust £1,350
- King Alfred Amateur Boxing Club £500
- Monarchs Gymnastics Club £2,000
- Somerset Youth Theatre £2,500
- The Waffle Hub in Burnham £2,500
- Zone Youth Club £2,500
- Pride on Sea £2,500
Several of the groups had representatives on hand at Monday’s council meeting to answer questions from councillors as they reviewed the applications.
Burnham Excellent Entertainment Society (BEES), pictured top, was highlighted by Cllr Peter Clayton as a “fantastic group that involves a lot of local young people” as councillors unanimously backed it.
Burnham Heritage Group, pictured above, received funding towards the cost of an upcoming new leaflet with a seaside theme which will be released at the end of September.
Burnham and Highbridge Air Cadets was praised for doing an “excellent job locally with young people” by Cllr Mike Facey before councillors voted in support.
Burnham Pantomime Society, pictured above, also received praise after a query from Cllr Barbara Vickers about the funding for sound and lighting equipment for its winter pantomime.
Burnham and Highbridge Sea Cadets also received warm backing for its application towards its activities.
Highbridge Community Hall Trust was also backed with Cllr Sharon Perry, who said it deserves support for its community work in the town.
King Alfred Amateur Boxing Club, pictured below, received support for its proposal to offer reduced rate subscriptions to encourage children into the sport amid the rising cost of living.
Somerset Youth Theatre, based in Highbridge, also received funding. Cllr Sharon Perry said they do “a fantastic job in supporting and encouraging many children.”
Monarchs Gymnastics Club, below, received £2,000 – rather than the requested £2,500 – after councillors decided not to give full funding for an overseas gymnastics trip. Cllr Roger Keen said they are “a very well known, world-renowned group that deserves our support.”
The Waffle Hub in Burnham-On-Sea also received backing for the next stage of its growing operations in the Methodist Church. The group’s Caroline King said the funding will help it fund a new laptop PC and printer for users as part of its digital offering.
Burnham’s Zone Youth Club received half the funding it had requested after committee Chair Cllr Alan Matthews said the amount it had applied for was over the council’s limit. It received £2,500 towards its youth activities.
And Burnham’s Pride on Sea team were pleased to receive £2,500 towards the costs of holding their 2024 event. Cllr Perry said: “Despite the torrential rain at this year’s event, it was a great success and I thoroughly support this application.
