01/07/2025: Latest grants bring year's total to over £90k

Breckland Council has awarded £25,000 to local organisations in its fourth round of Inspiring Communities Match-Funding Grants. The latest community investment brings the total for the year to more than £90,000. 

The grants are supporting grassroots groups and charities that make a real difference to the district by tackling vulnerability and improving the health and wellbeing of residents. The funded initiatives reflect the priorities of the Inspiring Communities Programme and Breckland Health and Wellbeing Partnership - this includes helping people who have experienced domestic abuse, mental health challenges, and social isolation.  

Delivered in partnership with Norfolk Community Foundation, the three-year grant scheme is committed to building a happier, healthier district, with thriving, better-connected communities. 

With £300k of funding allocated to community organisations over three years, the programme empowers local groups through strategic partnerships, early intervention, and funding support. 

The most recent round of funding has been awarded to: 

• Dereham Baptist Church: Awarded £5,000 to contribute towards the running of the Debt Centre. 
• St Nicholas Hospice Care: Awarded £5,000 to fund psychological support for adults who are dying or who have experienced the death of a loved one. 
• Age UK Norfolk: Awarded £5,000 to deliver the Later Life Companionship project, which includes telephone befriending and travelling companionship, for people in later life across Breckland. 
• Dereham Meeting Point: Awarded £5,000 to expand the weekend service. 
• The Joe Dix Foundation: Awarded £5,000 to support the foundation's work increasing the understanding of the dangers of Child Criminal Exploitation, knife crime and gang culture in Breckland. 

Cllr Tristan Ashby, Executive Member for Health and Communities, said: "At Breckland, we are committed to supporting our most vulnerable residents while enhancing the overall health and wellbeing of our communities. Many organisations in Breckland are doing incredible work to help the most disadvantaged members of our district, and often they rely entirely on funding. We are proud to have awarded grants to 21 groups in the first year of this scheme, totalling over £90k worth of funding. 

"Through our Inspiring Communities Match-Funding Grant Scheme, we are giving these groups the financial boost they need to ensure they can afford the necessary tools and resources to carry on delivering these much-needed services. The council will continue to fund initiatives that make a real difference to people's lives and building a happier, healthier Breckland will remain one of our top priorities." 

Breckland Council is inviting grant applicants for the second year of Inspiring Communities Match-Funding Grants. To apply, go towww.norfolkfoundation.com. (opens new window)

See below for the full list of grants given from the first year of the scheme.

Round 1: 

• Caring Friends for Cancer: Awarded £3,500 to facilitate delivering their services to those affected by cancer and other long-term illnesses.  
• Home-Start Norfolk: Awarded £4,648 to provide early support interventions for families with children under the age of five in Breckland.  
• Love Dereham Ltd: Awarded £5,000 to provide food and companionship to local residents in need.  
• Norwich City Community Sports Foundation: Awarded £2,500 to continue delivering the 'Street Canaries' programme in Dereham, supporting young people aged 11-16 with low attainment at school.  
• Thetford Vineyard Church: Awarded £5,000 to support the Growkids project, which offers children's clothing and the Kids Matter parenting courses in Thetford.  
• Wellspring Family Centre: Awarded £5,000 to assist the Well-come project, which supports individuals of all ages experiencing chronic health issues. 

Round 2: 

• Attleborough Town Council: Awarded £5,000 to contribute to the first-year costs of new youth provision in Attleborough.  
• Breckland Children's Clothes Bank: Awarded £4,500 to assist with core costs that enable Breckland Children's Clothes Bank to expand its provision across Breckland.  
• Fountain Of Life Church: Awarded £5,000 to support the work of the mid-Norfolk Debt Centre.  
• Menscraft: Awarded £5,000 to deliver the Pit Stop programme in Watton, Thetford and Dereham.   
• Norfolk Clubhouse: Awarded £2,470 to fund an additional session of the Norfolk Clubhouse Watton Hub, engaging with adults with chronic mental health needs.  
• The Horticulture Industry Scheme CIC (THIS): Awarded £4,915 to support the 'Social Gardens' project which carries out garden transformations for vulnerable residents in Thetford and surrounding areas. 

Round 3: 

• Norfolk Community Law Service: Awarded £5,000 to expand the Free Legal Advice Service in Breckland via an additional Mobile Legal Adviser.  
• Benjamin Foundation: Awarded £5,000 to contribute towards the costs of running a youth and young carers group in Wayland.  
• Dove's Nest Ministries Furniture: Awarded £5,000 to support the annual operational costs of the Furniture Project.  
• Norfolk Deaf Association (t/a Hear for Norfolk): Awarded £5,000 to support the delivery of the Hearing Support Service and Cuppa Care in Breckland. 

For Round 4, see above.