GENEROUS grants awarded by the Community Development Foundation’s Community First Programme will breathe a new lease of life into Dallow and South Wards.
Each has been allocated £33,910 to cover the next four years.
The funds will support existing and proposed projects aimed at improving residents’ quality of life. They will not only revitalise groups that are already up and running but will encourage the formation of new ones to promote a sense of ownership.
A Community First Panel, comprising local people of all ages and backgrounds, has been set up in each area to administer the funds. They have already identified key issues.
Grants of between £250 and £2,500 are available for a period of 12 months, after which organisation will be invited to reapply.
The application process has been deliberately simplified so that new and existing groups with limited resources and capability can access the fund.
South Anglia Housing community development co-ordinator Ashuk Ahmed, MBE, who helped secure the funding for South Ward, said: “I hope this grant will help people in both wards express their needs and influence decisions about their communities, as well as enabling them to take control of the necessary resources that will make a difference.”
Chair of the Dallow panel, Mahmood Hussain, said: “This gives people an opportunity to come forward with ideas that can have a positive impact on the quality of life in terms of health and wellbeing, employment and training.”
> To find out more about the South Ward programme, call 01582 413358/725500 or email southward.luton@gmail.com; for Dallow Ward call 01582 410333 or email dallowward.luton@gmail.com