Community Fund
Prescot Town Council is able to provide Small Grant Funding of up to £500 for local community projects.
What is Section 137 funding?
Section 137 refers to the Local Government Act 1972, which ‘empowers Local Councils to have the power to spend up to a prescribed amount in any one year for the benefit of the inhabitants of the area or part of them.’
Who can apply?
Section 137 is open to any community, voluntary, charitable or non-profit making organisation based in Prescot or predominantly serving the Prescot community. Organisations must be:
- Properly Constituted
- Have a bank account with at least two signatories
- Provide a benefit to residents of Prescot
- Be able to provide evidence of spend for the entirety of a project to which the Town Council have provided funding
For further details please read the guidance notes attached below and if you wish to make an application please complete the application form which is available by clicking the link below:
Community Fund Application Form
Community Recognition Awards
Prescot has a rich tradition as a Town with a strong community, sometimes the efforts of particular individuals and groups stand out as being above and beyond that of a usual citizen. These groups and individuals are not always aware of the positive impact they can have, on both individuals and the wider community, and can go largely unsung for their actions.
In order to recognise these individuals and the positive contribution they make to the lives of others, the Town Council operate the Prescot Community Recognition Awards, if you would like to make a nomination please use the form below. Closing date for nominations is 30th April 2020.
2019 Winners
Karl and Clare Duvall – Citizens of the Year
Founders of the Red Box Appeal in Prescot and then Knowsley. It was through Karl’s role as school governor at the Prescot School that he became aware a startling problem affecting students. Although the problem must have existed for some time it had never been addressed. Karl learnt that a number of female students were losing valuable schooling as a result of not having appropriate sanitary products to address their menstrual cycle, which led to them not attending school during this time. Appalled by this knowledge Karl and Clare decided to take action by developing the Red Box project. Initially for The Prescot School, the Red Box Project is a simple concept whereby a Red Box is provided to a prominent building enabling people to donate sanitary products, the contents of the box are then collected and distributed to those who need them. The project was such a success Karl and Clare soon moved beyond the town boundary and have pushed the project out to almost every school in Knowsley. We live in a Town and wider area where there exists high levels of deprivation, that deprivation is not solely experienced by students at our local schools but also their parents and it has also been the case that some male students have accessed the Red Box to provide its contents to their families at home.
The project that Karl and Clare have conceived, developed and delivered has addressed a serious issue affecting education and wider issues within our Town and indeed the borough. It is literally impossible to estimate the number of lives they have had a positive impact on and the number of school hours that would had been lost had they not developed the Red Box project, it is people like this that change perceptions, reveal problems and do something about them, we should be honored to call them Prescotians.
The Friends of Eaton Street Park – Community Group of the Year.
The group was initially formed in 2010 after local residents got together to support the Revitalisation of the Park. Initially comprising of just eight members, the group has grown and expanded both in number and achievement over the years having developed it’s own events programme and increasing memberships.
One of the group’s first achievements was the installation of new gates to the park and the restoration of the rose garden, which had sadly fallen into decline. Working alongside officers from both Knowsley and Prescot Town Councils the group managed to draw in £10,000 of external funding and developed links with Evelyn Primary School whose pupils helped to design the new gates. The existence of the group themselves and their role in delivering the park improvements were a key component that allowed an application for a Green Flag Award to be submitted. The park did indeed gain Green Flag status in 2012 and has maintained the award ever since.
A constant barrier to the group’s progression was the lack of a suitable building from which it could provide onsite activities. Once again, the group’s activities in gathering evidence to support another funding application were invaluable and this led to removal of the dilapidated former scout hut and its replacement with a modern fit for purpose pavilion building at a cost of £80,000. The friends were then able to use the pavilion as a base to provide a weekly coffee afternoon on the park for the last four years, come rain or shine. Not satisfied with a weekly event the Friends have now developed an annual program of events held on the park, some free to the public whilst others generate an income that is then reinvested into the parks infrastructure or future free events. The last example of this was the replacement of the old wooden benches around the bowling green with solid granite blocks, a replacement of this type means new seating will literally last forever, a project which cost £2,100.
Most recently the group have been involved with a project to provide activities on the park during the school holidays with over 200 residents in attendance.