MORE than £12,000 of grant funding has been awarded to community groups in Sedgemoor.

Sedgemoor District Council’s Grants Award Sub-Committee awarded 11 grants, totalling £12,760, after receiving 21 applications, with many groups around Burnham and Highbridge benefitting.

East Huntspill Village Hall was given £1,613.73 towards an upgrade of the kitchen facilities.

The Cultural Arts Development Society (CADS) was allocated £1,000. The society provides four free outdoor music events open to residents and visitors of Burnham and Highbridge.

A CADS spokesman said: “CADS would like to scale up the events that it currently runs and feels a grant would allow them to aim for higher quality performers and activities.”

Brent Knoll Parish Hall has been awarded £2,000 towards a new stage and curtains. The parish hall is widely used for village, charitable and community events and has between 400 and 500 users per year.

Musicians South West was given £2,350 towards a performance entitled Women of World War One - a Tribute in words, music and images for which they have secured bookings at a number of venues including Bridgwater Arts Centre.

The show consists of readings from poems, diaries and letters of women who lived through the war, interspersed with live music for piano and strings written by female composers of the era, accompanied by a slide show of text, period photos, painting and abstract images.

An exhibition of photos, artworks and text will be on display. The grant will allow ticket fees to be kept as low as possible and reach a much-wider audience.

One person was awarded £500 to run four community writing workshops targeting young people, families and one people in residential care.

Another was given £500 towards £9,000 tuition fees on a one year foundation course at Arts Educational Schools in London.

Alongside the grants, RLT3 developer funds for Outdoor Sport were awarded to the Burnham Company of Archers, located at the BASC ground, which received £6,500 towards the replacement of two temporary buildings which are 15 years old and can no longer be maintained.

Also benefitting was Wedmore Playing Fields Association, which received £13,168 towards the building of five new tennis courts, clubhouse and a MUGA.

Sedgemoor District Council was awarded £58,395.20 towards the £73,000 revamp of Apex Skate Park. The rest of the funds required will be drawn from Sedgemoor’s Parks budget.

The committee, chaired by Cllr Nobby Turner, awarded the cash from the council’s RLT3 funds. The total grants budget for 2013/14 was £85,950.

For more information on Sedgemoor’s Grants scheme visit www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/grants