Sedgemoor District Council awarded over £12,500 in community grants following the recent grants committee held on Tuesday November 17.

The following grants were awarded: · Burnham Swimming Club was awarded £750 to assist with the purchase of new anti-wave lane ropes.

· Music for the Memory, a voluntary group who help people with dementia and memory less through providing music based activities, was awarded £1500 towards the costs of church hall hire, insurance and a music facilitator to run the sessions.

· Fibromyalgia Heart of Somerset, a weekly support group for people with Fibromyalgia and ME and their family, friends and carers, was awarded £800 to help support the group to hire a hydrotherapy pool for weekly group sessions.

• Stand Against Violence was awarded £1000 to help fund a qualified Educational Development Coordinator to educate young people on the effects and causes of violent behaviour.

• Music on the Levels, a voluntary group who run free musical concerts out of Westonzoyland Church, was awarded £1000 to help fund a series of new twelve Sunday tea concerts.

• Tor Theatre, a Non-Profit Organisation was awarded £700, subject to match funding and accounts related conditions, towards the staging of ten shows of 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' in theatres, pubs and colleges across Sedgemoor.

• Burnham Events Social Team, a voluntary group who provide events and entertainment in Burnham and Highbridge, was awarded a grant of between £1,250 and up to a maximum of £2,500 to support the Burnham Ice Rink installation and running costs of the rink during December 2015 and January 2016. This grant is subject to the remaining project funds required being raised as match funding.

• The Woman`s Community Forum, a voluntary group who provide after school activities for disadvantaged children, health related activities for women and ESOL courses to improve employability, was awarded £1500 towards the costs of running an art residency in support of the 'Youth Arts Festival of Tomorrow' being held in July 2016. Sedgemoor secondary-aged school children will be invited to attend the event, alongside children from across the UK, and one school will be selected as the host of the eight day residency and asked to present their work at the Festival. • A gifted local swimmer, was awarded £500 to help towards the cost of travel to Bristol to train in a 50m pool, a pro level swimming costume and entry fees to take part in swimming galas and local, regional and national competitions. Shannon has swam at both county and regional level since 2014.

• BOS Community Theatre Group, a voluntary group who bring theatre to the streets and shops of Burnham alongside providing creating writing workshops, was awarded £1000 to help fund the 'Teddy Tell a Tale' project by working with a coordinator in residential homes. and to host a series of community workshops with a theatre director. • The Friends of Apex Park were awarded £2000 towards the costs of providing the national Playday held each year on the first Wednesday of August. The event provides free activities for children and young people and generally attracts around 6000 people.

• A local Girl Guide was awarded £500 towards an international girl guiding trip across Europe by rail. During the trip Lauren will be helping out at soup kitchens and homeless charities.

The total grants budget in 2015/16 is £60,500. £46,873 has been awarded so far this budget year. To find out more about applying for a small grant, the criteria and to download an application form please visit: www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/grants.

A decision was also made to award £40,000 RLT3 funding, subject to support from the next Polden Hills Parish Cluster meeting, to Shapwick and Polden Cricket Club towards the construction of new changing facilities and social space as part of a wider project which involves replacing the cricket pavilion and associated parking and new practice nets.

For details of all the small grants awarded by Sedgemoor District Council, so far this budget year, please visit: http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10387.