Funding announced for North Warwickshire street parties in aid of Queen's Platinum Jubilee
Community groups and individuals will be able to apply for £100 grants
Last updated 12th Oct 2021
Community groups and individuals across North Warwickshire will be able to apply for a £100 grant to help them organise street parties to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year.
Parish councils, town councils and larger organisations will be able to apply for a £500 grant to go towards community-based activities such as fun days and carnivals and plans have been drawn up to plant a commemorative tree in each of the borough’s three towns.
On February 6 next year, the Queen will have been on the throne for 70 years although the majority of the celebrations are being planned around a special bank holiday weekend at the start of June.
At this week’s MON community and environment board meeting of North Warwickshire Borough Council, councillors agreed to allocate £17,000 from the One-Off Growth Fund for the grants.
Applications can be made during January and February next year with the decision on which have been successful being made in March. Those parish and town councils applying for grants will be expected to match fund any monies received.
The tree-planting will form part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative where people are bing invited to ‘plant a tree for the jubilee’.
A report considered at this week’s meeting said: “Although there is no funding directly attached to the initiative, community groups and individuals can apply for free saplings through the Woodlands Trust.
“This board is asked to consider whether it wishes the borough council to engage in the Queen’s Green Canopy programme by using the remaining £1,000 from the One-Off Growth Fund to support the planting of one tree in each of the towns of Atherstone, Colehill and Polesworth. The tree species and planting location could be determined in consultation with ward members and the local parish/town council.”
Councillors supported the idea but raised concerns about finding the perfect plot for each of the trees.
Cllr Haydn Phillips (Lab, Hurley and Wood End End) said: “I’m all in favour of planting as many trees as we possibly can but we had a lovely cherry tree planted in the village for the jubilee and along came the developers and it disappeared.”