Reaps Moss Community Fund Celebrates £100K in Grant Awards

The Reaps Moss Community Fund is celebrating as it awards its latest grants and hits a major milestone as the total awarded soars through the £100,000 mark.

The total now awarded through the Fund stands at £104,527 with 58 individuals projects now having benefitted.

The latest awards saw seven local groups secure much needed grant support through the Fund. They will share £14,188 in funding towards their projects.

Securing £2,000 towards their 2024 Carnival, was Bacup and Stacksteads Carnival Organisation (BASCO). Catherine Smyth, Chair of BASCO, said: “Once again we have been able to organise an amazing event, attracting people from all over Lancashire (and beyond!) – and none of it would be possible without the support of our funders. Although we work hard all year to bring in money, the total cost is simply beyond our ability to raise, and we will always need help from funds such as the Reaps Moss Community Fund.”

Also able to put on their annual Fair in 2024, partly thanks to a grant of £1,628 from the Reaps Moss Community Fund, was Todmorden Game and Country Fair CIC. Sarah Finnell, Trade Stand Secretary at the CIC, said: “Todmorden Country Fair is a yearly Fair run by volunteers. It’s for the local people of Todmorden to enjoy a family day out. Thank you from Todmorden Country Fair Committee for the grant towards the toilets for the show.”

The other projects being supported are Stacksteads Countryside Park Group, Community Rights of Way Service (CROWS), 8/26 Calder Valley Scout Group, Friends of Todmorden Town Hall and Bacup Cricket Club.

The funding is provided by Reaps Moss Wind Farm, which is managed by independent investment firm, Vantage Infrastructure (www.vantageinfra.com), with support of Partnerships for Renewables (www.pfr.co.uk). The Fund launched in 2016 with £10,000 to award annually over the 20 – 25 year lifetime of the project. Donations to the Fund are index-linked, so can be expected to grow in size in most years. Groups located in the Fund’s specified funding ‘zone’ which covers Todmorden and Bacup, can apply for grants of between £250 and £3,500. The Fund is administered by GrantScape.

A full list of all groups supported through the Fund can be found here: Reaps Moss Community Fund Grants Awarded

The next application deadline for the Reaps Moss Community Fund is 26 February 2025. For full details about the fund and how to apply, please visit: Reaps Moss Community Fund

Photos – Bacup and Stacksteads Carnival