Welcome to the Weymouth and Portland Partnership

Young people can apply for funding of between £25-£500.00. The types of projects that could be funded include: community gardens, recycling or art projects, young persons Summer Festival, Youth Forums, activities for young people or fundraising events. Funding is provided by the Partnership, Borough Council, YouthBank UK and Weymouth & Portland Housing Tenants Panel.

Young people between the ages of 11-21 can apply. You must be working with an adult and have a bank account where the money can be paid.
All projects must be led by young people
Grants are for projects that directly benefit young people and their communities in Weymouth and Portland
The members of your group must be under 25, and the project must be shown to benefit young people under 21 years old
A member of your project team must complete the application form. If you think you can explain your project better using video, photography or other medium- please do!
Cheques can only be made out to organisations- if your group doesn’t have a bank account you can ask another group to hold the money on your beha

How to apply
To download the application form, click here. The deadline for applications is 30 September 2008.
If you have any questions, please contact Louise Stewart on 01305 838364 or Julie Hursthouse on 01305 838497 or email to Youthbank@weymouth.gov.uk

The Weymouth & Portland Partnership is given £25k annually by the Dorset Strategic Partnership for projects which help to deliver the objectives of the Community Plan for the Borough and the Dorset Community Strategy.

Green Lane Allotments – Access Project - £1688
To widen participation in allotment gardening in the Borough and provide plots suitable for wheelchair users and others with mobility issues. The funding will also enable the group to improve the security to the site with a view to encouraging participation by older people and families.

B-side Arts Festival - £2500
B-side will be a multi-media arts festival held in the Borough during September for young people. Eight venues have been chosen by young artists which will host installations, dance, theatre, music, projections, computer animations, film and video displays.

Muntsy’s Community Project, Portland - £4138.00
The funding will enable Muntsy’s to set up and deliver a structured day provision for adults with moderate learning disabilities, who have progressed through Day Centres and are due to leave the service. The programme will include community awareness and training, such as using shops and amenities, assisting with community projects and independent living skills.

Ridgeway Horticultural Project - £2450
The funding will be used to bring some under used land in Weymouth into use for growing and buying equipment.. Volunteers will be recruited and training will be provided for participants in growing vegetables.

Sharing Spaces Through Music - £3000
The project will offer a range of cultural workshops and participatory performances for upto 5000 young people and their families across the Borough as part of the Cultural Olympiad.

YouthBank Weymouth & Portland - £2500
YouthBank is a grant fund run and managed by young people. The Weymouth & Portland Partnership has provided £2500 towards the grant pot which will be given to local projects run by young people to benefit the community.

The Chesil Trust - £4000
Funding has been given to provide opportunities for young and disabled people in the local area to gain experience in sailing and gain qualifications RYA Level 1 & 2. The project will enable 20 young people to undertake this training and provide the opportunity for further participation in sailing with local clubs or community sailing clubs.

Community Grants awarded for 2007/08
The following projects were allocated grants from the Weymouth & Portland Partnership and Dorset Strategic Partnership for the financial year 2007/08:

Weymouth Energy Advice Centre - £2400
To support the advice centre based at Weymouth library which provides advice and information on improving energy efficiency at home. Activities will include recruiting and training volunteers, purchase of renewable energy systems and developing an Expo Eco-House display, as well as holding outreach events in the Borough.

PACT (Partners and Communities Together) in Weymouth & Portland - £4100
This funding will support the development of PACT groups in the area, including a campaign to increase community engagement. The PACT process helps to bring about change in local communities by consulting residents on their concerns and addressing local issues.

STEPS Club - Young People Doing Good - £1600.
This project will be led by young people and is aimed at encouraging groups of young people to undertake voluntary community projects, using their skills to make a positive contribution to the local area and its people.

Communities and Sport - £3000
The project is intended to support community groups and individuals to meet their sporting needs and ambitions, assist in neighbourhood improvements and social inclusion. A team of football coaches will be trained who will then coach teams, run regular training sessions and support teams playing in a league. Funds will be used for equipment, coaching and promotion.

Park District Youth Forum - £1000
This funding will support a project to set up a Youth Forum which will act as a voice for young people living in the Melcombe Regis area. The project will support and train young people and enable them to engage with the local community.

Sustainable Community Group, Westham - £3820
Funding has been allocated for a series of initiatives to establish a sustainable community group and engage the local community within the Westham area. Activities include establishing a quarterly newsletter to all 5000 homes and businesses in the area, establishment of a Youth Forum and support for activities to celebrate 125 years of Westham’s history.

Healthy Living Wessex - £3700
The funding will be used to provide local, personalized activity sessions for specific client groups, such as those who have heart problems, diabetes, arthritis or ill mental health. The sessions will include activities which provide opportunities to develop new social networks and develop new skills.

Get Sailing! – The Chesil Trust - £2130
The Chesil Trust already runs ‘Sail for £5’ taster sessions for local school children. This funding will enable the Trust to offer a proportion of these young people, including less able bodied children, an opportunity to progress their training to RYA Level 1 and 2 dinghy sailing qualifications and to a point where they are proficient enough to take out a boat on their own and participate in racing and activities at local sailing clubs.

Facility Improvements to Osprey Leisure Centre - £1500
To help improve the facilities at the Leisure Centre by providing new showers. This will help the South Dorset Community Sports Trust to continue their programme of improvements to the Centre which provides an excellent community facility.

Underpass Project - £1750
A project run by young people to give a welcome to international visitors. The young people will attend a workshop run by a local artist and design a mural to paint the underpass on the seafront with welcome signs in various languages.

Public Art for Weymouth & Portland
The Weymouth & Portland Partnership have joined with partners Arts Council England South West, Public Art South West, Team South West and Team Dorset, the South West Regional Development Agency, Weymouth College, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, Dorset County Council, Jurassic Coast World Heritage Team and the Creative Coast Group to fund research into public art opportunities as part of the cultural programme for 2012.

Consultation meetings are being held with partners and community groups to find out their views and inform the research. Fort further information, please contact Alan Rogers, Arts Development Officer alan_rogers@weymouth.ac.uk