News Release (02/03/12)
£18,500 pledged to five projects in local parishes
A fund set up to benefit the community around Bristol Airport has made its first donations to support five projects in local parishes.
The Bristol Airport Local Community Fund has been established to invest in a range of local projects which benefit the local community and the environment. The Fund is one of the commitments the Airport agreed to provide in connection with its planning permission for development over the next decade.
Bristol Airport contributes £100,000 per annum to the Fund, with this figure increasing in line with future growth in passenger numbers. At the first meeting of the Fund’s Management Committee (which includes representatives from the Airport and North Somerset Council, and is independently chaired) support for five projects was approved with grants totalling £18,500. Successful applications, which will receive contributions ranging from £500 to £12,000, included a puffin crossing on the A370 in Backwell, a farm project at Court de Wyck Primary School in Claverham, and football kit for a new junior football team in Felton.
The Fund’s purpose is to help mitigate the impact of the Airport’s operations and to give something back to surrounding communities who are situated in close proximity to the site. Other projects which could be eligible for support include improvements to transport infrastructure, measures to reduce community severance, educational projects and local sustainability initiatives. The Fund’s area of benefit includes the parishes of Winford, Wrington, Backwell, Brockley, Cleeve and Barrow Gurney.
Alan Davies, Planning and Environment Director at Bristol Airport, said:
“The first round of applications included some excellent projects which will deliver considerable benefits to the local community. The Management Committee was delighted to be able to approve grants in several parishes for a range of different initiatives, all of which will either be made possible or improved by the Fund’s contribution.”
For further information please contact the Bristol Airport Local Community Fund Administrator on 01275 473615 or email communityfund@bristolairport.com.