Community radio station among six organisations to share £490,000

• Sizewell C Community Fund awards six local organisations £490k in latest round of grants
• Groups such as ABC Radio and The Long Shop Museum receive awards ranging from £9k to £331k
• The Sizewell C Community Fund is making around £2m available every year for the next 10 years

An East Suffolk radio station has been awarded £30,000 from the Sizewell C Community Fund to increase its hours of transmission and broadcast live from community events.

Alde and Blyth Community Radio, better known as ABC Radio, said it could now buy specialist equipment and licences to reach more local listeners.

The internet-based station, which broadcasts from Saxmundham, was among six diverse projects to have been awarded grants in the latest round of funding.

Wayne Burns, Director of Programming at ABC Radio, said: “Having the equipment to do outside broadcasts is really important to all the directors and presenters. We can now invest in equipment, which will not only enhance what we already do, but also help to make us future proof.

“We want to get out there, engage with our listeners and spread the word. It’s a real boost and something quite special, and all thanks to the Sizewell C Community Fund.”

Managed by Suffolk Community Foundation, the Sizewell C Community Fund – worth £23m in total – awards grants to projects in the East Suffolk Council area which promote the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of the communities closest to and most impacted by the construction of Sizewell C, and which enhance people’s quality of life.

The latest recipients of the fund, sharing a total of £490,000, are:

• ABC Radio, which serves the Leiston and Saxmundham areas, has been awarded £30,000 over three years. The community radio station will use the money to buy extra equipment and licences so that it can cover more outside broadcasts and increase its hours of transmission from four days a week to seven by 2028.
• Alde Valley Suffolk Family History Group, which has been given £9,562 over three years to develop a new, user-friendly website with added functionality which volunteers will use during outreach sessions.
• Leiston Book Festival, which has been awarded £54,137 to run the festival for the next three years, as well as outreach activities such as workshops, talks and school visits.
• Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council, which has been given £10,000 to create a new, accessible path to Hayling’s Pond so that more people can enjoy the area. It comes after Leiston Youth and Community Angling Society were awarded Sizewell C Community Funding last year to buy angling equipment and carry out an environmental survey.
• The Long Shop Museum in Leiston, which has been given £331,625 over three years to repair and improve the building, create new exhibits and hold community activity sessions and restoration workshops.
• Suffolk Football Association, which has been awarded £53,832 towards the cost of replacing the 3G pitch and upgrading the floodlights at Barnards Meadow Football Centre in Lowestoft. The pavilion will also be refurbished to create a venue that can be used as a community health and wellbeing hub.

The latest awards take the total distributed since the fund was launched a year ago to nearly £2.5m.

Hannah Bloom, Chief Executive of Suffolk Community Foundation, said: “We are delighted that this funding will support so many diverse and exciting initiatives. They will make a positive difference to the quality of life and wellbeing of people living in the areas most impacted by the construction.

“We would encourage other charities and community projects who think they may be eligible for funding and would like to find out more to get in touch with our dedicated team for help and advice with their application.”

Julia Pyke, Sizewell C Joint Managing Director, said: “As the Sizewell C Community Fund progresses, we’re hearing more and more stories about the incredible impact that previous awards are having on local communities. Only last week we heard from Headway Suffolk – a charity which supports those living with brain injuries and neurological conditions – who had thrown a wonderful summer party for its service users at Sizewell beach.

“It’s heartening to know that even more organisations are set to benefit from this fund, not just now but over the coming decade.”

For more information about the Sizewell C Community Fund, eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit www.suffolkcf.org.uk or call 01473 602 602.

The fund is open year-round. The current round closes to applications on 28 September.