Cheshire East launches new funding round to support local projects

Cheshire East Council has launched a new funding round as part of its digital crowdfunding initiative Cheshire East Crowd, to encourage, support and create community-led projects that will make a difference in the borough.

Working in partnership with Spacehive, the UK’s leading civic crowdfunding platform, Cheshire East Crowd is an initiative that gives local residents with an idea to improve their community the opportunity to gain funding via Spacehive’s crowdfunding platform. 

Cheshire East Council has allocated a total of £100,000 to the programme, with up to £10,000 available per idea to boost projects towards their funding target. The deadline to put forward ideas is Wednesday 23 March. 

Cheshire East and Spacehive will hold a virtual workshop to discuss your project ideas on Thursday 3 February at 12pm. You can register to join at this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvf-msrDopGdbked06ldQRwFwzf_v_jWMI 

The previous round saw more than £30,000 pledged by the council towards 11 community-led ideas, including a community sensory projector in Crewe, a repair café in Macclesfield, the restoration of the footpath along part of the Trent and Mersey canal bank at Wheelock Wharf and a project to provide adaptive bikes on a local cycle track in Poynton. 

Sue Reason, project creator and chair of Poynton Pedals for All, said: “We are so grateful to Cheshire East for their generous pledge to our project. 

“Poynton Pedals for All was an idea that one of our British Cycling Breeze ladies had to make cycling accessible to all on our local cycle path, the Middlewood Way, which runs from Marple to Macclesfield through Higher Poynton. 

“The support and generosity from our local town council and the pledge from Cheshire East Council has enabled us to achieve our crowdfunding target and to deliver our project – enhancing the lives of many families in our local area.” 

Councillor Mick Warren, chair of the environment and communities committee at Cheshire East Council, said: “We’re excited to launch this second Cheshire East Crowd funding round with Spacehive and I can’t wait to see the range of ideas that our residents and communities put forward. Local people are best placed to understand the challenges and opportunities in their local area and this initiative puts them and their ideas in the driving seat.

"I’m also calling on companies and organisations that care about Cheshire East to join us in offering support to project ideas, whether funding or in-kind, so we can turbocharge the success of locally-led campaigns. The more people that get involved in Cheshire East Crowd more inspiring local places we can create together.”

Companies, foundations and public bodies interested in supporting projects alongside Cheshire East Council should contact:

partner@spacehive.com

Pictured - Poynton Pedals for All