In Spring 2024, Farnworth was identified as part of the Government’s Long-Term Plan for Towns Programme to support regeneration. Bolton Council was invited to create and submit a plan to the government for Farnworth’s £20 million endowment-style fund over ten years to 2034.
Helen Clayton, Bolton CVS Business Development Manager, was invited to sit on the Focus on Farnworth Board alongside volunteers, professionals and residents who were tasked with advising the council on the creation of a Focus on Farnworth 10-year Plan and the prioritisation of the investments in the first three years. The plan was to be developed and submitted to the Government by the end of July. Helen was delighted to take the opportunity to highlight the work of the VCSE sector in Farnworth and the need to invest strategically in local community activity.
The proposal recommended eight initial investment priorities for the first three years. Bolton CVS are delighted that, due to the huge interest from VCSEs who completed Expressions Of Interest, there was clear evidence for a ‘Farnworth Fund’ to be included as one of the proposed priorities. The Farnworth Fund would be a grants programme to distribute revenue and capital funding to VCSE groups delivering programmes aligned to the aims of the Long-Term Funding (safety and security; high streets, heritage and regeneration; transport and connectivity).
Following the change in government during the process of developing the proposal, the Focus on Farnworth Board did not receive the capacity funding that was expected. This meant that it has been difficult to communicate the process to the local community with no funding for events, a website and/or the planned social media campaign. However, the Focus on Farnworth Board were able to meet the deadline for the proposal at the end of July.
Since the proposal was submitted there has been no update from the Government and Focus on Farnworth are not expecting to hear about the proposal until after the budget in October, as it is likely that the whole Long Term Plan programme is part of the Chancellor’s review of the national finances. The Focus on Farnworth Board will share future updates.
At Bolton CVS, we know that the incredible work of Bolton’s VCSE sector continues, despite any national changes. With that in mind, and in case you haven’t seen announcements, Bolton’s Fund Partnership Grants have recently been launched. This is in addition to the existing micro, small and medium grants and other funds distributed via Bolton CVS. For more information about grants and support available locally, please see the funding section of the Bolton CVS website.