Sharing a Little Bit of Prosperity
ROD WEBB
A welcome injection of funds in the Broomgrove area of Hastings is due to take place shortly, or already begun, with three projects benefitting from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), part of the government’s levelling up agenda. The projects will focus on different areas: the arts, business and the environment.
The arts project is titled Musical Beacons Broomgrove and will include music sessions in community spaces where families can learn, create and explore music together in a safe and supported environment. The project will be run by Soundcastle, a charity which aims to make “ripples of change in micro-communities”. Their Musical Beacons projects are described as “creative music making with families for positive mental health and wellbeing”. This will run alongside a digital workshop offer, and regular attendance at local community spaces/coffee mornings, bringing the community together through conversation, creative musical play and collaboration.
The council is currently working to appoint an organisation to put together a programme to support business and skills development. This will include providing enterprise and skills to support existing businesses, those looking to start their own businesses and the unemployed. The main focus will be on the Broomgrove area, and the aim is to establish opportunities for residents by building relationships with businesses, skills providers and the local community sector.
The Hastings Adventure Playground operated by In2Play CIC have already begun upgrading their outdoor spaces. The funding is being used to improve the range of activities that the playground can offer by improving surfacing, planting trees and enhancing the play space. The playground will run additional family and youth events, encouraging more involvement in local developments through play.
Active Hastings have recruited a part-time physical activity worker for Broomgrove, who is busy involving the local community in events and weekly activities. They will also act as the strategic link between a range of partners and providers, to ensure that funding and activity is directed where it is most needed.
The Greener Broomgrove Project will be run by Southern Housing and developed with local residents. The project will be based in buildings and green spaces in the heart of Broomgrove, creating volunteering opportunities and identifying community champions. The aim is to improve community perceptions of the neighbourhood, increase pride of place and resident wellbeing through community-led, group-based activities and encouraging positive use of the estate’s green spaces.
Hastings Borough Council was allocated £1,000,000 from the UKSPF fund to spend over three years (2022-2025). The fund replaces the European Structural and Investment Fund and forms part of the government’s levelling up agenda.
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