Funding opportunities available from WREN

A rallying call has been sent out to groups and organisations across Norfolk and Waveney.

With funding opportunities available for community, conservation and heritage projects, the call has come from WREN – a not-for-profit business that helps benefit people who live close to landfill sites by awarding grants for projects.

Last year, 16 grants amounting to £341,698 were distributed by WREN across Norfolk – with £40,635 handed out to three projects in Waveney.

But in the latest funding round for prospective projects last month there was just one application from the west Norfolk area.

Sarah Gosling, grant manager for Norfolk and north Suffolk, said: “WREN is inviting applications for the forthcoming round which closes on May 8.

“Our funding budget is a national one, so is not earmarked for use in the county during our financial year – with less applications being received, this just means that there is less funding awarded to Norfolk and Waveney.”

As the largest distributive body of this funding in the UK, in the past 15 years more than 6,000 projects have been supported and more than £170m distributed.

But with not many projects coming forward in the Waveney area, WREN is looking to generate greater interest locally.

Sarah Gosling said: “The national budget for 2013 is looking strong, with a slight increase from 2012, in opposition to the public perception that funding is being cut everywhere”

Visit www.wren.org.uk or call 01953 717165 for information.