A FUND has been launched in Llandrindod Wells where community groups can bid for a share of £2,000 in order to improve community safety.

Llandrindod Your Voice Your Choice (YVYC) launched the fund this week – a collaborative effort between the town council, the Dyfed Powys Office of Police and Crime Commissioner and Wales and West Housing.

Groups can apply through a process called participatory budgeting, a democratic way of empowering communities by allowing them to bid for money to fund projects that meet the criteria.

Funding must be used towards benefitting improving community safety, promoting a healthier community, promoting a safer community, protecting vulnerable members of the community or supporting working families.

The community itself will decide who is awarded the money. Groups and organisations must submit an application form for funding up to a maximum of £2,000, with each application form then checked to ensure it meets the criteria. Successful bids will have to create a short video providing details of their organisation and how the funds will be spent and will then be invited to attend the participatory budgeting community event being held on Saturday, October 31. Votes will be collated and the winning projects announced on the day.

More information or help completing your bid application form will be available at a bid surgery, a virtual meeting being held on September 30 between 11am and 1pm. Further details will follow on the YVYC Facebook page.

Examples of successful bids in similar schemes include boxing, dance, majorette and youth football clubs, a food bank project, a senior citizens computer club, nursery group, playground improvement group, allotment societies, senior citizens dinner club, heritage and history groups, and a veterans group to name just a few.

If you’d like a Word version of the form email llandrindodcouncil@btconnect.com or NPTRadnorshire@dyfed-powys.pnn.police.uk.

The closing date for applications is midday on October 18.

Click here to start your application.