Money Matters

The original grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was provided to devise a business plan rather than to carry out any work on Our Place Wye. This money has therefore already been spent and the resulting business plan is available in the library.

Community Interest Company

Once the business plan was completed the first step was to set up Our Place Wye as a constituted body and we chose to set up a Community Interest Company. This gives us the ability to apply for grants but differs from a charity in that the directors of the company can also sit on the management board. This we thought would be beneficial as, despite having a business plan, we knew that we were going to have to make quick decisions and be flexible – more difficult if one is having to report to an independent body of trustees.

Grants

Having set up the Community Interest Company and with useful data from our business plan, we applied for our first grants. We are grateful for the initial awards from Kent County Councillor Andrew Wickham and Ashford Borough Councillor Noel Ovenden. We were then awarded funds by the Kent Community Foundation to set up a Community Lunch and by the National Lottery Awards for All to set up a community Facebook Group and a newsletter (see activities).

Other Sources of Funds

While the grants have been instrumental in getting these initiatives off the ground, our aim is always to set up our projects in such a way that they become self-sustaining. So the diners at the community lunch do pay for their meals and the project now pays for itself. Similarly, we have sold advertising on the Facebook Group which pays for the administration and moderation of the Group and for the newsletter.

If you are interested in advertising on the Facebook Group, please contact admin@ourplacewye.org.uk. We offer different packages ranging between £40 and £10 a month.