The Cheriton Conservation Volunteer Group received £1,400 from last year’s fund and has now completed its purchase of a generator and pump that will help the group preserve the local environment and mitigate the impact of floods in the area for village, which has around 1,000 residents.

Original plans for the Hampshire village volunteers were altered due to rising costs and the decision was made to maximize the effectiveness of SSEN’s funding by procuring a single pump and generator that boast twice the power of the equipment they had initially considered.

Cheriton Conservation Volunteer Group said:

“Having had to reconsider our options to help address ground water issues and limit the damage caused by flash flooding, the group decided that it was an opportunity rather than a problem. We were able to purchase the equipment from a local dealer in the neighbouring village; a move that helps us to streamline future maintenance and ensure swift assistance when needed, further bolstering the group's ability to respond effectively to environmental challenges.

The Cheriton Conservation Volunteer Group is committed to the preservation and protection of the local ecosystem and we’d like to thank SSEN for the funding that has helped us make such a difference in safeguarding the village green and surrounding areas.”

SSEN’s Head of Region for the South East, Andrew O’Connor said:

“I’m delighted that the Cheriton Conservation Volunteer Group has been able to use their funding to boost the resilience of their village in the face of flood risk.

“Their hard work and forced change of plan shows how determined they have been in taking steps to protect their local area. In what might seem an odd wish, I hope they never have to use the equipment that has been funded through SSEN and that it simply brings them peace of mind, knowing they can act quickly if they have to.”

Andrew added:

“Communities, charities, councils and organisations across Hampshire can benefit from the awards given through SSEN’s Resilient Communities Fund and I’d encourage anyone who thinks they see an opportunity for the funding to work for their local area to go to our website for further information and applications."

Running over the next six weeks from Monday 12 June, this year’s fund of £280,000 will be available to eligible communities, councils and charities in grants ranging from £1,000 to £10,000. In exceptional cases, involving multi-community applications, funding up to a maximum of £40,000 can be considered. 

SSEN’s Resilient Communities Fund is now in its ninth year, and in that time has seen a wide variety of applications that have all sought to boost communities through improving resilience and responding to the needs of their residents in adverse and difficult circumstances. 

The deadline for applications to the fund is 5pm on Monday 31 July, and applicants are asked to consider the following criteria for funding, which seeks to support projects falling under these two categories: 

  • Resilience for emergency events - To enhance community facilities, services and communication specifically to support the local response in the event of a significant emergency such as extended power loss. 

  • Vulnerability - To protect the welfare of vulnerable community members particularly during significant emergency events such as extended power loss, through enhancing their resilience and improving community participation and effectiveness. 

The SSEN Resilient Communities Fund Panel, made up of organisations with expertise in community resilience planning, will review applications and determine which projects should receive funding, with the successful applications announced in the autumn.  

To find out more about the Resilient Communities Fund, read SSEN’s annual fund reports and apply for funding, please visit https://www.ssen.co.uk/RCF/.