The Community Welcome Scheme – Cynllyn Croeso Cymuned, is a delegated grant scheme to support small scale tourism development projects at a community level. The grant would offer up to 80% of the eligible costs and would be open to Town and Community Councils, Community Enterprises, Tourism Associations, constituted Voluntary Organisations and the Local Authority.
There will be three key priority areas for development through the Community Welcome Scheme:-
- Enhanced Visitor Information
- Visitor Market Research and Satisfaction Assessment
- Tourism Infrastructure Improvements
The following are examples of the type of projects which could be eligible for support under this scheme:
- Information points, interpretation panels, community managed visitor websites, ICT and new media projects.
- Visitor questionnaires, focus groups, face to face interviews and other innovative ideas for gathering and analysing information from visitors about levels of satisfaction.
- Development of small heritage sites, tourism focused landscaping, development and improvement of local footpaths, bridleways and cycle routes, local signage, pedestrian fingerposts.
Project Applicants
The Community Welcome small grant scheme is designed to assist all rural communities across Powys, by highlighting local businesses, attractions and activities, which will in turn stimulate the local economy. Project applications are invited from any constituted community or voluntary groups located in Powys.
Project Budget
The Community Welcome project has been awarded £423,000 funding, of which £300,000 will be distributed to communities through the delegated grant scheme. All successful projects will receive 80% funding towards their total project costs, with a maximum grant of £10,000 for capital projects and £5,000 for revenue projects. The remaining 20% of the project costs must be met by the applicant group, and cannot be in-kind support in the form of volunteer time, or come from other European sources.
How to apply
An initial site visit must be arranged to discuss the project idea with the grant scheme officer before the application for funding is submitted. Applications can be submitted at any time, but all projects must be completed within 6 months of the date of approval. The application form and guidance notes will be issued by the project officer during the site visit meeting (if the project is eligible for funding.) An independent advisory committee will be established to approve or decline all applications.
- Project Deliverer: Powys County Council Tourism Services
- Address: Autopalace, Fiveways, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, LD1 5HU
- Contact Name: Julie Lewis
- Email: community.tourism@powys.gov.uk
- Telephone: 01597 826690
- Website: www.powys.gov.uk
