Ferryhill Town Council is celebrating the completion of a number of important projects in the town after securing a variety of external grant funding.
The council secured £48,199 through Durham County Council’s Towns & Villages Programme via the 4 Together Partnership to resurface and improve drainage at the car park at Mainsforth Sports Complex and install electric vehicle (EV) charging points to build on the Council’s commitment to the environment.
An OZEV Grant (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) of £7,500 was also secured by the Local Authority to contribute to the EV charging points element of the project, with Ferryhill Town Council contributing a total of £15,047.68. The total cost of the project was £70,746.68.
A further £16,313 was secured through the Neighbourhood Budget and Members Towns & Villages Allocations of County Councillors Peter Atkinson, Curtis Bihari and Joe Quinn to enable a safety handrail to be installed around the top football pitch at Dean Bank Park, and to purchase two sets of football dugouts. The project was designed to help enable football teams to be able to progress through the English Football League Pyramid system upon promotion. Ferryhill Town Council contributed £789.87 to the project, which in total cost £17,102.87.
A cocktail of external funding was secured to enable a Renewable Technology project comprising solar photovoltaic array with battery storage unit to be installed at Dean Bank Football Pavilion. Funding comprised £25,000 from the Renewable Project Enabling Fund managed by Tees Valley Combined Authority, £20,000 Area Budget funding via the 4 Together Partnership and £30,000 from the Neighbourhood Budget and Members Towns & Villages Allocations of County Councillors Peter Atkinson, Curtis Bihari and Joe Quinn. Ferryhill Town Council contributed a further £25,000 towards the project, which in total cost £100,000. The project was identified to enable the Town Council to build on its environmental credentials and reducing its carbon footprint. Approximately 9,000kg of CO2 will be saved from being released into the environment annually, tackling the Climate Change Emergency that has been declared across County Durham, while also reducing its own and the user group occupying the building’s energy bills.
County Cllrs Peter Atkinson, Curtis Bihari and Joe Quinn, through the 4 Together Partnership, contributed £3,549 via their Neighbourhood Budget Allocations to enable three benches to be purchased and installed throughout the town – one in each ward – to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Town Council contributed £3,774 to enable the purchase of three benches to commemorate the King’s Coronation, also installed across the three wards. Works to install the benches are expected to commence in the next few weeks.
An additional £65,250 has been secured through Tarmac Ltd’s Landfill Communities Fund to enable a Renewable Technology Project to take place at the Town Hall. The project, which is still being designed, is expected to include a solar photovoltaic array.
Ferryhill Town Council also assisted Mainsforth Cricket Club in securing a grant of £9,540, again through the Neighbourhood Budget Allocations of Cllrs Atkinson, Bihari and Quinn and the 4 Together Partnership, to enable the club to install a much-needed electronic scoreboard at the complex.
Town Mayor, Cllr Bihari said: “Ferryhill Town Council takes its responsibility for the environment seriously and is thoroughly committed to reducing its carbon footprint, and its impact on the environment, as well as being committed to improving all of the services and facilities it has responsibility for. The council is extremely grateful to all external funders, who have supported it in order to deliver some fantastic long term projects.”
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
