Warwickshire News Mine

Representatives from twenty different community projects, who have all benefited from funding from the South Warwickshire Together Partnership’s PIE (Promoting Inclusion and Enterprise) programme, will get together for one last time to talk about their achievements (read more about the projects below). 

A Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) grant of over £3 million was received from Advantage West Midlands in 2000 to set up the PIE Programme, with the aim of reducing deprivation in isolated pockets of South Warwickshire through the funding of local community projects.

The programme has now come to an end after a highly successful six and a half year period which saw numerous projects get off the ground - from a training scheme for small rural businesses, to a parenting project in Stratford, and community centre projects around South Warwickshire.

The PIE Programme is overseen by a partnership board including Warwickshire County Council, Stratford District Council, Warwick District Council, charitable organisations and voluntary groups.

Stephen Nightingale, Chief Officer for the Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) in Warwick district said: “It is a sad fact that the affluence and high quality of life of South Warwickshire is not shared by all its residents. Research has revealed that there are around 6,500 deprived households spread throughout the area.

“The PIE programme had three main goals: to address the needs of the local business community in South Warwickshire; to meet the needs of young people, older people, disabled people and rural communities; and to focus on neighbourhoods identified as experiencing disadvantage.

“The programme and the projects it has funded have had some exceptional achievements, which we will be celebrating at our final AGM in Warwick on 7th June. All the projects have been warmly received by those that have benefited from the facilities and activities they have provided.”

The PIE programme was initially given a target of generating £8 million of match funding for projects. In fact, it generated nearly £11 million during the lifetime of the programme.

Another exceptional achievement was an increase in the number of people taking up volunteering in South Warwickshire – reported to be up 154% since 1999.

Stephen Nightingale said: “There are many legacies of this programme. Communities have become more active and there is more interaction between community groups in South Warwickshire, largely due to the activities of the South Warwickshire Community Development Network and the Fundraisers Forum, which are the legacies of the Co-ordination, Communication and Capacity Building project.

"In addition, community buildings providing valuable local facilities have been built and improved as a result of various projects, and in particular the Community Chest.

“However, there is still an agenda to be addressed in South Warwickshire and we’d like to see the successful activities supported by the PIE programme continue to be sustained through the new Local Area Agreement for Warwickshire.”

Projects funded through the PIE programme

Community Chest
The Community Chest was a small grant scheme set up to enable community groups to tackle disadvantage.

The Parenting Project
Funding enabled the recruitment of a development worker to oversee the development of a new Stratford District Parent Strategy, a new ‘parents’ forum’, and the development of new, improved and sustainable parenting services across the District through multi-agency partnership and community leadership.

The Older People Project
The Older People Project has been helping older people across South Warwickshire overcome social isolation by providing access to social, leisure and educational opportunities.

Raising Awareness, Mentoring and Personal Support (RAMP)
The RAMP project addressed the barriers facing disabled people with regard to employment, by delivering a range of services across South Warwickshire, including job related advice, guidance and support to disabled people who are excluded from employment and mainstream support.

Credit Union
The two credit unions in Stratford and Leamington have grown to cover much more of south Warwickshire with more expansion in the pipeline, particularly in rural areas.

Village Liaison Officers
The Village Liaison Officers project has developed a network of volunteers (VLOs) in targeted villages across South Warwickshire to act as a link between service providers and the local community, to publicise a range of services, to provide one-to-one support, and to encourage community activism within the local community.

YouthBank
The South Warwickshire YouthBank was set up to provide funding for a range of young people’s projects through two new grant funds – the Stratford and Warwick Youth District YouthBanks – managed by young people themselves.

Racing to Get There
‘Racing to Get There’ created new opportunities for people disadvantaged by the lack of rural transport in Warwick District through providing a ‘Dial-a-ride’ service, offering flexible and affordable transport to enable rurally isolated people to access a range of services and opportunities.

Back and 4th Rider
Funding was provided for the purchase of a multi-purpose vehicle to accommodate passengers travelling in wheelchairs.

Sydenham Neighbourhood Initiatives (SYDNI) Centre
Sydenham Neighbourhood Initiatives received a PIE grant towards the SYDNI centre, Leamington Spa, a new resource centre providing a range of community facilities.

The Gap
The Gap received a grant towards the cost of converting St. Johns Church Hall into a community centre that would become the focus for community development in north east Warwick.

Lillington People
A grant was awarded to the Lillington Community Forum to identify and develop community-led activities, facilities and services in Lillington, Leamington Spa.

Alcester Community Centre
Alcester Opportunities received their grant in 2003 to extend and refurbish the Sports Pavilion on the Conway Estate, Alcester, into a community building and to employ a Community Development Worker to develop a range of Community Activities.

Stour Power
Stour Power is a voluntary community-led group representing Shipston and the Stour Valley which was set up to undertake a market town Healthcheck and deliver the subsequent action plan projects.

Ken Kennet Centre
The Clopton Community Forum received a grant to extend and refurbish the Ken Kennet Centre, Stratford-upon-Avon, to provide a suitable and welcoming building for community use.

Southam Community Centre
The Southam ‘Building Bridges’ project received a grant to refurbish, extend and modernise the Graham Adams Centre, Southam.

Rural Enterprise Development Initiative (REDI)
The Rural Enterprise Development Initiative (REDI) scheme provided diversification training for small businesses in the rural areas of South Warwickshire, to enable them to maximise their resources and expand.

PIE in Business
The PIE in Business project was set up to provide advice and support for new businesses and community enterprises.

Promoting Enterprise
The Promoting Enterprise project complemented the REDI and PIE in Business projects to promote the growth of a local, effective economy across South Warwickshire.

Link to WCC