Burnhill Action Group has been awarded £10,000 following a Participatory Budgeting exercise, which gives local people a direct say in how public money is spent.

The funding has allowed the group to create activities and projects to support people through the cost-of-living crisis, including providing a hut in the High Backs area of ground. The project is a collaboration between the council and the community of Burnhill. 

The hut – which allows young people to meet socially for coffee – houses a newly-created food pantry where local people can access free food, sanitary products and other essentials, and the funding will also be enough to see it fitted with a kitchen to allow cooking projects to be run for Burnhill residents.

Burnhill Action Group is community-led and works to support the residents through activities, events and initiatives that address local issues.

The group is a key partner for the Our Place Our Plan Burnhill, working closely with the council’s Community Engagement team to respond to priorities highlighted in the plan.

Nicole Kane, from Burnhill Action Group, said: “The food pantry will be such an amazing resource for local people to use, especially considering the pressures brought by the rising cost of living.

“It has provided support in so many ways, such as with the school uniforms, vouchers for food and well-being packs – all things that are vital for local people.

“This is a community that looks after their own and at challenging times we pull together to support one another, and we are delighted that the funding is letting us do so in such effective ways.”

The council’s community engagement team coordinates the Participatory Budgeting process in conjunction with local stakeholders, with the funding coming from the council and the National Lottery.

Council Leader and Chair of the Community Planning Partnership, Councillor Joe Fagan, said: “The work that this funding is enabling is a great example of how Participatory Budgeting works so well, because it directly helps what local people tell us they need.

“Burnhill Action Group is doing a magnificent job in helping their local community and I am delighted that they are helping to make this way of working so successful and so relevant to the people of the area.”