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On Monday, April 7, 2025, Taunton Town Council held its first Grants allocation meeting of the 2025/26 financial year. Among the venues that benefited were South West Heritage Trust (Museum of Somerset), that received £30,000 for revenue funding to support the operation of the Museum of Somerset, and the Taunton Theatre Association (Taunton Brewhouse) was allocated £30,000 for core cost support to continue operations as a venue. The committee considered £34,304 of community grant applications and allocated £15,900.
All venue (£120,000) and sponsorship (£10,000) grant funding for the 2025/26 financial year was allocated. Councillor Amber Packer-Hughes, deputy leader of Taunton Town Council and chair of the Grants committee said: “We started off this financial year with an overwhelming number of applications for a record amount of funding. “As a grants committee, we had some extremely tough decisions to make.
“It’s so important for us to balance the need to support these fantastic initiatives with the duty to ensure that funding remains available throughout the year and primarily that our residents receive the maximum benefit overall. “We simply cannot fund everything, but where we have unable to provide funding in full or at all, we aim to work with the applicants to help them identify alternative sources of funding, allowing them to bring money into the town from elsewhere and develop a more sustainable set of funding streams longer term.” • Apple FM - £2,500 to repair their outside broadcasting unit.
• Bluebirds Theatre Company – Declined but awarded a £250 donation for the delivery of their Magic Flute project. • Eco Centre - £1,000 to provide workshops, activities and outreach work to promote community-based sustainability projects. • On Your Bike Recycle Ltd - £2,400 to deliver a community cycling maintenance project in local schools within Taunton.
• Pleasure Dome and Somerset Opera - £2,500 to create and tour a version of Handel's Giulio Cesare on condition that it is spent on two events that take place within Taunton. • ROC Taunton Deane - £2,500 to continue the provision of their family mentoring service. • SCC Chaplaincy - £2,500 to continue the provision of Chaplaincy services to communities in Taunton.
• Somerset Art Works – Declined the application and put into contact with Cllr Pollard for the potential use of Ward Members Initiative Scheme funding. • Sound of the Streets - £3,000 of Sponsorship funding to deliver a yearlong program of events. • Taunton Minster – Declined the application and put into contact with Cllrs Lees and Tooze for the potential use of Ward Members Initiative Scheme funding.
• TYCA Arts Taunton - £2,500 to create Taunton's first Local Cultural Education Partnership (LCEP) linking local schools and arts organisations. • Wellsprings Primary School PTA - Declined the application and put in contact with Cllrs Isaacs and O’Donnell for the potential use of Ward Members Initiative Scheme funding. • Whitmore Allotments - Declined the application and put in contact with Cllrs Isaacs and O’Donnell for the potential use of Ward Members Initiative Scheme funding.
Three requests for sponsorship were considered. Sponsorship differs from grant funding in that they are intended to support events which are free for all to access. • Fuse Performance - £3,000 for the delivery of their second Taunton Twilight event in Goodland Gardens on 21 March 2026.
• Gaumont Palace Community Trust Ltd - This application was not considered as it was withdrawn. • Taunton Carnival - £4,000 for their annual carnival procession on 18 October 2025. • Taunton Military Wives Choir – Declined but awarded a £250 donation for their participation in Somerset Armed Forces Day.
• Creative Innovation Centre CIC (CICCIC) - £20,000 to cover core costs, updating of furniture, electrical works and a utilities contribution. • Halcon Baptist Church - £10,000 for the upgrading and refurbishment of a community centre located strategically within the Halcon estate. • South West Heritage Trust (Museum of Somerset) - £30,000 for revenue funding to support the operation of the Museum of Somerset.
• North Taunton Partnership (Priorswood Community Centre) - £20,000 for core costs to help the operation of Priorswood Community Centre. • Taunton Theatre Association (Taunton Brewhouse) - £30,000 for core cost support to continue operations as a venue. • The MAD Community CIC - £10,000 to help to redecorate, develop a new storage/changing facility and to develop a sensory enclosed area and quiet zone within their venue.
The next Grants allocation meeting is scheduled for 6pm on Monday 14 July 2025 with an application deadline of 20 June 2025. Information on how to apply is available on our website..
