CALLING the community-spirited of Cleethorpes – your town needs you!
That is the rallying cry from Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire (VANEL), which is recruiting volunteers to help decide how to spend a £1-million grant for north Cleethorpes.
As reported, the Big Lottery Fund will give the northern end of the resort £1-million to be spent on community projects in Croft Baker and Sidney Sussex wards over the next ten years as part of its Big Local project.
In addition to the £1-million, VANEL, which is leading the project, has been given a further £20,000 to spend laying the groundwork for how the money is spent.
A major part of this is recruiting volunteers to go out onto the streets of Cleethorpes and find out what people would want to see the money spent on.
Community network co-ordinator at VANEL, John Mooney, said: "I really want to find volunteers from the communities in Sidney Sussex and Croft Baker because it is where they live that the money will be spent.
"We want good listeners who can take in what people think and feel about the place, but they also need the confidence to address members of the public in the street. They need to be able to talk to them about the things they want to see happen."
Bosses at VANEL are recruiting now in the hope that all the groundwork will be complete by June next year and they will have a clear idea of what the money should be spent on.
There have already been some ideas mooted, like investing in the north beach – which is littered with the broken sea defences from the 1960s – but until the volunteers are out there, VANEL says it is too early to predict where the money will go.
Mr Mooney continued: "There are all sorts of groups operating in Cleethorpes that are already doing things that need greater investment but we need to broaden it so this money benefits the whole of the north of Cleethorpes.
"It is an exciting project to be part of and will give volunteers great experience through working with the public."
The funding will be spent over ten years and must be used on projects that are sustainable and will survive in the future.
Councillor Matt Brown (Croft Baker, Lab) said: "Volunteering allows people not only to make a personal difference to Cleethorpes, but it will be something that in years to come they can look back and say they were a part of.
"They will be making history in Cleethorpes and they should see it as a privilege to be part of.
"It will be great experience and show people – including potential employers – that they are willing to give up their time for the benefit of the town and local causes."
To register your interest as a volunteer, e-mail john@vanel.org.uk or call 01472 231123.
