Town Centre Action Grant

Published Tuesday 14 November, 2023
Last updated on Thursday 22 February, 2024

Swale Borough Council is once again making grants of up to £5,000 available to support activities to improve local town centres.

The council is reopening its Town Centre Action Grant (TAG) scheme, which helps boost the borough’s towns of Sittingbourne and Sheerness, as well as the smaller historic centres of Milton Regis and Queenborough.

The council wants interested groups to come together to develop co-ordinated action plans and projects for the towns, with grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 to schemes that focus on:

local arts, cultural, heritage and creative events and activities in and around the town centres that create interest and promote footfall and usage

promotional campaigns to encourage visits and people to explore the town centres, increasing interest and footfall

projects that enhance the existing cultural, historic & heritage offer, helping re-enforce a sense of place and encourage visitors.

Some projects funded in the first round include:

‘Bringing History Alive’ in Sittingbourne which seeks to change the way heritage is seen by younger people; not just history as a series of static exhibitions, but a living interactive story telling of our past.

‘Lighting up the History of Sheerness’ will get local schools involved in making lanterns. With the theme of transport on the Island from the past such as Maritime, Aviation, trams & light Railway. All culminating in a grand Lantern Parade for all to take part in in Sheerness High St.

The deadline for applications to this second round of funding will be Monday 27 November 2023.

Cllr Monique Bonney, chair of the council’s regeneration and property committee, said:

“Town centres are the beating heart of our community, and we are always looking for ways to enhance them.

“These improvements then feed into the rest of Swale making our borough a better place for all to live.

“The first round of funding was very successful, that is why we are reopening this grant scheme.

“We are excited to see what positive change people can do for our town centres with this second pot of funding.

“It is a great opportunity for people who have a brilliant idea but may lack the funds to get off the ground to make a positive difference to our borough.”

To find out more about the scheme, and to apply for a grant, visit www.swale.gov.uk/tag.

The Town Centre Action Grants scheme has received funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.