Town allocates £2m for legacy projects to celebrate its 50th anniversary

A £2m fund is to be established to support legacy projects marking the 50th anniversary of a West Midlands town.

Telford celebrates the milestone next year but is making preparations now.

Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet is setting out how the projects would be delivered. It is proposed that the fund, already provided for when the council set its budget earlier this year, is in two parts.

The first would be a £1m pot to fund legacy projects that celebrate the borough’s history and growth. Community consultation will then be carried out over the coming weeks to ask what projects people would like to see the money used for. This could include initiatives such as community buildings, heritage trails or local attractions.

The council would then work with relevant groups and organisations to bring the chosen projects to life across the borough. Expressions of interest would be sought from organisations in early 2018.

It is proposed that this fund includes £50,000 for communities to access to develop their own Telford 50 celebration events.

The second part would be a £1m fund for projects and schemes that strengthen communities and reduce demand on council’s services.

Information from previous consultations on community priorities and demand on council’s services would be used to identify the key themes for this. Examples could be projects that link to health, wellbeing and supporting vulnerable adults. These could include: helping an organisation to provide a lunch club for older people, installing a kitchen in a community facility or buying a vehicle to deliver food to groups such as vulnerable older people.

The council would start to identify appropriate projects during this summer and would also be seeking expression of interest from organisations for this funding.

Council leader Shaun Davies said: “In 2018 we will be celebrating Telford’s history and its bright future, with our borough being a great place whether you live here, work here or are here as a visitor.

“In the coming months we want to heavily involve residents in shaping the celebrations for next year and getting their views on the type of projects they think this funding should be spent on.

“It’s a great opportunity to create a lasting legacy from the 50th anniversary that reflects the community’s views and help communities run their own anniversary celebration.”

The proposals go before Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet when it meets on July 13.