New "Community Pot" launched by Newton-le-Willows Neighbourhood Board to support grassroots initiatives

Article date: 1 June 2026

The four‑year Community Pot programme will see £250,000 invested to support eligible community and not for profit organisations to deliver projects that benefit the community in alignment with the Neighbourhood Board's Regeneration Plan.

The funding will be released annually as follows:

• £25,000 in Year 1 (from April 2026-March 2027)
• £75,000 in Year 2 (from April 2027-March 2028)
• £75,000 in Year 3 (from April 2028-March 2029)
• £75,000 in Year 4 (from April 2029-March 2030)

Within the Year 1 funding allocation, £15,225 is available to support capital projects and £9,775 is available for revenue projects.

The Community Pot forms part of the wider Newton-le-Willows Pride in Place (previously known as Plan for Neighbourhoods) programme which will see £20million invested in the town over the next ten years.

To offer flexible support that meets the needs of different types of projects and organisations, two grant levels are available:

• Micro grants (£500-£1,000 per project) - designed to support or extend the daily running of a project, for example training, group activities, events and running costs.
• Grow grants (£1,000-£5,000 per project) - designed to support projects that are purchasing, renovating, or improving physical assets that serve a local area, rather than day-to-day running costs.

Funding is available to registered community organisations, community interest companies or not-for-profit organisations based in or delivering activities in Newton-le-Willows. Full eligibility, guidelines and application details can be found here.

Chris Hickey, chair of the Newton-le-Willows Neighbourhood Board said: "As a Board we are passionate about delivering real lasting change for the people of Newton-le-Willows. We know that there are many amazing groups already delivering community focused initiatives in the area and the Community Pot is an opportunity for us to support, sustain and expand these activities. This is about working together to ensure that all areas of Newton-le-Willows are feeling the benefits of the Pride in Place funding and that those benefits reach all of our residents."

St Helens Borough Council and Newton-le-Willows Neighbourhood Board members are hosting a drop-in session on Monday 8^th June at Newton-le-Willows Library, Crow Lane East, WA12 9TU, from 5:00pm-6:30pm to provide community organisations with an opportunity to meet the project team and ask questions about the Community Pot, eligibility and finance.