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Launch of new project to regenerate Swale

14 May 2008

A new project will give Swale residents the opportunity to bid for funding in order to regenerate the area they live and work in, it was announced on Friday 9th May.

SECC Project(left to right), Ross Gill (Swale Forward); Jonathan Shaw MP; Senior-Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Jan Druker; Derek Wyatt MP, and Kevin O' Reilly (Sheppey Matters)

The scheme, called the South East Coastal Communities Project, was officially launched at Sheppey Healthy Living Centre on Friday in front of an audience of local MPs and community groups. The South East Coastal Communities Project is inviting local people and community groups, with ideas for improving the health and wellbeing of the Swale community, to apply for financial support.

The South East Coastal Communities Project will be run by three universities: Canterbury Christ Church, Greenwich and Kent. It is a UK first in higher education for universities to team up to address the regeneration needs of a socially deprived area in Kent. The project is also supported by: Swale Forward; Swale Council for Voluntary Services; Volunteer Centre and Sheppey Matters.

A sum of £6 million has been ring fenced for the project, which is being part funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. It has received the full backing of local MPs, Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne and Sheppey), and Jonathan Shaw (Minister for South East), who both attended the launch event on Friday.

The over-arching theme of South East Coastal Communities is health and wellbeing and bids must focus on one of the following areas: healthy environment, healthy people or healthy social economy (examples of the types of projects individuals and community groups can bid for are featured in the notes to editors section below).

Swale has been chosen as the area to benefit from this project because it has the highest mortality rates plus the lowest life expectancy in the South East; high levels of teenage conceptions; the highest smoking rates; and the lowest levels of healthy eating in the South East.

SECC Project Sharon Manship (SECC); Velibor Milovanovic (SECC); Dr Stuart Ashenden (Greenwich); and Liz Hoult

Project Manager of the South East Coastal Communities Project, Velibor Milovanovic, explained: “If you have an idea, no matter how big or small, on how to improve the health and wellbeing of your community, we want to hear about it. Potential bidders for funding can range from individuals who would like to form a new group to already established organisations with a long history of working in Swale. Once your initial ‘expression of interest’ has been received by and discussed with the project team, you will be guided by the relevant academic leads from one of the universities to put together a bid application in order to obtain funding and university expertise to set up, carry out and ultimately sustain your project.”

Speaking at the launch event on Friday, Jonathan Shaw MP said: “This project is hugely significant because it sees universities reaching out beyond their own walls. Universities can sometime be perceived as remote and detached, however, Canterbury Christ Church, Kent and Greenwich Universities recognise the importance of harnessing the energy of the local community to enhance opportunity. We all want people to be healthy, we all want a stable environment and we all want our local economy to succeed. The South East Coastal Communities Project shares this vision and I am delighted to be attending its launch today.”

Chair of the South East Coastal Communities Project, Professor Jan Druker, who is also the Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, said: “The South East Coastal Communities Project brings together three universities and the local community. This project aims to foster health and wellbeing, the economy and environment, and we look forward to working with the people of Swale in order to make this work.”

Director of Swale Council for Voluntary Services (CVS), Chris White, said: "Swale CVS is delighted to be part of this innovative and exciting project. It is a real opportunity for the voluntary and community sector in Swale to work in partnership with the three universities.”

For further queries regarding eligibility please contact the South East Coastal Communities’ Project Manager, Velibor Milovanovic, on 01634 894415 or email velibor.milovanovic@canterbury.ac.uk. To obtain an ‘Expression of Interest’ pack from the project team, please contact South East Coastal Communities’ Project Administrator, Sharon Manship, on 01634 894472 or email sharon.manship@canterbury.ac.uk. Alternatively you may log on to: http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/projects/secc-project/index.asp.

Notes to Editor

If you would like an interview with Professor Jan Druker or a high resolution image of the launch of the South East Coastal Communities Project, please contact Canterbury Christ Church University’s Media Relations Officer, Claire Draper, on 01227 782391 or email claire.draper@canterbury.ac.uk.

South East Coastal Communities Project

 

Projects

Projects must fall under the theme of health and wellbeing, and ideally under one of the three themes of Healthy Environment, Healthy People and Healthy Social Economy. Examples of the types of activities that community groups may want to carry out with guidance and expertise from the universities could be as follows:

  • Designing projects to facilitate improved access to green and open space;
  • The development and evaluation of healthy eating initiatives;
  • Improving wellbeing through engagement in sport and the arts;
  • Development of projects to re-train/re-engage older workers;
  • Development of educational programmes in relation to the natural environment or healthy lifestyles for both young people and adults;
  • Developing pilot projects to encourage healthy lifestyles through better access to the natural environment;
  • Development of social enterprises as mechanisms for providing local services and increasing economic activity.

 

Who can apply?

You can apply if you:

 

  • Are a small community led organisation;
  • Are a not-for-profit organisation;
  • Have a constitution or set of rules, dates and signed as ‘adopted’ by the Chair, or other senior office holder on behalf of the organisation;
  • If you don’t have a constitution or a bank account it is essential requirement of your application that you are endorsed by one of the Universities at Medway.
  • If you are a business in the Swale area and wish to assist the local community, you can apply through a local community group;
  • Are an individual who has an idea for forming a new community group.

 

Contact

Contact Details:
Claire Draper
01227 782391
Email the Press Office