Shared Prosperity Funds awarded

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda, providing £2.6bn of funding for local investment by March 2025. In total, local councils in Norfolk have been allocated about £15m over the next three years under UKSPF.

Oliver Judges, the borough council’s Executive Director for Place, said:

“Awards made under this grant scheme will help support organisations and groups in our borough and communities to develop and prosper.

“Prosperous communities are about more than financial opportunities. They are places where people can flourish and deliver to the best of their potential, and I look forward to seeing the benefits that our communities enjoy from the delivery of these grants.”

Applications were sought for the ‘Seed Funding, Town Centre Improvements and Visitor Economy Development’ grant funding call and the following grants were awarded:

1. Heacham Parish Library Exhibitions (Heacham Parish Council)
2. Downham Market Arts (Downham Market Arts)
3. Volunteer it Yourself (Volunteer it Yourself CIC)
4. West Norfolk Creative Socials (Creative Arts East)
5. Young People Co-producing Events (Discover King’s Lynn, King’s Lynn BID Ltd)
6. Baba Yaga (Wish, Dare, Inspire)
7. Art in the Streets (King’s Lynn BID Ltd)
8. The Moon Meet Our Nearest Neighbour Touring Exhibition at Lynn Museum, (Norfolk Museums Service)
9. Sedgeford Circular Walks (Sedgeford Parish Council)
10. King’s Lynn: Britain’s Most Surprising Town, (King’s Lynn Town Guides)
11. We Are Lynn - Sounding Out, (Collusion)
12. Trues Yard Enhancing the Visitor Experience and Extending the Tourist Season (The North End Trust)

Case studies

Heacham Parish Library Exhibitions will introduce a community-led exhibition facility to showcase aspects of Heacham village– both past and present – involving many groups and individuals, young and old, from the local community.

Margaret Gilbert, Heacham Parish Council representative, said:

"This very welcome grant will enable us to widen our service to the community by helping local interest groups to mount their own displays at the library, which we hope will generate greater awareness of and interest in both Heacham's past and in what is happening in the village today."

Downham Market Arts will deliver a range of arts-based activities including storytelling, theatre taster workshops and hosting rural touring theatre companies culminating in the production of a film festival in October 2023.

Jacqueline Westrop, chair of Downham Market Arts, said:

“The UKSPF grant will enable Downham Market Arts deliver a broad range of  live theatre events over the coming year that will allow us to reach a much wider audience and encourage people to come to Downham to watch and participate in live theatre which currently does not exist in Downham We look forward to the next 12 months working with the project and new colleagues.”

The Moon Meet Our Nearest Neighbour Touring Exhibition at Lynn Museum will offer visitors an out-of-this-world experience as the topic explores the moon. UKSPF is funding an enhanced temporary exhibition programme, events and schools’ engagement programme and is scheduled for 2024 and will feature exciting artefacts such as real moon rock.

Dayna Woolbright, Norfolk Museums Service Curator, said:

"The Lynn Museum team are grateful for the UKSPF grant funding which will allow us to bring a nationally acclaimed touring exhibition to King’s Lynn."