West Midlands Railway has opened applications for community rail projects.
Grants ranging from £10,000 to £100,000 will be given to projects aimed at benefiting passengers and local communities across the West Midlands region.
Funded by the Department for Transport, the aim is to get people involved with their local railway.
The funding is split between West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway.
This funding is crucial for the railway and the vital projects make a real difference to local areas. The scheme has already supported a number of community-led projects in recent years and I am delighted that we have secured funding for new applications.”
Cara Higgs, WMR community strategy manager
The ‘Your Community, Your Fund' scheme is run annually, and aims to get people involved with projects which can benefit their local railway or their local community, bringing inspiring schemes to fruition for the benefit of everyone.
Community groups can fill out an application form for funding, and then the decision-makers will evaluate the applications before granting any funds.
Those that are successful will receive support from the dedicated West Midlands Railway team which will help the community groups to deliver their project, the projects must be completed by 28 February 2025, leaving just under 11 months for community groups to submit a funding application through to project completion.
Many groups can apply for funding, those include registered charities, community groups, and community interest companies (CICs).
Others include community rail partnerships, business partnerships, town councils, parish councils, schools and colleges, along with other not-for-profit organisations.
Previous projects that have come to fruition through this scheme include artwork and plants enhancing Smethwick Rolfe Street, while at Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, a new tea room has benefited the local community by creating a new social hub.
The deadline for applications for funding grants is Tuesday 16 April at 11:59pm.
Additional information on funding is available via their website at https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/about-us/your-community-your-fund/apply-funding
This Class 730 seems to me to be quite an attractive colour scheme with the doors the same colour as the coach ending parts. The front end styling is better than the Class 173 in that it does not have a “nasty smile with clenched teeth” image.
The added purple colour seems to be almost “Royal Lake” – most impressive.