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Leigh-on-Sea Town Council 1996

Tel: 01702 716288
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Grant Award Scheme

In 2016 the Council decided to create a new system to enable them to award grants to community groups and projects operating within Leigh-on-Sea. We aim to help organisations that are either non-profit making or charitable, and allow groups to apply for a grant of up to £500 once a year. This could be for any community initiative which benefits residents, the grant can also be used for room hire at Leigh Community Centre.

Groups applying for the grant should ideally have clearly written aims and objectives, a written constitution, membership rules and a bank account in its own name with more than one authorised representative required to sign each cheque, however all applications will be considered by the Council.

We cannot accept applications from political parties, commercial organisations, purposes for which there is a statutory duty upon other local or central government departments to fund or provide or organisations intending to support or oppose any particular political party or to discriminate on the grounds of race, religion or disability. 

All grants are awarded at the councils discretion, to organisations which can demonstrate a clear need for financial support to achieve an objective that will benefit the Town by:

  • Providing a service or requiring room hire at Leigh Community Centre
  • Providing activities
  • Enhancing the quality of life
  • Improving the environment
  • Promoting Leigh-on-Sea in a positive way

Applications will NOT be considered for: 

  • Projects which benefit single individuals or private business projects
  • Projects that are the prime statutory responsibility of other government bodies
  • Projects that simply replace existing facilities with no significant improvement
  • Projects that improve or benefit privately owned land or property
  • Projects that have already been completed, or will have been by the time the grant is issued
  • Prize money

Download the Grant Award Scheme Application form hereFor more information please contact Leigh-on-Sea Town Council directly on 01702 716288 or by emailing

For more information please contact Leigh-on-Sea Town Council directly on 01702 716288 or by emailing council@leighonseatowncouncil.gov.uk.

Grant Award Scheme Recipients

Every year Leigh-on-Sea Town Council awards grants of up to £500 to worthy community charities and projects. Over the years they have supported the Leigh Regatta, Folk Festival, British Legion and many more initiatives. Grants are awarded twice a year in March and September, and can be used towards room hire at Leigh Community Centre or to help local causes.

Southend Area Bus User Group

The Southend Area Bus User Group "SABUG” was formed in 2001 to liaise with all commercial bus companies in the area, Essex County Council and Southend on Sea Borough Council. SABUG endeavour to deal with any problems advised by members by contacting the relevant company or local authority. The grant provided by the Council enables SABUG to hire a room at the Centre for the committee to discuss various issues that have been raised. Further details can be obtained from their website www.sabug.kk5.org

British Legion

The Leigh-on-Sea Branch of The Royal British Legion were last year, awarded The Nigel Bird Shield; a trophy awarded for the largest percentage increase in membership over the previous year. "Our Branch – which raised almost £34,000 for the Poppy Appeal last year, are indebted to the Town Council for the general support we receive – but in particular for the support offered to the Branch by the Grant Award Scheme which allows us to use the wonderful facilities of the Centre on a reduced or completely free basis.” In recent years the Legion have launched their Annual Poppy Appeal with a Coffee Morning and Cake Sale at the Community Centre.

Endeavour Trust

The Grant Award Scheme contributes to the ever increasing maintenance and running costs associated with the historic Endeavour vessel. The Leigh-on-Sea Endeavour Trust restored this splendid craft for community and educational use in 2001. The oldest surviving example of a Leigh-on-Sea fishing boat was painstakingly restored with financial support from many sources. The ship is moored in Leigh Creek, acting as a fitting memorial to generations of Leigh fishermen and, those who perished at Dunkirk. She was built by the Leigh shipwrights Cole & Wiggins as a cockler in 1924, and spent her working life in local waters. In 1940, along with five other Leigh boats, she was one of the flotilla of "Little Ships” which rescued troops from the beaches at Dunkirk. 

Leigh Regatta 

Back in August 2014, the Leigh Regatta was called off with only six weeks to go. The Lions Club of Leigh-on-Sea stepped in and with the help of 3rd Chalkwell Bay and 4th/5th Leigh Sea Scout troops and other local volunteers, succeeded in putting on a smaller-scale Regatta. Having only a modest budget, we'd applied for a Grant Award from LTC and were delighted to be chosen. LTC have continued to support Regatta with further Grant Awards in 2016 and 2017, enabling us to provide art materials and other sundries in the children’s entertainment area. This has allowed Leigh Regatta to remain a friendly, community celebration all the family can enjoy – a continued highlight in Leigh’s summer calendar. 

Blade Education 

Imagine a sea of bright red poppies, all individually made by local school children, open to everyone, commemorating those that died in the First World War – that is the aim of the Southend Schools Festival of Remembrance Project. The project is provided by Blade Education, a not for profit company, and focuses on helping school children to engage with remembrance and understand how memories are an important part of all our lives. 

SSFR is all about reconnecting local children with the stories of our community from the World Wars. We are working with 24 schools around the Borough to build an installation on the cliffs below the Southend Cenotaph in the week before Remembrance Sunday. 

"Thanks to the grant we received from the Council we’ve been able to engage with the wider community by running ‘Poppy Days’ at the Community Centre. These fun and creative workshops have attracted participants from all sections of the community who have made poppies with us and contributed to the learning materials and research aspects of the project.

The staff at the Centre have been tremendously helpful and welcoming. For more information visit www.ssfr.org.uk or contact ssfr@blade-education.org.uk or call 020 7097 3935.