In this newsletter

Supporting Harborough's most vulnerable residents - what you're doing or would like to do

What the communities team has been doing

£1m Community Grant: 

• Community Grant year two and underspend round

• November grant surgeries

Councillors' Ward Improvement Grant and ideas for meeting needs

Section 106

Report from Harborough District Community Awards 2025

Youth Council activities and COMPETITION! Youth Council logo design

Young people and volunteering: district visits and what young people want from volunteering

External funding opportunities: funding for veterans and their families; and general funding 

Getting support 

Previous newsletters

Get in touch!

What we've been doing!

Grants Officers Claire Betts and Serretta Morris have been supporting applications and advising on eligibility and criteria for the year two round one Community Grants.  The round has now closed, with the next one opening on 1 December 2025.

There have also been visits to completed Community Grants projects to find out a bit more about the difference the grants have made, and to talk to parishes and groups about some of the other issues they face. 

The Youth Council members have also been thinking about how they want to spend the UKSPF money that has been allocated to them.

Supporting Harborough's most vulnerable residents - what are you doing or what would you like to do?

Gemma Finan, our Community Development Officer, is working on a new project to look at how Harborough District Council can work with communities to support vulnerable residents. She outlines below what people have told her so far, what we are planning to do next, and how we would welcome your involvement to further support you.

Following recent consultations with parishes and voluntary and community organisations, feedback in the Council's Community Wellbeing Plan consultation, parish liaison meetings, and conversations with staff within the council, we have two questions for town and parish councils or parish meetings, voluntary and community groups, or just informal activity among residents:

1. What's working in your community that others could learn from?

2. Do you want to start something new but could do with a bit of help?

Six key themes

These themes have emerged across our district:

• Cost of living and financial exclusion including food and fuel poverty and access to advice.
• Social isolation and loneliness across all age groups.

• Mental health and wellbeing often as a result of issues such as poverty, stress and isolation.
• Activities for young people particularly in villages, such as coffee bars, youth clubs or homework clubs.
• Transport especially in rural areas, exacerbating other issues.

We know that many of you are already doing brilliant things to support your communities.

Now we want to collect good practice and help others to get started.

What’s working in your community?

Do you have a local initiative that’s making a difference? For example:

• A lift-sharing scheme for medical appointments, shopping or social arrangements.
• A befriending group, lunch club or other activities tackling loneliness.
• Digital support at coffee mornings or drop in sessions.
• A youth club or other regular activities for young people.
• A pay-it-forward board in your café or pub.
• A community garden or allotment supporting wellbeing and food provision.
• Something else that meets the needs above that others could learn from?

Even if it’s small, informal or “just happens,” we’d love to hear about it!  We're collecting good practice to share more widely, but also looking for ways that we can direct residents to your groups. We can also help to link you into funding and resources and find out what other help you need.

Do you want to start something new?

We’re also looking for parishes and community groups interested in developing volunteer-led projects such as:

Please get in touch so that we can help you!

Some cross cutting issues

We have also found some issues that cut across all services that we'll be working on, for example:

• Parishes or community groups don't necessarily know who the vulnerable residents are in their areas - but HDC holds some of this information to be able to signpost residents to relevant support when we have contact with them.

• There's goodwill to get involved, but regulations and structures can be complex and people are concerned about missing something, or don't have funding to set something up (see our Community Grants and Ward Improvement Grants).

• There can be a few people involved in keeping things going and worry about burnout or no one to carry on if they leave.

• People lack time or worry that they'll be asked to commit to more than they want to, or they're worried that they won't fit in or don't have anything to offer.

• There are lots of smaller village schemes in place that could support residents but larger organisations aren't always aware of these to refer people to.

• There is a lack of ongoing "keyworker" or "wraparound" support in some areas to help residents negotiate complex systems, so people bounce about from place to place and experience "referral fatigue" and give up.

If you’re already doing something—or want help getting started—please get in touch.

We can build a stronger, more connected district together, supporting people who are already involved and encouraging others to join in.

However big or small your activity or ask is, we'd like to know - contact Gemma on 07936 360191 or at communities@harborough.gov.uk

Community Grant Updates

Round two of year two of the Community Grant opens 1 December

The year one underspend round and first round of year two of the £1m Community Grant closed on 26 October with decisions to be made by the Cabinet Sub-Committee Grants at their meeting on 25 November 2025. 

Round two will open on 1 December 2025, closing on 16 February 2026, with a round three round and then a final fourth year two underspend round to follow. Full details about how to apply are online.

As a reminder, the Community Grant funding is for capital projects which create lasting assets across the Harborough district, such as improvements to building, facilities, or purchasing and installing equipment.

As before, Grants Officers are available to support you with applications and answer any questions you may have or come along to one of the November grants surgeries. Please continue to share your project ideas with us - we may be able to advise on eligibility and how to apply for the new Community Grant, or suggest alternative sources of funding. 

Download the guidance for full information about how to apply and contact Claire and Serretta at communitygrants@harborough.gov.uk to talk through your project.

Community Grant - good practice advice from parishes from their own experiences

At the two recent parish liaison meetings, we asked those attending to share their good practice tips from their experiences to date with applying for a Community Grant.  The tips are below, with further ideas from HDC's Grants Officers.

“Use the support offered by HDC to access the fund.” 

“Speak to people and ask for ideas face to face.”

Some parishes have found it difficult to get community groups to come forward with ideas, perhaps they aren't sure about the detail, think the grant isn't for them, or think that other people might have already put forward projects - but having face-to-face discussions can answer people's questions and spark ideas about what they can do with the funding.

There may also be inspiration from talking to people in other parishes, about creative ways in which capital/equipment funding might prove invaluable to your community.

“Have a number of plans in the drawer ready.” 

It can take some time to compile project plans, gather quotes, obtain support and complete an application for your project. It's a good idea to start preparations as early as possible using the publicised dates for the opening and closing of rounds. 

“Every parish is different – but be really focused on the community benefit of a project.”

The evidence of need and wide community impact are crucial elements of a strong application. Town and parish councils / meetings will need to consider these elements when prioritising which projects to support. The Grants Committee will place great importance on these elements when awarding a grant, especially in situations where there is competition for the same pot of money.

Thank you to everyone who came to these meetings and contributed their ideas and advice!

*** November grants surgeries ***

To support the rounds for year two of the Community Grant, we have arranged some grant surgeries to discuss potential projects and funding ideas in general. We have had positive feedback from previous surgeries about how this has been helpful to clarify ideas and give reassurance to potential applicants about the process.

The surgeries are open to constituted, not-for-profit community organisations and parish and town councils and parish meetings.

The surgery dates and locations are:

• 13 November     2.30pm – 4.30pm     Lutterworth Churchgate Community Centre
• 17 November      9.30am – 12.30pm   Market Harborough Council Chamber

There will also be the opportunity to book a session with Home-Start South Leicestershire who can offer guidance around various aspects of volunteering.

Please click to book an appointment at one of the surgeries and a grants officer will get in touch to confirm.

Councillors' Ward Improvement Grant

The Councillors' Ward Improvement Grant Scheme is available to groups and organisations in the Harborough district. Each ward councillor has been allocated £5,000 to support initiatives of their choice within their ward which will benefit residents and/or improve the environment. The funding can be for capital or revenue projects.

Grants must be for values between £1k to £5k and grants must be paid to the organisation by 31 March 2026. Organisations must be constituted and have a bank account in the name of the organisation. 

Organisations must contact their ward councillor directly to discuss their project proposal.

See our website for an overview of the grant and some of the things that might be funded. 

*** Ideas for meeting local needs ***

Gemma Finan, HDC Community Development Officer, and the rest of the team have been talking to parishes and community groups about how to better meet the needs of vulnerable people in the Harborough district, as outlined above.

We've gone through what you've told us and done some thinking about how the grants might help you.

The main issues that have been identified are: 1. financial exclusion / cost of living; 2. social isolation and loneliness; 3. mental wellbeing; 4. activities for young people; 5. digital exclusion; and 6. mobility and transport.

For example:

• Would your organisation welcome funding to support social activities and groups e.g. set up costs such as for volunteer training, marketing, workshops?

• Would some equipment enable you to offer new health and wellbeing activities or activities for young people?

• Would your community transport schemes benefit from extra equipment such as car seats or other things to increase access to community transport? 
  

• Would the purchase of wheelchairs make it easier for people to access your workshops, activities or use your transport?

• Would funding to purchase IT equipment such as tablets or laptops for people to access, or to provide noticeboards, newsletters and posters to help you address issues of digital exclusion and increase community participation and access?

If you would like some help and advice about setting up groups and activities, or want  some more information about the types of initiatives that you could coordinate, contact the community engagement team at communities@harborough.gov.uk 

Section 106 

Harborough District Community Awards 2025 

From dedicated volunteers giving up their time to support people in their community, to young people leading inspiring projects, each award highlighted the passion and commitment that make our district such a special place to live. The evening was filled with stories of kindness, creativity, and collaboration, a true reminder of the power of community.

The winners and runners up are pictured above, a full list is on our website, and we will be featuring some of their stories in this newsletter over the next year.

Youth Council activities

What the Youth Council has been working on

Last year we consulted with members of Harborough District Youth Council about structures and they agreed they would like to introduce roles.  

The Youth Council has been allocated £10,000 of UKSPF money to spend within the UKSPF criteria. This week the focus group which is made up of Youth Council members, met with Youth Engagement Officer Becca and the economic development team to think about how they can spend the money. The Youth Council initially brainstormed ideas and the focus group looked at these ideas in more detail to see what is achievable and a worthwhile way to spend the funding.

The Youth Council members will continue working with the HDC economic development team to identify the right people and organisations who will be able to provide expertise on this subject. To ensure this has a long term impact and a wide reach, it will be designed so it can be delivered by teachers or mentors easily and efficiently. 

Design a logo for the Youth Council - closing soon!

We are excited that The Speak Out project run by HCYC is running a logo design competition for the Harborough District Youth Council.  Anyone 11-18 from the Harborough district can enter. The logo can be hand drawn, painted or designed on a computer and the closing date is 14 November 2025.

See the brief for guidance and how to enter, including a word cloud designed from Youth Council members' thoughts.

Join the Youth Council!

We are always keen to welcome new members. We have monthly meetings on a Thursday 5.30pm-7.30pm. The meetings alternate between Lutterworth and Market Harborough each month. We provide transport through Lutterworth Community Transport and Market Harborough Community Transport to make the meetings as accessible as possible.

Although we have participants from across the district, we would also like to make sure young people from all secondary schools and colleges in the area are equitably represented, particularly in areas around Kibworth Mead Academy and Thomas Estley Community College. So get in touch with Becca if you can help with this or know young people in those areas who would like to get involved.

Young people and volunteering

With the start of the school autumn term, the UKSPF funded volunteering development project, coordinated by Emma Pickering,  at Home-Start South Leicestershire, has been reaching out to young people to find their views around volunteering.  Her thoughts are followed by information for anyone considering involving younger volunteers.

Emma writes,

I recently had lovely discussions at The Cube and Speak Out (the youth magazine for HCYC). These were with young people in year groups 7-11. The young people engaged well on the topic of volunteering, finding its relevance for those who were considering starting the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) scheme. As well as discussing the best places to look for volunteering opportunities within the Harborough district, we talked about benefits volunteering can have on wellbeing, mental health and social connections, and the importance of approved opportunities in order to safeguard themselves. Some individuals already had volunteering experience which they were able to draw on to support discussions.

A trip to Lutterworth College Sixth Form was also well received. The young people were enthusiastic about expanding their experiences, despite it being very difficult to juggle full-time education and volunteering at this older age range.

Hopefully the young people will be inspired by the myriad benefits volunteering can bring both to themselves and the community and will look to volunteering for future opportunities.

Emma can be contacted by groups, organisations and businesses that are interested in volunteering at emma@home-startsouthleics.org.uk if you would like some support.

What do we know about volunteering and young people?

The ages of 14 or 15 are common for young people to start volunteering. Although work experience, skill development and references are motivators, being able to help others and caring about a particular cause are equally important. Others want to make new friends or get involved because friends and family are volunteering.

• When creating opportunities, consider young people's different motivations and structure roles and recruitment messages to meet a variety of needs.

• Enable young people to volunteer alongside their friends and family.

For a variety of reasons, many volunteer opportunities aren't open to younger people, so when young people do volunteer, many do this through school, sports or uniformed groups such as scouts, guides and cadets, or other organisations that they are already involved with. Despite young people generally being more engaged with social media, fewer find volunteering opportunities this way.

• If you're a group that involves young people, do you create structured volunteering opportunities for them across various roles with different levels of responsibility and time commitment?

• Think about directly encouraging young people individually to apply, as this is one of the most common ways that they become involved, and they may lack confidence or knowledge to decide themselves whether or not something is for them when they see general publicity.

Barriers include a lack of opportunities that interest young people, concern about how to fit volunteering in with other commitments, not fitting in socially with other volunteers, not being clear what the benefits of volunteering are, lack of confidence contacting organisations, travel and transport issues, worry about being out of pocket, or lack of understanding about why they would "work for free", especially if they haven't experienced people volunteering before.

• Provide clear information that's easily accessible online about what volunteering opportunities involve, including what the role is, how the recruitment process works, how they can get more information, and what the benefits are for them.

• Target one-to-one communication to routes that young people use, for example by text or email rather than expecting them to phone. Work with schools and other young people's groups to promote volunteering, enabling young people to sign up in groups.

• Consider how existing roles might be adapted to specifically appeal to young people, looking at particular activities, time of the day, opportunities to volunteer alongside other young people, or whether new roles can be developed - involve young people in making suggestions.

• Be clear about the benefits to young people, whether that's career and skills related or more social. Ask existing young volunteers what they think the benefits to them have been, use their words in promotions and their comments on how things can be improved.

• Offer expenses, and make this clear in recruitment materials. Consider transport, is this something that you can organise, or can you coordinate volunteering at a time that some young people will be able to get public transport? Car schemes may also be an option. You may be able to coordinate young people travelling together.

For further information

• NCVO's Time Well Spent series of reports contains lots of insight into what people need from their volunteering experience, and has a report on diversity and volunteering that identifies issues for younger adults (as well as other demographic groups).

• The #IWILL Movement promotes young people's social action and has a range of stories and resources.

• This research was undertaken in Scotland, but is applicable to other areas - Young People's Perspectives on Volunteering.

Funding and resources from other organisations

This section contains a selection of grants outside HDC that community groups can apply for.

With all grants, check the small print for exclusions such as types of organisations and annual turnover to ensure that you're eligible.

Grant fundraising is challenging at the moment, with many funders closing programmes early or completely, reviewing or narrowing programmes, and some moving to invitation only because of the volume of applications they're receiving, so make sure you sign up for email or social media alerts from the funder if applicable if you're making an application, and/or regularly check their website for changes.

It may also be worth searching for the funder on the Charity Commission website and downloading its annual report to see if you can find out more, or some funders report on 360Giving.

We would love to know if you have been successful applying to any of these to build up our knowledge of what funders are prioritising.

See our previous newsletters for other funding suggestions, while some are included in response to specific funding rounds, others are ongoing or will be reopening in the future.

Getting further support

The following organisations also provide free funding resources that may be useful to groups:

• Leicestershire County Council

• Rural Services Network

• Active Together

• East Midlands Funding Forum

• Charity Excellence Framework

Previous newsletters

See previous editions of our newsletter for good practice resources and funding suggestions.

Get in touch

Let us know what you're doing! We welcome information that is relevant to community action and voluntary and community groups

communities@harborough.gov.uk | communitygrants@harborough.uk youthvoice@harborough.gov.uk

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