Over £377k awarded to community projects through council’s £1 million grant scheme

A total of £377,326.48 has been awarded to community groups and organisations supporting projects that benefit residents and strengthen community engagement.

Following the Cabinet Sub-Committee Grants meeting on Tuesday 24 March 2026, a total of £327,518.68 from year two of the scheme was approved for the following groups:

• Market Harborough Methodist Church - £49,749.90 to purchase new and additional chairs and install new carpet tiles
• Market Harborough Fixers CIC - £5,205.78 to purchase a third portakabin to house a reception and training events
• Hart of Fleckney Bowls - £8,535 to install new flooring, emergency lighting and new hand dryers at the bowls club
• 1st Fleckney Scout Group - £13,400 to install solar panels and battery storage on the Scout hut
• Claybrooke Magna Village Hall - £9,000 to make damp improvements to building
• Peatling Parva Village Hall - £4,938.92 to install UPVC fascias and doors
• Broughton Astley Sea Cadets - £48,580 to purchase a new minibus
• Ashby Magna Parish Council - £4,276.67 to install three lamp post LED lights and new street lighting
• Great Glen Village Hall - £10,000 to purchase new curtains for main hall windows and for the stage area
• Newton Harcourt Reading Room - £2,644.89 to install modern kitchen appliances and external lighting
• The Coplow Centre, Billesdon - £16,808.18 to build a storage extension onto the side of the main hall
• Kibworth Beauchamp Parish Council - £13,308.88 to install new fencing at Warwick Park
• Kibworth Harcourt Parish Council - £13,762.26 to install new swings and surfacing in Jubilee Green play area
• Kibworth Tennis Club - £4,974 to install new steel steps, exterior light and create a tarmacked entrance area
• The Well, Kibworth - £9,071 to upgrade the shop frontage and main entrance access
• Lutterworth Town Council - £29,350 to purchase and install a new security fence and gate
• Tugby and Keythorpe Parish Council - £4,467 to create a community orchard with wildflower meadow, restoration of a neglected verge and bulb planting
• Lutterworth Masonic Association - £72,000 to refurbish fire safety systems at the Wycliffe Rooms, Lutterworth
• 1st Kilworth Scouts, Husbands Bosworth - £4,045 to upgrade external front door and windows on the Scout hut
• North Kilworth Bowls Club - £3,401.20 to purchase a glass washer and carpet.

A total of £49,807.80 in underspend grants from year one of the scheme were also awarded to:

• Harborough LC Junior Badminton - £1,438 to purchase new equipment
• Market Harborough Drama Society - £2,232 to purchase and install two interior digital screens
• Cotesbach Village - £5,000 to install solar panels on the village hall
• Glooston Village Hall - £15,000 to refurbish and reconfigure the toilet facilities
• Frolesworth Parish Meeting - £5,000 to install entry gates at each end of the village
• Bringhurst Drayton and Nevil Holt Parish Meeting - £2,500 to install road markings and 20mph signs at each end of the village of Drayton
• St Peter’s Parochial Church Council, Ashby Parva - £2,805 to purchase a bench and two gazebos
• Stoughton Parish Council - £5,000 to install a new toddler slide in the village playground
• Fleckney Duckpond Players - £10,832.80 to erect an outside storage shed on Fleckney Recreation Ground for large stage properties and stage equipment.

These grants demonstrate the council’s ongoing commitment to supporting community-led initiatives that promote community leadership, health and wellbeing, sustainability and cultural enrichment and prosperity across the Harborough district. 

Cllr Phil Knowles, Leader of Harborough District Council and Chair of Cabinet Sub-Committee Grants, said: “We are delighted to support such a wide range of community groups and organisations through this latest round of funding. I was also pleased to announce at the meeting that we saw our 100th Community Grant awarded.

“From village halls and sports clubs to youth groups and environmental initiatives, these grants will make a real difference and help communities to thrive both now and in the future.”

The council has also allocated £59,658.54 in Section 106 funding towards refurbishment costs of the Wadkins Pavilion in Thurnby and Bushby.

Section 106 contributions are provided by developers for community improvements in areas where development has occurred. 

Including Section 106 contributions, the council awarded a total of £436,985.02 to the community at the Cabinet Sub-Committee Grants meeting.

For more information about the Community Grant Fund, including the full criteria, visit: www.harborough.gov.uk/communitygrants or email communitygrants@harborough.gov.uk

For further details about Section 106 funding, visit: www.harborough.gov.uk/grants