Funding boost to strengthen three South West community groups amid regional push

Three South West community groups will share more than $25,000 of funding from the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal’s Strengthening Rural Communities grants program. Collie Men’s Shed, Pemberton’s Youth Emergency Service Cadets, and Bridgetown’s Grumpy Old Men are the three to share part of the $1.4 million national spend. Collie Men’s Shed will create an all-weather working and wood storage area for safe outdoor projects with its $10,000 injection, and another $10,000 will go towards boosting organisational and volunteering capacity at the Pemberton Youth Emergency Service Cadets. The Grumpy Old Men group in Bridgetown will receive $5096 for an upgrade to its dust extraction system to increase safety by buying mobile dust extractors for woodworking. A total of 129 groups will receive funding out of 450 applicants requesting a total of $4.5m. In WA, $130,000 has been awarded to groups, including in Kalbarri and Fitzroy Crossing, to recover from natural disasters. FRRR place portfolio lead Jill Karena said the organisation was experiencing unprecedented demand. “The SRC program is flexible and open year-round, meaning it can lean in when Government and other agencies lean out,” she said. “This access to continued funding opportunities is especially vital in communities that are moving beyond the immediate threats and response to natural disasters and other shocks. “This round, we have seen increased applications from the organisers of community events such as local agricultural shows as some local governments are reducing their annual funding support. “We also saw increased funding requests from smaller, more remote communities that are a seeking to boost the local economy by developing activities and events to encourage overnight stays from visitors who would otherwise pass through. “We also noticed an increase in applications from fringe metro areas and inner rural communities, which seems to indicate that they, too, are facing diminishing funding opportunities.”