All Saints Church is one of many organisations to have recently benefited from community forum funding.

The Coseley East and Sedgley Community Forum granted £5,000 to the Sedgley based church to install a new sound system in its church hall as part of a major refurbishment of the building. The works will enhance the facilities available for the large range of activities which take place in the hall including a dementia group, yoga for people with disabilities and Noah’s Ark for toddlers.  

The church is one of a number of voluntary groups and organisations to have benefited from community forum funding totalling in excess of £235,000 since April last year.

As well as providing funding, the Dudley Council-run community forums also give local people an opportunity to meet face-to-face with local councillors and a representative from the police to talk about the issues that matter to them most and to come up with ideas and actions to improve their local area. Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the council, said:

"Community forum grants are available to help grassroots groups and organisations make a difference in our communities. It’s great we’ve been able to contribute to the refurbishment of All Saints church hall along with countless other projects, which will no doubt benefit local residents for a long time.

"I’d urge anyone with a project that could benefit from community forum funding to get in touch with us. I also hope to see many of our residents at next month’s round of community forums."

Community forums demonstrate how the council and local residents are achieving the community strand of the Dudley Deal, an informal agreement between the council and anyone who lives, works or runs a business in the borough. The Community Deal is about further supporting stronger communities and giving local people the opportunity to be involved in decisions about their community.

The next round of community forums will take place from March 9 to 30:

Monday March 9:

Belle Vale, Hayley Green and Cradley South at Halesowen College
Halesowen North and Halesowen South at Tenterfields Primary School
Brierley Hill, Brockmoor and Pensnett at Brockmoor Primary School

Monday March 16:

Coseley East and Sedgley at Cotwall End Primary School

Monday March 23:

Kingswinford North and Wall Health, Kingswinford South and Wordsley at Crestwood Park Primary School
Norton, Pedmore and Stourbridge East, Wollaston and Stourbridge Town at Wollaston Village Hall

Tuesday March 24:

Amblecote, Cradley and Wollescote, Lye and Stourbridge North at Cradley Community Centre
Gornal, Upper Gornal and Woodsetton at Black Country Wellbeing Hub

Wednesday March 25:

Castle and Priory, St James’s and St Thomas’s at Russells Hall Primary School

Monday March 30:

Netherton, Woodside and St Andrews and Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood at Quarry Bank Community Centre
All community forums start at 6.30pm.

Grants of up to £5,000 are available to voluntary and community organisations whilst funds remain. Applications for funding must be submitted three weeks before the relevant community forum meeting. More details are available on the Dudley Council website.

Any applications that miss this deadline will be considered as part of the next round of forums.