Vote for the People's Budget
The People's Budget is a £100,000 fund dedicated to supporting community organisations. The money will be awarded to groups to deliver initiatives, events or programmes that deliver fun or creative initiatives that add value to our communities. Applications for proposals that primarily benefit people aged 25 years old or younger will be prioritised.
We're asking you, our Horsham District residents, to vote for the community group you would like to receive an award. You can only vote for one group so choose carefully!
Find out more about each group below, then click the Vote now button at the bottom of the page to vote.
Candidates
About the organisation: Our aim at 1st Shipley Scouts is to bring everyday adventure and fun to boys and girls aged between 5-18yrs to help them grow in confidence, achieve their full potential and become active members of their communities.
1st Shipley remain dedicated to the Scout aims of working together to become strong individuals and responsible citizens, enabling our young people to realise their physical, spiritual, intellectual, and social potential. Young people can learn the skills of open fire cooking, food preparation and team work and take part in fun, adventurous outdoor activities such as archery and air rifle shooting which will develop their confidence and independence.
Project brief: The grant would be spent on a combination of some essential building maintenance works to ensure our
beautiful thatched roof scout hut remains fully safety compliant with modern day requirements together with
helping us to realise phase 2 of our vision, which is to enhance our facilities and expand use of the site with
access to fantastic camping facilities and outdoor activities for the benefit of the wider community, which includes the addition of an outdoor cooking area and a target shooting range (for archery, air rifle shooting etc).
About the organisation: 4TheYouth is the only youth charity in the Horsham area. It is an independent charity that was set up in 2011. We provide support and positive experiences for young people aged 8 to 18.
Project brief: To completely regenerate the outside area of Horsham Youth Centre; this could be part of the fabric of Horsham Youth once more! With £20,000 we could complete this amazing project including the first mountain bike track in Horsham, resurfacing our hardcourt, providing a huge multisport area for hundreds of young people to use, a climbing wall and outdoor spaces for young people to sit, relax and meet friends. There has been huge excitement from young people we support about this project.
About the organisation: We welcome all young people from the ages of 7 1/2 to 17 years over 4 evenings. We provide a variety of fun activities where they can find their "space", fit in and feel comfortable, regardless of race, gender and abilities.
Many of our young people present with additional needs and some are within the care system. We respect each member as individuals, supporting them in their transition into adulthood though both planned and reactive activities in both group and one to one situation.
Project brief: We feel it would be beneficial to take our Senior Youth Members on a Residential Life Skills Experience for a weekend in May. We are thinking of 4 caravans with a total of 18 young people and 6 leaders at a Haven Site in Hastings. The theme for the weekend would be “Come Dine with Me” where each caravan would be responsible for cooking a course which would be shared with the whole group.
About the organisation: Adur Valley Scouts provides Scouting opportunities for young people aged between 6 and 25. Our Explorer and Network Groups cater for the older age ranges of 14-25 and as well as Scouting, offer the opportunity of gaining the Duke of Edinburgh Awards of Bronze through to Gold. Our activities team, based at our Scout facility in Small Dole, Henfield provide our Youth members opportunities to experience adventurous activities within the Horsham District and beyond through camping and adventurous activities including Duke of Edinburgh expeditions to remote locations and overseas.
Project brief: Our activities team are in desperate need to replace a trailer that is now beyond economical repair and is limiting the activities that the local scout groups can provide. The trailer is used for many purposes, but primarily used to support the transport of camping and expedition equipment to support the Young Peoples activities. We have three Scout Groups in Horsham District alongside 2 District level Explorer Units based in Henfield, Beeding/Bramber and Steyning. All of these groups have access to Hillside, but regularly use the River Adur and the trailer would allow us to facilitate both access to water activities alongside camping at Hillside as well as the expedition opportunities.
About the organisation: The PTA is a registered charity set up to raise money for our school to fund items, events and experiences not covered by the school's normal budgets. We want to ensure a child's time at Holy Trinity is as special and exciting as possible. We are a mix of parents and staff across all year groups and work closely with the headteacher to make sure events and funded items support the work being carried out within the school.
Project brief: We would like to provide a Year of Joy for the children, using a £5,000 grant to pay for trips so that families already stretched by the Cost Of Living crisis do not need to. We have collaborated with staff to produce a programme of activities across all year groups that add value to the children's education whilst bringing them lots of fun. These trips were not possible during Covid and have been missing or significantly paired down for several years due to the ongoing financial situation.
About the organisation: Happy Accidents is passionate about taking arts and culture into Horsham District communities through inspiring, participatory, fun and inclusive creative experiences – such as events, workshops, and exhibitions –to create community cohesion, help boost the local economy and support arts and culture education.
Project brief: Horsham Children's Parade is a large-scale, free-to-watch street parade which involves up to 1,000 local primary school children – a joyous spectacle of giant models, vibrant costumes and upbeat music showcasing the diversity and talent of Horsham District’s children and uniting the community through a magical, fun, and memorable shared experience.
About the organisation: We are a community club run by volunteers with a love for basketball. We have had many players make teams such as Sussex County Team, South East England Team and even the Great Britain Team. Our aim is to develop grassroots basketball in Horsham and surrounding areas and create a fun, diverse and competitive environment for our players to thrive in with encouragement and support.
Project brief: We will use any 'funding' for facility hire and equipment for our development groups (Central Venue League) to play in the new league under Basketball Sussex. These include but not limited to U10's, U12's, U14's and girls from 10 - 15 year olds.
About the organisation: Horsham Matters is a pioneering foodbank charity that tackles poverty and the root causes of poverty in the 205sq mile Horsham District. We assist those in our community who come to us in crisis, unable to make ends meet, pay for food, bills or essential household items and often suffering the mental health effects of poverty. The staff and volunteers who help run our charity care passionately about providing long-lasting and practical help and support, from food to advice.
Project brief: We will spend the grant on setting up a new project, a mobile toy library, where families in hardship can hire toys and games for free. The service will be available across the district, enabling families access to good quality toys for children up to 10 not only in central Horsham but outlying areas. The funds would be used to purchase new toys as well as the robust bags to store and transport them. The funds would also be used to cover the salary costs of a staff member and allied costs.
About the organisation: QEII School caters for pupils with severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties, or complex needs aged 2-19. Our vision is to enable every pupil to discover and develop their potential and have a real pride in their achievements. Through our creative, flexible and relevant curriculum and a wide range of opportunities, pupils develop independence, confidence and self-esteem. Every pupil is supported to go on to live a fulfilled life as a respected member of their community.
Project brief: We wish to purchase a drive deck system as our old one is broken and needs replacing. The drive deck enables wheelchair users to be assessed as well as to be given more independence. The equipment can be set up in a variety of ways to support individual needs. The children can each have their own ‘switches’ that they can operate with the movement they have, which powers the drive deck. The tape that fixes to the floor can support those children that need more guided support and reduces risk.
About the organisation: Springboard is a caring and committed charity that has been supporting the local community for over 32 years. We work with children, young people and families by offering support, inclusive play and leisure opportunities. We aim to promote inclusion and diversity, improve physical and emotional wellbeing, increase life skills and independence, reduce isolation by helping to build relationships and friendships and provide accessible recreational and leisure opportunities.
Project brief: The grant is aimed at supporting lower income families to have play and social opportunities. We would do this by offering a free stay and play session on Fridays throughout the year. These would run from our inclusive play centre in Horsham. The funding would also go towards our Christmas Giving campaign, which includes distributing wellbeing packages and inclusive family Christmas party.
About the organisation: Southwater Youth Project is a local community charity engaging with children & young people in Southwater through the provision of professional, embedded, community youth work, both providing & signposting them to a broad range of affordable, accessible youth activities & opportunities. SYP seeks to help young people become 'The Best That They Can Be', to develop & mature physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually as individuals, & as contributing members of society & the local community.
Project brief: This grant will help with the project's sustainability, to continue to cover the core costs required in employing a full time youth worker, which enables us to continue to provide a safe space for children & young people to meet with friends old and new, learn new skills, experience new adventures, build confidence, develop resilience and self worth, by providing a range of fun, engaging, positive and affordable activities/sessions during both term time and school holidays.
About the organisation: Ten Little Toes operates like a foodbank; giving out bundles of essential items to people who need them. We support families through referrals from health and social services, schools, food banks and other partner agencies. We provide free (mostly preloved) baby and child equipment and supplies. We help families who are experiencing poverty/hardship, are displaced or in temporary housing, or are struggling due to physical or mental health difficulties. Our bundles are a gift of love and hope.
Project brief: Ten Little Toes would like to give families more than just the basics. We would use the grant to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of families through providing access to resources and toys promoting creativity and expression. We would also provide a range of books, both in English and multilingual, to prompt literacy as well encourage family bonds and togetherness.
About the organisation: Parish Councils are corporate bodies whose powers have accumulated through legislation since 1894. The lowest tier of a Local Authority, Parish Councils were established under section 9 of the Local Government Act 1972.
The 2011 Localism Act afforded Parish Councils ‘The General Power of Competence’ if they met the criteria, namely that at least two thirds of Councillors are elected and the Clerk is qualified. The General Power of Competence allows a Parish Council to ‘do anything.
Project brief: The Joint Parish Youth Committee (JPYC), have set up a youth service which needs equipment to enhance and improve the programme of activities available. The Parish Councils can provide some funding but needs grants to provide some items such as Televisions, Gaming consoles and VR Headsets to enhance the service and ensure that a wider range of young people can attend.
About the organisation: We are a Parish Council. Our councillors are committed to use the funding available, through the precept and grants, to improve the lives of all West Chiltington residents. We actively seek residents' ideas for projects which will support this and feedback on our proposals before launching any projects which will incur significant expenditure.
Project brief: We plan to purchase and install an outdoor table tennis table at the recreation ground in West Chiltington which will be accessible to all parishioners without charge.
About the organisation: Scouting exists to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society. We bring #SkillsForLife to Young People and ensure they have experiences to develop as a member of society that they wouldn't get elsewhere. We strive to reach all communities, no matter the location, the IMD or characteristics. Everyone is welcome at scouts, no matter what.
Project brief: We would like to acquire a Mobile Events and Operations Hub, based out of our Horsham Scout Campsite, 'Beacon Hill'. This will be used as a mobile scout hut for rural Horsham communities that don’t have a building and even to start up brand new Horsham groups, allow scouts to have a dry building for welfare and operations during large events in the district and provide a base for scouts to use for recruitment at wider events like Pride. We want to bring scouting to underfunded, rural areas and use Horsham to Pilot this project.
How to vote
Click the button below to cast your vote. You will be asked to confirm that you live in Horsham District and your email address.