Green Suffolk Fund is made available to local communities

Are you up for the challenge of improving your local community? Do you want to play an active part in tackling climate change in Suffolk?

Suffolk communities can now benefit from the Green Suffolk Fund, which will help them to become 'greener', thanks to Suffolk County Council and the East of England Development Agency. The Green Suffolk Fund has been established by the County Council as an indication of its support to the aspiration of Creating the Greenest County, currently being developed by the Suffolk Strategic Partnership.

Suffolk communities are now welcome to apply for funding to EEDA's Cut Your Carbon programme. Following this awards from the Green Suffolk Fund will be based on the successful bids to EEDA. Successful bids will be announced in July 2008, following a decision from EEDA's judging panel.

The Green Suffolk Fund will provide £100,000 in match funding for winning communities from Suffolk to cover the gap in funding that successful communities still need to find. The money will be available for both capital and revenue costs and as such can be used by groups to cover some of the set up costs of developing their ideas.

Lucy Robinson, Director for Environment and Transport said: "We are pleased to announce the details of the Green Suffolk Fund to local communities in Suffolk. The county council takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously. If we want to improve Suffolk's carbon footprint we need to work together. There are many steps that a community can take to respond to climate change. From local energy schemes to community landscape projects, or promoting green tourism or banning plastic bags".

Sponsors have also kindly supported the Green Suffolk Fund and this finance will also be used to support activites in communities.The sponsors are BT, SLP Energy, MLM Construction Engineering, Environment Agency, Ransomes Jacobsen and Blus Star Skips.

For more information on the Cut Your Carbon application process, please call: 01223 484657 or visit www.cutyourcarbon.org.uk