Greenham Gift 2010 - It's your community, you decide who wins

Greenham Common Trust has launched Greenham Gift 2010 - the chance for your community project to receive a cheque for up to £50,000.

The Greenham Gift has generated nearly £350,000 for community organisations since the Trust introduced this unique initiative in 2006, meaning much needed charitable projects have become a reality. And the winners have all been chosen by you the public.

Applications are now open for local community groups and charities to apply for a Trust grant of between £10,000 and £50,000 with four runners up each receiving £8,000.

These could be a simple one-off capital project or may be a revenue-based project that runs over a number of years. The award is not intended to cover the ongoing costs of existing activities. To enable as many local residents as possible to benefit, the winner is never allowed to apply the following year.

A shortlist of eligible projects will be announced and profiled in the Newbury Weekly News and on the Greenham Gift page from April 29th. Local residents will be invited to vote for the project they feel will most benefit their local community. The four most popular projects will then be asked to make a short presentation at the Greenham Gift final at the Newbury Corn Exchange on June 17th.

The public attending the final will then be asked to vote for the project they feel is most deserving and the winner will be awarded a cheque of up to £50,000. The three other short listed projects will be awarded £8,000 each as will a further project, again, selected on the night by the public audience from the list of projects that did not make the original shortlist.

Greenham Common Trust chief executive, Stuart Tagg, said: "Local people have a rare opportunity in the Greenham Gift to secure major funding which enables an idea for a charitable or community project to become a reality. Over the past five years the event has seen the public select projects that might never have happened without the Greenham Gift. We are looking forward with anticipation to this year's innovative ideas."

This year each of the shortlisted applications will also receive £500 for their organisation.

Last year's Greenham Gift winner was West Berkshire Mencap which has built an outdoor playground for adults and young people with learning disabilities thanks to the Trust.

Chief executive Leila Ferguson said: "West Berkshire Mencap is delighted to benefit from the unique programme that is the Greenham Gift. There is nothing like this anywhere else, it involves the voluntary and community sector as well as residents of West Berkshire and North Hampshire, young and old. West Berkshire Mencap now has a wonderful big playground with lots of exciting equipment such as the zip wire and climbing wall and all thanks to Greenham Common Trust and the lovely people who voted for them. We are extremely lucky to live in a place that has the Greenham Gift."

This year voting for the Greenham Gift will be slightly different. As usual the 12 shortlisted applications will be published in the Newbury Weekly News on April 29th but voting for the Greenham Gift will all be done online via www.greenham-gift.co.uk. All you need to do is log on and register and vote on your favourite project. Once you have voted you will be asked if you would like a seat to attend the Greenham Gift final at the Corn Exchange. Each shortlisted applicant will receive 15 tickets each with the remaining seat tickets available for the general public. If demand is greater than the seats available, a draw will be held for the seat allocation.

Application forms can be downloaded here or if you require a postal application please call Jane Woodfield on 01635 817302. The deadline for this year's Greenham Gift is Friday March 26th.