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£50,000 ‘Everyone Active’ grant scheme launching in April to support fitness and wellbeing 

Published on Tuesday 18 March 2025

Community organisations in South Oxfordshire can continue to offer enjoyable fitness and wellbeing opportunities thanks to the £50,000 Everyone Active grant scheme launching next month. 

A new round of the South Oxfordshire District Council Everyone Active grant scheme will launch on Tuesday 1 April. 

Previous grant recipients Thame the Disc and Didcot Town Council are using the grant to offer new fitness activities and opportunities for local people to help boost their quality of life. 

Tim Blair at Thame the Disc said: “We have been able to introduce children to the game of Ultimate (frisbee), and increase the quality of our training sessions, encouraging other local people with previous playing experience to join our club. We are now investigating creating a junior club to encourage even more young people to play.” 

Lucy Blake at Didcot Town Council said: “The construction of the polytunnel went really well – the polytunnel is inviting and accessible and will hopefully become a really popular facility for the community to enjoy. Our Community and Allotment Officer has already started growing plants from seed in the tunnel with the support of the Town Council’s Horticultural Apprentice.” 

Cllr Georgina Heritage, Cabinet Member for Communities at South Oxfordshire District Council said: “With physical and mental wellbeing more important than ever, this grant scheme offers crucial support, enabling these organisations to fund amazing projects they might not have been able to afford otherwise. These projects are making a real difference in the lives of people in our community.” 

South Oxfordshire District Council is providing £50,000 in funding for community organisations to apply for, with a maximum grant of £1,000. 

Applicants will need to show that their projects will help communities to become more active or sustain activity. 

The funding can be used in a variety of ways including:  

  • Buying new leisure or playground equipment  
  • Projects to introduce or improve physical activity  
  • Running training courses for volunteers or staff to help improve physical and mental wellbeing  
  • Setting up a community garden to share the physical and health benefits of growing fruit and vegetables   

The scheme is open to a wide range of groups and organisations in the district, not-for-profit groups (including sports clubs), town and parish councils and parish meetings, not for profit preschools, Parent Teacher Association’s (PTAs) and other local authority run schools or academies for non-statutory elements of the education programme. 

The grant scheme will close once all the budget is spent, or at midday on Monday 26 May, whichever is sooner. More information about the grant scheme can be found on our website or organisations can contact the council’s Community Enablement team on 01235 422405 or email grants@southandvale.gov.uk.