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New £10,000 Grant To Support Fylde Businesses & Charities Organising Events

Businesses or charities organising an event in Fylde could be eligible to apply for a NEW post-Covid recovery grant of up to £10,000. This funding may be used to cover additional cost to manage Covid-19 infection or for other increased costs for the delivery of the event attributed to the pandemic.

This initiative, named the ARG Event Support Scheme, is to support recovery of the tourism and culture economy in the post-COVID pandemic period in the Fylde Borough.  The ARG Event Support Scheme will contribute towards additional cost required to put in place measures to manage COVID infection i.e. testing facilities, sanitisers, COVID signage etc. as well part funding towards other operational costs to support the event.  The grant is also intended to assist the post-pandemic recovery by supporting events in the Autumn and Winter months, outside of the main seasonal event period encouraging additional footfall.

The grant funding is available to any formally established organisation, private sector business, or recognised charity that holds an event between 1 July, 2021, and 31 March, 2022, subject to the criteria set out in the scheme.  Support will be available to returning events, new events, and one-off events established to assist the post-pandemic economic recovery in Fylde.  ARG grants are aimed at sectors of the economy and businesses that have been adversely impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic.

Awards cannot be made to public authorities including town, parish, and borough councils and an event must be an attraction or entertainment activity available to the public, private events restricted to invites and / or members will not be supported.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the culture and tourism benefit from the proposed event and the economic impact it will have on recovery in the local area for example, the wider economic impact from expenditure in the local community because of increased footfall.  Organisers will have to demonstrate that the pandemic has adversely impacted their core business and that ARG funding will contribute to the recovery of their business.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for the ARG Event Support Grant the following must be met:

  • The event must be held in the Fylde Borough
  • The operator must be local to and / or operate in the Borough
  • The event must take place before 31 March, 2022
  • The event must have cultural, social and / or economic benefit
  • The event must be a form of attraction, show, entertainment etc
  • The event must be available to the public (free or by ticket)
  • The event must comply with the guidance for all events in Fylde
  • The organiser must be an actively trading business/registered charity/sole trader. A business is considered to be trading if it is engaged in business activity. This should be interpreted as carrying on a trade or profession, or buying and selling goods or services in order to generate turnover

What a grant can fund

If a grant is awarded it can be used to fund (to a maximum of £10,000 in total):

  • Up to 100% for measures that are additional to manage the COVID 19 virus e.g. testing facilities; additional equipment or resources for social distancing; sanitisers / hygiene facilities etc.
  • Up to 50% for any element of the operational infrastructure, including:
    • Equipment hire and set up i.e. toilets, marquees, etc.
    • Event safety arrangements i.e. road safety
    • Marketing, publicity, and promotion
    • Hire of land or assets to hold the event

ARG funding cannot be used for capital investment or purchases.

Scheme Conditions

  • The maximum funding available per event is £10,000
  • Only 1 business per eventcan be funded. Multiple businesses cannot be awarded for the same event
  • Businesses must complete a separate application form for each unique event they wish to request funding for. Each event will be considered independently, therefore a business may receive multiple awards based on each unique event
  • Businesses which are in administration, insolvent or where a striking-off notice has been made are excluded from the scheme
  • Extensions of, or additions to established and existing events are excluded. For example; daily, weekly, monthly established markets and car boot sales, travelling fairgrounds/fun fairs. This list is not exhaustive so please contact us if you are unsure to confirm eligibility before applying
  • Any award will be made on approval of the application with payment made to the organisation on the production of certified receipts
  • The grant cannot be used to pay salary, wages, commission fees etc. to any individuals associated with the event
  • The grant cannot be used for capital assets
  • The application must be submitted by 31 January2022, to allow time to process the scheme by 31 March, 2022
  • The grant is made at the absolute discretion of Fylde Council and the council reserves the right to make any changes to the award if the recipient fails to use the grant to facilitate the event for which they have applied and to terminate the agreement immediately in the event that the funding from which the Grant is made available is withdrawn, stopped or suspended by the Government or is expended by the Government

The Funding

The ARG Event Support Scheme is a limited fund with the objective to support as many local events as possible that contribute to the post-pandemic recovery of the Fylde economy and the extension of the event calendar into the Autumn and Winter months.  The funding will be allocated per event with consideration given to whether the event is a returning event, a new event intending to return on an annual basis, or an event specifically aimed at post-pandemic recovery / extending the season.

Tax Implications

  • Grant income received by an organisation or sole trader is taxable, therefore the ARG Event Support Scheme will need to be included as income in the tax return. Only organisations/sole traders which make an overall profit once grant income is included will be subject to tax.

How to apply?

Potential applicants will be required to submit an expression of interest using the application link below.  The submission will be allocated to an officer from the Fylde Tourism Team who will act as the lead liaison for the grant application making all necessary checks with the existing SAG (Safety Advisory Group) to determine the viability of the proposal and work closely with the applicant to make an award wherever possible.

Application link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=5QJ9_HG9WU6G9o11mEvkqVClx2UENARKtdEsvWQfawFUM1NWUkJCQTY2UzdVWUpTSkY3SkhaRUQzNS4u

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