Hamilton PSA

Mobile company O2 and The Conservation Foundation have re-launched It’s your Community, offering community grants from £100 to £1000 to individuals and organisations with a project idea “that you can show will benefit your community”.

Projects should be for the benefit of the community, or to build community spirit. They should offer a physical improvement that you can touch, be likely to make real, tangible results that you can see, and/or demonstrate fresh, bold and innovative thinking.

Do you work for BT? If you’re a BT employee from anywhere in the world who has been involved with a community group, like Hamilton PSA, for more than twelve months, you can apply for a cash grant of up to £500 or a branded sports kit.

The BT Community Champions programme has four reviews in each financial year, and applicants are eligible to apply once in each four review period. The next two closing dates are 12 July and 11 October 2007.

Find out more at www.btcommunitychampions.com.

To promote its new Quality of life Unit, Essex County Council is offering residents the chance to win £10,000 to improve the quality of life for their community. To be entered into the draw all you have to do is fill in the one-page survey on page eight of the July issue of the Council’s Essex Matters magazine, which has probably dropped through your door this week.

You can also fill in the survey online at the Essex County Council’s website. Entries must be received by 5pm on 16 July 2007.

The winning suggestion chosen by the Council’s panel will be “implemented by the County Council to improve the quality of life for local residents”.

While individuals and schools can’t make applications, there’s nothing to stop you coming up with an idea that would benefit Hamilton pupils indirectly.