Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has awarded grants totalling £448,000 to 37 organisations who are launching community projects close to stations served by the train operator.

The charities and community groups were chosen from over 200 applicants who bid for support from GTR’s “Your Station, Your Community” fund last summer. Funding support ranges from £300 to £40,000, with larger awards split over two years.

Projects funded last year generated an estimated £150 million in social value, and GTR is aiming for an even higher figure from this year’s increased investment.

Almost half of the winning projects will involve and enhance local communities in East and West Sussex, and Brighton & Hove. They include schemes aiming to tackle mental ill-health, homelessness and anti-social behaviour, and to improve the environment, sustainability and accessibility. Examples are:

• Clock Tower Sanctuary, the only day-centre in Brighton & Hove providing vital practical and emotional support to 16-25-year-olds who are homeless or insecurely housed.
• The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust:working with West Sussex County Council, the Trust aims to reduce anti-social behaviour with a programme of mentoring for young people by professional athletes
• Reinventing Borde Hill: creating a new Green Travel Route between Haywards Heath station and the nationally important English country garden, to connect communities with the mentally and physically restorative power of nature.
• The Wild Mind Project runs free sessions that support 11-to-15-year-olds with their mental health and wellbeing, encouraging children and young people to connect with nature, build social and life skills, relieve stress and make new friends. The first of four four-week programmes funded by GTR runs from Sunday 4th August to Sunday 25th August. Booking is now open at the Wild Mind website - booking-form - The Wild Mind Project

[All 18 grant-winning projects in East and West Sussex and Brighton & Hove are outlined in Editors’ notes below]

Jennifer Tulloch, Head of Children and Young People's Services for the Wild Mind Project, said: "We are really excited to be supporting young people aged 11 to 15 locally, with our upcoming creative and nature-based sessions at our peaceful plot at Stanmer Park. Our first four-week programme runs from Sunday 4th August to Sunday 25th August. A huge thank you to Govia Thameslink Railway for making this possible."

Other projects receiving grants are based in London, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

GTR’s Infrastructure director Keith Jipps said: “With our annual budget increased by 20 per cent, we’ve been able to make almost twice as many awards as last year when we launched the Fund, and I’m delighted to congratulate the 37 successful organisations. We’re excited to be working with them all to generate the social and environmental benefits their projects are designed to deliver.

“The projects we supported last year will generate an estimated £150 million of social value – we’re expecting this year’s programmes to top that figure.

“Thanks are due to everyone who applied. The magnificent response and extremely high quality of the bids shows the incredible energy, creativity and commitment our local communities possess.

“All the bids addressed important social needs, so it was a tough task to decide the winners. Unfortunately, we can only help fund a fraction of the projects, so many excellent bidders will no doubt be disappointed, and I encourage them to try again next year.

“Thanks again to our existing partners such as the community rail partnerships and tourism bodies, who have done a brilliant job spreading the word across our network since we launched the fund. And thanks also to our community partnerships team, who are managing our contribution to this huge and important programme.”

Final approval of each grant award was made by the Department for Transport.