Festival funds up for grabs

Do you need funding support to realise those plans?

Then you may be interested in applying to the Community Festivals Fund through which, for example, a major event involving more than 2,000 people has the potential to be 50% funded up to a maximum of £7,500.

Ballymena Borough Council has made available funding for Community Festivals taking place between April 1 of this year and March 31, 2015.

Medium Festivals (between 500 & 2,000 people) are eligible for 50% funding up to a max of £3,000 while small Festivals (up to 500 people) are eligible for 50% funding up to a max of £500.

A Community Festival is defined as a series of events with a common theme and delivered within a defined time period.

Festivals must be initiated and led by a community organisation or a community led partnership and should celebrate and positively promote what the community represents.

There is no guarantee that successful applicants will receive the amount applied for.

The Community Festivals Fund is a competitive scheme and festival organisers will be required to demonstrate how their festival meets the assessment criteria.

The closing date for completed applications is 12pm on Friday, April 4.

More details, including guidance notes and application forms, can be found on the Ballymena Borough Council website http://www.ballymena.gov.uk/