A COMMUNITY pavilion has been given more than £250,000 to upgrade its facilities.

Over Wallop Parish Council was awarded £266,500 in the latest round of levelling up funding.

Forty-five treasured spaces in villages, towns and cities will receive more than £12.3m in funding so they can be run by the community, for the community.

Thanks to the latest funding from the government’s Community Ownership Fund, these institutions will be owned and run by hardworking community groups. 

The funding will be used to rebuild the dilapidated community pavilion in Over Wallop, and create a sustainable sports facility and community hub for residents of the village and surrounding rural area. 

READ MORE: A new season for the Arts Society Sarum starts next month

Jacob Young, Minister for Levelling Up, said:  “Our priority is to support communities and deliver opportunities right across the country, which is why we’re investing £12.3m to secure the future of cherished community institutions.  

“These places – from pubs to historic railway lines – are the golden thread which run through our social fabric, and keeping them going is vital for supporting communities.”

The Community Ownership Fund has now given £49.3m for 195 projects across the UK. This includes almost £8m for 33 pubs so that local people can still go to their beloved local, and £14.6m for 66 community centres so they can continue to play an important role in people’s lives.   

The latest round of allocations includes £770,057 for three projects in Wales, £992,825 for four projects in Scotland and more than £1m for four projects in Northern Ireland.  

Changes which came into effect for this round of bids also meant that all projects could bid for up to £1m in funding, not just sports clubs, and the amount organisations needed to match fund decreased to only 20 per cent, to allow more places to benefit.  

The Community Ownership Fund is currently open again for bids and will close on Wednesday, October 11, and groups are being urged to apply for up to £2m in funding for the very first time.