ORGANISATIONS across Craven Arms have been awarded funding to help combat physical inactivity and ill health, following a public vote in the town.

The winners were selected after thousands of votes were cast by the residents between September and October 2016 as part of the Everybody Active Craven Arms campaign.

Craven Arms residents were invited to vote for their top three projects at Tuffins Supermarket to help increase participation in physical activity of local people, in particularly those less active.

Up to £30,000 was awarded based on the projects chosen by residents as part of Shropshire’s Everybody Active Towns community fund project to help motivate people to get involved in helping everyone in their locality become more physically activity. To win this funding people needed to get out and vote.

The campaign invited residents, community groups and organisations in Craven Arms to submit their projects to help increase participation in physical activity in the town.

Thirteen ideas, projects and initiatives were originally received and 10 finalists then went head-to-head to win enough votes to receive a share of the funding pot.

Just under £30,000 will be shared among the winning projects. The top seven of the 10 finalists with the most public votes will now receive funding to help launch their projects.

The winners were:

• Stokesay Primary School – who received funding of £3,500 for their Outdoor Learning Project which will provide Forest Schools leader training for staff as well as playground football goals, play-ground games marking and sports equipment for all to use.

• Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre – who will receive £5,000 for their ‘Onny Meadows Easy Access Trail’ which will provide a new permanent easy access trail connecting the meadows to the river at Kingfisher Corner.

The centre also received £4,950 for their ‘Wild Play for All Project’ to create a new wild play area for children (and adults!) in woodlands at the Onny meadows.

• South Shropshire Gymnastics Club – who received £4,218 for their ‘Increase Participation, Decrease Waiting! Project’ to purchase equipment to increase places available and decrease numbers on the waiting list for children’s class places, plus new adult classes.

• MumME fitness – Future Family Fitness (with Stokesay Primary School and Children’s Centre) who received £4,225 for their Bump Fitness, Buggy Fitness, session which will provide qualified instructors for during pregnancy, buggy fitness sessions and outdoor fitness classes for parents only.

• Craven Arms Town Council – awarded was £5,000 for their outdoor gym equipment for Craven Arms project which will provide outdoor gym equipment and associated initial fitness sessions.

• South Shropshire Youth Forum – will receive £3,087 for their ‘Giving youth an active chance project which will provide activity days for those aged 12—18 years to developed confidence, knowledge and outdoor learning through activities.