WESTON Rhyn Parish Council and the village’s Green Shoots environmental group are celebrating after being awarded £3,570 from The National Lottery Community Fund and IKEA UK as part of a £1.5million pilot programme

The pilot programme, called Places from Homes, from the largest funder of community activity and world’s largest home furnishing retailer, is supporting more than 330 communities across the UK with grants of up to £5,000 to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

On behalf of the Parish Council, Green Shoots will use their funding to promote cycling within the parish, improving both accessibility and health.

Among other measures, they will install a covered cycle shelter for several bikes at the Institute, and organise information and repair workshops for adults and children.

Weston Rhyn parish councillor Maggie Rowlands, spokesperson for the project, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players and IKEA, we look forward to implementing our project to encourage the adults and children of Weston Rhyn to make more local journeys by bike.

"Cycling is not only a convenient and cheap way of getting round, but can also be a fantastic recreational activity enabling people to come together to explore our lovely area while improving their health.

"We will be encouraging local residents to get involved in the project from the outset.

"We’re delighted to have been selected for this funding from such a strong field of applicants across the UK.”

The Places Called Home programme builds on the energy and creativity of communities coming together during the crisis to support each other and aims to inspire them to take action around healthy and sustainable living, while learning from each other and building meaningful connections.

Alongside the funding, with £1 million made possible thanks to National Lottery players, all community groups that applied have now been invited to a virtual learning and support programme, created by Participatory City Foundation.