November 2026 Update
I am pleased to announce that I was successful with an application to the South Norfolk Council (SNC) Community Action Fund, for a grant of £6,430 for replacement and upgrade to the heating and hot water systems, as well as guttering and external repairs to Needham Village Hall. This was the only application request I received, so it's a 100% success rate. Money remains in the fund, and another round of applications will open. So, if you have a request to help fund a project please get in touch. Let us bring more money to our Ward.
Adrian Ramsay, MP for Waveney Valley held a meeting in The Swan Hotel to see if there was an appetite for people from across the constituency to work collaboratively on projects to create and promote a Waveney valley identity. As you will know, I very much support working together and volunteered to help create a series of audio trails. The Harleston and District Historical Society have offered to get the ball rolling.
In the spirit of working together, Cllr James Eddy and I are progressing our initiative to work with groups across Harleston to form a collective vision for community use buildings. Support has already arrived from some groups with others discussing the proposals at their next meeting. We hope to soon present the outcome.
As mentioned in the last months Grapevine, South Norfolk Council have identified pockets of land that could be offered to the community to create more public green spaces. We have delivered letters to people living nearby to find out whether they back such an initiative. We will let you know the outcome next month.
SNC have launched an ‘in Bloom’ fund to help enhance public and green spaces, start or expand community gardens, and increase habitats for bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife. For every pound the community spends, SNC will match it. The fund is open for applications until 15 November.
Winter Pressures Grants up to £500 are available for community organisations delivering initiatives that help people cope with the challenges of winter and the rising cost of living.
I will have my surgery on 14 November at 10am, at Harleston Information Plus on Exchange Street. I hope to see you there.
Cllr Trevor Graham
South Norfolk Council
Member for Harleston