The grant was awarded from the Community Grant Scheme, which is aimed at empowering communities by providing funding to enable community organisations to help themselves.
 
The aim of this funding is “to build capacity within communities so that groups are enabled to be self-sustaining without ongoing practical and financial support from the council”.
 
The grant will be used to buy equipment including fencing panels, gazebos, tables and chairs.
 
Reepham Festival is run by volunteers who take no payment for their services.
 
The two-day event takes place in August each year, with the 2024 event scheduled for 10–11 August. Ticket prices are kept as low as possible to ensure the festival can be enjoyed by a wide range of people.
 
Any surplus profits made from the event are donated to local charities and good causes: the 2023 event generated more than £7,000 for charitable causes from direct and indirect donations.
 
The festival team said rising costs are a concern and the grant application is one way in which they hope to manage future costs. Other measures to offset the cost of the event include sponsorship and advertising.
 
As a community interest company (CIC), Reepham Festival is regulated by the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies and pays corporation tax on any retained taxable profits from the year’s trading.
 
The Community Grant Scheme application involved a complex and detailed submission, which was put forward to the panel by Reepham’s district councillor, Stuart Beadle.
 
Festival director Tom Crisp thanked Broadland District Council for its support.