IMPROVEMENTS to the playground of a primary school in Chester is just one of a number of projects to have received funding from a council scheme.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has handed out more than £71,000 as part of the latest funding round on the Cheshire West Crowd.

The initiative enables community-led projects to attract funding to make the borough more vibrant, resilient and connected.

During this latest funding round, projects have been pitching to the council for funding through the Community Innovation Fund and Climate Change Emergency Fund.

The latest council pledges amounted to a total £71,383.

Projects in the latest funding round backed by the council include: a fruit garden in Little Sutton, an Eco Park in the Neston area, workshops in Hoole, aimed at inspiring and educating families to improve their health through better understanding of how the food we eat impacts our health, as well as improvements to the school playground at Upton Heath Primary School and the toilet block at Whitegate Way nature trail in Marton.

While some projects have already hit their crowdfunding targets, others are still calling on the support of the local community.

Councillor Louise Gittins, leader of the council and ambassador of the Cheshire West Crowd, said: “We're delighted to have Council funding available so we can support projects and help bring their ideas to life, this latest batch of pledges is on top of over £100,000 we pledged a few weeks ago.

"There are some excellent projects using the Cheshire West Crowd in this latest funding round. 

“As well as pitching to the Council for funding, projects will be receiving donations from local residents, charitable foundations and businesses.  Pledges can start from £2 and all contributions make a difference.

“The great thing about the Cheshire West Crowd is how flexible it is and how it can help bring everyone in the local community together.

“We’re proud of the impact it’s made, so far, with 159 projects being supported by 8,633 backers and over £2.44 million pledged to date.

“The latest round of fund raising will soon be over, visit the Cheshire West Crowd website now and find out for what’s happening in your area. If there is a project close to your heart, I'd encourage you to consider supporting it.”