RideLondon, the world’s greatest festival of cycling, arrives in Essex for the first time this weekend (Friday 27 May to Sunday 29 May) and with it will come £1 million of new funding to inspire activity across the county.
The £1 million funding will come from The London Marathon Charitable Trust (The Trust) and has been made possible thanks to RideLondon’s partnership with Essex County Council which means Essex has become one of The Trust’s core funding areas.
The Trust is the parent charity of London Marathon Events (LME), the organisers of RideLondon. All surplus from events organised by LME is gifted to The Trust which then makes grants to projects that inspire activity.
The Trust’s funding will support impactful organisations and projects right across Essex, creating more opportunities for everyone to participate in physical activity. Plans for the funding include promoting active travel and cycling in schools and communities, including areas along the RideLondon-Essex event route; expanding the Essex Pedal Power programme, making cycling more accessible for everyone; and supporting a new Essex-wide open grants programme for projects that will help residents lead active and healthy lives.
Catherine Anderson, Executive Director at The London Marathon Charitable Trust, said: “Essex is a brand-new core funding area for us, and we’re thrilled to be able to award up to £1 million as part of our new funding strategy, and to celebrate the new partnership between Essex and RideLondon.
“Organisations and groups across Essex are already doing fantastic work to help more people have greater access to sport and physical activities, and we can’t wait to see the impact our partnership with Active Essex and The Active Essex Foundation will have over the next year.”
Councillor Lee Scott, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, said: “We are delighted that through our partnership with RideLondon, Essex County Council has been able to unlock more funding to support cycling, sport and physical activity across the county. This funding from The London Marathon Charitable Trust will lead to healthier communities and supports our Safer, Greener, Healthier Active Travel plans to make walking and cycling more accessible to Essex residents.”
Through this new funding partnership with The London Marathon Charitable Trust, Active Essex and The Active Essex Foundation will deliver the grants programme and develop existing, successful initiatives, making a huge difference to people’s lives.
Stay tuned on the Active Essex website and social media to receive further news about the grant application and criteria late June.
