Local groups across Burnham-On-Sea, Highbridge, and Weston-super-Mare are being invited to apply for funding as the popular Sunshine Fund reopens with £25,000 available for community-led sustainability and wellbeing projects.
The fund, run by Burnham and Weston Energy CIC — a community-owned solar farm near Lympsham — is now accepting applications for initiatives that promote environmental action, climate awareness, and community benefit.
In previous years, the Sunshine Fund has supported projects such as solar panels for a village shop, LED lighting for community halls, and equipment for litter-picking group Friends of Berrow Beach.
Grants of up to £2,500 are available, with larger awards considered for projects demonstrating significant impact.
A spokesperson for Burnham and Weston Energy said: “We’re delighted to open applications again and especially keen to hear from groups raising awareness of climate change or delivering wider community benefits.”
Eligible areas include rural parishes within 10km of Wick Farm, as well as urban centres along the Somerset coast. Projects may focus on biodiversity, renewable energy, sustainable transport, recycling, and more.
Projects benefiting from grants cover an area stretching up the Somerset coastline from Burnham-On-Sea to Weston-super-Mare, and inland to Mark and Winscombe. To learn more about eligibility requirements and to download the criteria, click here.
Local groups — especially first-time applicants — are encouraged to apply. Full details, eligibility criteria, and application forms are at www.burnhamandwestonenergy.co.uk.
The Sunshine Fund started in 2019. Potential areas for funding include nature conservation and environmental education; engaging schools, children, and adults; renewable energy initiatives; and energy efficiency measures in schools and community buildings.
Burnham and Weston Energy CIC is a local energy enterprise that operates a 9.3MW community solar farm at Wick Farm, between Burnham-On-Sea and Weston.
The 36,000 panel solar array has been up and running since 2016, generating electricity for the equivalent of over 2,000 homes.
Pictured: A new steel shed funded by the scheme helps Friends of Berrow Beach store their battery-powered trolley, now hard at work clearing bulky waste from the shoreline.
