Oxford County Council has released a statement encouraging Oxford’s event organisers to apply for a share of £10,000 in funding, with the aim of staging two community events in Broad Street in the coming months.
Any expression of interest must be submitted to the council by the 21st October, with the events scheduled to take place between the beginning of November 2022 and the end of February 2023. The funding will be split two ways, with £5,000 going towards each event.
This comes after the Council’s successful application to the Great Western Railway Community Fund. The fund was set up by the railway company with the intention of supporting projects that benefit the community or address an area of social need across its network area. Tom Pierpoint, Business Development Director for GWR, said: “Oxford is one of the most popular destinations on the GWR network, and we hope this funding will help encourage some fantastic community events and attract even more visitors to the city.”
Oxford is no stranger to community event programs, with 16 free community events happening on Broad Street in 2021 alone. Events included a redesigned Broad Meadow space, Youth Takeover days, and a World in Oxford day.
When asked about the event, local councillor Shaista Aziz said: “This is a great opportunity for Oxford to be inspired by more wonderful events in the new Broad Street space. We’re grateful to GWR for this commitment to the communities in its region that goes beyond its own business. If you’re a community event organiser, get in touch with your ideas and tell us how you would bring Broad Street alive with this extra funding.”