All decisions on the allocation of funding are made by a panel of local volunteers who live, work or volunteer in the area of benefit for the fund.

Panel members usually meet three times a year to consider applications and once a year to review their activities.

This year with the Covid response the panel have met five times, and made a large number of proxy decisions for quick response to Coivd requests.

We have decided that our panel members will remain anonymous, with the exception of those members who also hold a public office.  This is to avoid any situations arising whereby panel members could potentially be lobbied by a fund applicant.

This is standard practise for many other similar funds and is felt to be particularly important in this case where the panel members live, work or volunteer within the local community that benefits from the fund.

The panel meet on a quarterly basis and meetings are usually a full day, as demand for the fund is high.

The membership of the Panel is currently full. However, you are welcome to submit your application which will be kept on file and will be referred to as and when opportunities become available. The recruitment is based on the skills sets required on the panel at any given time.