CHARITIES and community groups have been urged to bid for cash from a trust fund which has handed out more than £4.7million over the past 15 years.

The Veolia North Thames Trust gives significant sums of cash to projects and initiatives in need of financial support, including many in Castle Point.

It has given £4.7 million to Castle Point Council and community projects supporting environmental, sport and heritage schemes as part of the Government’s landfill tax credits scheme.

One of the trust’s most prominent grants was £450,000 given to aid the refurbishment of the Waterside Farm Leisure Centre in April 2012.

Robin Squire, trust secretary, said: “We’re very happy at the range we’ve supported, not just the number.

“We hope to keep hearing from groups and individuals and won’t be turning away any qualifying project.

“We can’t give any guarantees, but we’ll seek to help wherever possible, even if we’re unable to contribute part of the amount required.”

The trust, which also provides funding across Basildon, Thurrock and Havering, aims to continue supporting initiatives in need, but is calling on support, as the Landfill Communities Fund is currently under review by the Government.

Mr Squire added: “We’re very concerned the scheme may go, as there’s the assumption that the money goes solely to Government projects. This is not the case and unlike the top-down Government projects, our funding is focused from the bottom up.

Speaking to Castle Point Council, Mr Squire added: “Without you or others speaking up, there’safear the scheme will disappear.

We’ve had a great partnership, and I hope it will continue.”

Benfleet’s Legacy XS Skate Park has received about £240,000 from the Trust since 2004 to construct a community youth centre and indoor skatepark and to carry out other works.

The centre is a twostorey building which houses ramps for skateboarding, BMK bike riding and inline skating.

“It also includes a coffee bar, music room and a quiet room that is used for counselling services.

In November 2014 they receivedafurther grant of £3000 towards new indoor skate ramps.

St Mary the Virgin Church also benefited from the trust, after it was given more than £100,000 to complete renovation work in September 2014.

Tory councillor Ray Howard, one of the body’s 14 trustees, has been praised by Mr Squire for promoting the borough’s needs and for providing local knowledge.

Mr Howard said: “It’s been a privilege to be represent Castle Point with the trust and I urge projects in need of funding to get their bids in.”

“The Government is going through diffiicult times, but Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris has had meetings with ministers and we can hopefully keep it, as it’s gratifying to know the trust helps small bodies, right through to the ones getting up to half a million pounds in grants.