Meridian (West) Projects

Meridian West transmits to nearly four million people living in towns and villages throughout Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and parts of East and West Sussex.

Over the past five years of the People’s Millions competition we have seen some great projects in the region. We have seen new sensory gardens, accessible playgrounds, an artificial caving complex, an IT centre, a mobile baby cafe, a climbing wall and many more.

Computers in the Countryside

The project is to create an information technology centre at a woodland site for local residents in rural Sussex.

Renovation of School Gymnasium into a Community Movement Hall

The project will renovate an old school gym into a multi use area for the benefit of the whole community.

Aspire2 Green and Beautiful

The project is to create sensory gardens within the grounds of 10 schools in Whitley for use by the children and the local community.

The Swallows and Amazons Project

The project is to create an artificial caving complex by enlarging an existing water feature to provide a second amenity.

Southend Cold Ash Community Project

The project is to provide accessible recreation facilities for local children and teenagers, as well as an amenity area.

Frimley Green Goes Greener!

The project will create outside eating areas and provide outdoor sources of fresh water to encourage healthy living. It will improve the play area and further develop the school swimming pool to further encourage community use. It will also introduce a recycling and composting initiative to reduce waste.

The Turlin Moor Big Adventure

The project will create a wildlife and nature trail for the benefit of the whole community, which will include a designated picnic area, bird hide and youth shelter. The aim is to encourage local people to assist in the development of this area, and then benefit from its use. This project will take place in Poole, Dorset.

Disabled Toilet & Facilities

The project will provide an accessible ramp and toilet for people with disabilities to comply with Disability Discrimination Act legislation.

Fernhurst Community Lodge

The project would re-fit an existing disused building within the school grounds to use for childcare for residents of the local area. In addition, they aim to provide out of school childcare clubs, and ultimately an opportunity for various health and social care services to use the premises. This would benefit parents and families by providing a safe, local environment rather than them travelling out of the area for these services. This project would take place in Portsmouth.

Wheels Along The Stour

The project will create a pathway along a stretch of the River Stour with the addition of a fishing platform. The aim is to make the area accessible to everyone and in particular wheelchair users as there is currently limited outdoor provision of this type in the borough.

The Rainbow Centre Play Away Community Project

This project aims to plan and build a sensory garden and a specialist play area for the Rainbow Centre children and the wider community. This stimulating facility would be fully accessible enabling children with disabilities to utilise the facilities. There is no such environment available in the area, and the play area would be accessible to three local specialist schools as well as the wider community. The project would take place in Fareham.

Bishopswood Outdoor Activity Space and Garden

The project will create an activity/sensory garden within the school grounds on an area of land that is currently unused. This will provide a valuable resource, particularly for pupils with special educational needs.

Nature's Playground

The project will turn a disused field into an area for people of the local community to enjoy the proposed recreation equipment. In addition, the plan is to promote an awareness of the environment and respect for nature. All members of the local community will benefit, particularly school children, using the unique facilities that are not currently available in the Isle of Wight.

Bembridge Steyne Park Regeneration - Play Equipment

The project will create a modern, challenging play area within a local park by installing new play equipment to replace the outdated apparatus currently in place. The aim is to increase use of the area and provide improved play facilities in an area where there is no other play provision available.

Modernise Scout Headquarters

This project will replace the existing leaking roof so that a range of organisations can use the building. The building is not only used by the Scouting Association both domestically and internationally but also by the local cameo club, youth groups, the City Council and British Canoe Union training centre. These groups have highlighted the problem and therefore are fully supportive of the project. The applicant believes that once the problems with the roof have been fixed these groups will use the building more frequently, especially in winter, and other groups will start to do so. The project will benefit 1,000 people.

Tower Square Regeneration

The project will involve the regeneration of the Tower Square by the Town Council which will involve the refurbishment of a small area of public space in the town centre which is currently the site of some late night anti-social behaviour. The Town Council will be working in partnership with Carterton Fast Forward Environment Group which works under the auspices of the Town Council. The project will involve improved pedestrian area, the inclusion of a local heritage related focal point developed with local volunteers and professional arts, improved seating and bike racks, and landscaping of the area.

Kick Start

The project will refurbish and fully equip a new study suite for reluctant learners. The project will provide a new education suite. This suite will provide a focus to education and employment training opportunities for young people aged 14-19 years old that have been unsuccessful in mainstream education. The project will benefit approximately 1500 people. The centre is currently based in an inappropriate building within a local school. The refurbishment will allow activities to take place in a dedicated building which will bring an increased sense of ownership to the beneficiaries.

Bembridge Community Minibus Project

The proposed project will purchase a new minibus, fitted with facilities for transport of disabled people. The Bembridge Friendship Circle wish to replace their existing bus which is almost 20 years old and in a poor state of repair. It was provided specifically for the benefit of older people in the community. The current project aims to extend the successful minibus project to the wider community. A wider range of volunteers will be recruited through the pruchase of a new bus which is more driver-friendly. This, coupled with the wider pool of potential baneficiaries in the community represents an expansion of the service to meet the needs as there is more people than can currently be accommodated.

Simon Says Child Bereavement Support

The project will extend the child bereavement suuport services the group currently offer into the West Hampshire area. The project will benefit an estimated 1,600 children who have suffered bereavement.

Put a hop, step and jump into Bicester athletics

The project aims to make the long, high and triple jumps, discus and javelin run-up areas into all weather surfaces at Bicester Community College sports field. This new facility would be available to all the children at the college, their feeder schools and Athletic Club members. In total 2330 young people will benefit from the project.

Maximising The Longridge Magic

The project will construct a high ropes course that will provide a link across the river from the group's main site to an island that is used for adventure activities and an adventure playground for younger children who will not be able use the high ropes course. The outcome of the project will be to provide affordable activities and facilities for young people all year round, therefore increasing the usage of the site especially in the winter months. The group estimates the number of beneficiaries as 27,000.

Skateboard Park

The project will utilise a piece of land to create a designated play area and skateboard park for the young people of the area. There will be an estimated 2,000 beneficiaries. The one year grant would pay for the installation of the skateboard park.

Making Some Quiet Time (MS Quiet Time)

The project would involve the extension to their current building which would provide a quiet room and garden area for people with MS within the Osborne centre. This quiet centre would enable people with MS to have access to an area to read or rest away from the daily activities of the day centre.

Electric Lift for the Farmoor Reservoir Pontoon

The project will provide an electric lift and walkway approach for the use of disabled and other users, to gain access to a pontoon when the water level is too low for ramp access. The project will benefit approximately 200 disabled sailors.

Seymour Adventurers

The aim of the project is to construct a safe and suitable play park for younger children. The park would be located adjacent to the current park which is suitable only for older children. There will be 450 beneficiaries.

Playground improvement

The project will modernise and refurbish an old swimming facility, offering improved swimming lesson facilities for the local community. The project will also improve and upgrade the school's current outdoor play area. There will be 500 beneficiaries.

Frimley Presents a Drama of Sports!

The project aims to build an amphitheatre and outdoor classroom, a multi use games area and resurface a car park at Frimley Church of England Junior School for the benefit of the wider community. It hopes to encourage drama and sports while providing a stimulating learning environment for the community. Additional car parking will alleviate traffic congestion problems around the school and encourage more people in the community to utilise the schools facilities. There will be 500 beneficiaries.

Town Farm Play Park

The project will create and install a play park and seating area in an environmentally friendly location on the Town Farm Estate. Local children and parents will work in partnership with the group throughout the project. There will be 180 beneficiaries.

UK Youth Volunteer Accommodation Project

The project is to build and equip a purpose built log cabin to act as an accommodation unit for charity volunteers. This will replace two old caravans and benefit eight volunteers.

We Play Too!

The project aims to create a fully inclusive outdoor play area for children with disabilities and their families. The project is a result of extensive consultation with the public, which found the Brooklands site as a suitable location for a social amenity, which will include sports and leisure facilities. The project aims to benefit an estimated 2,250 users.

Building the World's Smallest Tall Ship

This project will see the fitting out of the steel hull and deckworks of a small replica tall ship, the 'Caroline Allen', into a fully functioning craft that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, particularly young people. Once fully kitted out and equipped, she can join her twin the 'Bob Allen' in providing accessible sailing training for young people. Approximately 1,000 people will directly benefit.

MADCAP

The project aims to enhance community facilities by providing new indoor and outdoor facilities including a child safe area and a new wildlife area. The project will also upgrade audio and lighting facilities in the village hall. There will be 1,100 beneficiaries.

Shop Front Time

The project will enable Reading Credit Union (RCU) to broaden their reach by moving into premises with a shop front to make the services of RCU and their partners more accessible to the people of Reading. There will be 5,000 beneficiaries.

Jake 'N' Lee Tadley Skatepark Refurb

The project will redevelopment the local skate park to provide a lasting monument following the death of two local young people in a car accident. By upgrading existng ramps, fencing and seating and installing new ramps and rails, the new skate park will appeal to all ages and skill levels. It will also provide a focal point and social hub for young people in a safe and friendly environment.

Oxfordshire New Sensory Vehicle

The project will purchase a lorry unit, which can then be converted into a purpose built sensory space which can be accessed by disabled children, children excluded from mainstream education and adults with Alzheimer's and other dementias. They have been operating a sensory service in Oxfordshire since 2003, a mobile service was introduced originally from a thirty year old bus which has now been off the road for twelve months. They now wish to reintroduce and expand on this service by buying and adapting a lorry which will provide them with a larger facility. The lorry would be able to cover all areas of the County of Oxfordshire. please visit oxonplaybus.org

Icing on the Park

The project will pay for a synthetic ice rink with ice skates that will be hired out to other schools, community centre and halls on the whole of Hampshire, for families to use as a fundraising venture, an entrepreneurial opportunity or fun alternative activity. The organisation has twice hired an ice rink for the community in the past to resounding success. In owning one on behalf of the Community Improvement Partnership of Leigh Park, an area which the applicant states is of high deprivation, they would be able to offer skating all year round at different venues every week and in particular targeting those with no transport and limited income. The project offers an alternative sporting activity which is fun and exciting for all, promoting healthy living, encouraging children to achieve 5 times 30 minutes of exercise a week. This project encourages community involvement and cohesion, in addition providing an alternative to anti-social behaviour inceasing confidence in young people to participate in something new. Icing on the Park not only benifits the local community; an entire county will reap the rewards, the numbers who will be able to take advantage of and enjoy this fantastic facility are huge.

Christchurch Home Visiting Service

The project will create a home visiting service for older members of the community in Christchurch. The service will visit older people, offer them advice and make sure that they are applying for the benefits to which they are entitled. Paid staff will recruit and train volunteers to run the service.

Working Small Animal Farm

This very special project will create a small animal farm to increase the work and training activities Ferring Country Centre can offer. The farm will encourage adults with learning disabilities to develop their skills in animal husbandry and take responsibility for the welfare of the animals. The building work will involve local businesses, clients and staff, as well as volunteers from the local community. Clients of the organisation will benefit from enhanced social inclusion, being further enabled to undertake meaningful tasks, understanding the workplace, as well as obtaining a variety of social and practical skills. The project will also benefit the children and young adults with special needs who attend the riding therapy unit or use the centre for summer play schemes. The farm will provide an invaluable tool which will also benefit all those children, adults and their families who are able to visit, and will also be available to other establishments that would benefit e.g. schools, nurseries, day centres and other care establishments. The farm will improve the quality of life of both people with learning disabilities and all those who visit. In addition the project will allow access to the countryside and a farm environment to the local community, there will be no exclusions. It will offer greater choice ad opportunities to vulnerable adults and children, whilst offering animal assisted therapies which are known to have far reaching physiological and emotional benefits.

Hightown Studios

SoCo Music Project, working with Thornhill Plus You and NATS want to create an exciting music and media studio facility for the people of Southampton at the Hightown Youth Centre in Thornhill. The facility will be unique within the city, bringing professional quality music, video and radio production equipment to the community in a state of the art studio. A full programme of workshops and activities will be run for people across the city in areas such as live music, recording, music technology, film editing, internet radio, podcasting and much more, as well as providing valuable practise and learning space for the area. SoCo Music Project will work closely with Thornhill Plus You to ensure that the Hightown Studios project is developed and run as a true community facility. Jon Haughton from SoCo Music Project said, “this is a chance to provide a vibrant, multi functional studio to give young people and the wider community a unique place to be creative which can be used and enjoyed for years to come. We want to promote it as somewhere where all generations can meet and work together”. Matt Salvage also from SoCo Music Project said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for Southampton to have a top class media facility for use by the community. We’ve worked with some incredibly talented people in the city who would otherwise never get to the chance to use and be involved in what we hope to be an inspirational and exciting studio. We need viewer votes to make this project a reality”. The facility will also be home to a state of the art media learning suite featuring top spec Apple Mac computers for music production, video editing and graphic design.