You are here: > HOME > Community > Its your community

It’s Your Community

We launched our new community awards programme with the Conservation Foundation - It’s Your Community - in July 2006.

The programme gives members of the public access to funding for projects they want to develop that will improve their local communities. 

It’s Your Community encourages local initiatives with the tag line ‘If you could change one thing about where you live, what would it be?’  The application process is straightforward and award decisions are made within 28 days. 

During 2007 the scheme supported over 500 local initiatives with awards between £100 and £1,000.  Projects ranged from helping to create community gardens to repairing old donated bicycles and supporting a youth angling club.

In East London a young group undertook one project that defines the fund’s scope to involve people in improving their surroundings.  Fed up with the graffiti covering their estate, 20 young volunteers set out to clear up some of the worst affected areas.  They used an It’s Your Community award to buy cleaning materials and a jet powered hose to assist them.

Our employees have played a significant role in raising the profile of the programme by distributing application forms through our local retail stores, presenting awards to successful applicants and volunteering their time in local projects. 

We have involved stakeholders widely too, through a regular newsletter, via MPs and local councillors who have referred their constituents to the funding opportunity, and through a dedicated website at www.itsyourcommunity.co.uk.

The ethos behind It’s Your Community is supported by research commissioned by Telefónica O2 UK.
The O2 Community Spirit report reveals that almost half of British people (42 per cent) think local when it comes to helping society by getting involved with volunteering and local tidy-ups. The report also showed that almost three quarters of British people (70 per cent) think local people are best placed to stimulate local action and connect with communities, while over half (52 per cent) also welcome external funding or resources to help.