Grants and Fundraising
Grants can be requested from the following:
- Swale Borough Council members' grants - to do these first contact those councillors representing wards in Sittingbourne and ask for their support. We can then submit a grant form naming at least one councillor in support. Swale have always let us add more supporters later.
- Kent County Council members' grants - to do these first contact those councillors representing divisions in Sittingbourne and ask for their support.
- Parish councils - some parish councils cover areas that we do sleigh rounds in. We can send in applications for financial support. These can just be sent straight in and we don't need to contact individual councillors first. We normally offer to run a Santa sleigh round in the areas of parish councils that support us.
We offer to thank supporters in a letter to the local newspaper and on our Facebook pages.
| Section | Typical Answer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation name | Sittingbourne Christmas Lights and Sleigh Rounds | |
| Title of Project | Installation of Christmas Lights and Switch On Day in High Street | |
| Please provide a brief overview of the project |
Sittingbourne Christmas Lights and Sleigh Rounds runs the Christmas lights in Sittingbourne's High Street, the annual Switch On Day, and the Father Christmas sleigh rounds that visit residential areas in Sittingbourne and nearby towns in the evenings leading up to Christmas. || |
Example letter to parish councils
Dear Clerk and Councillors,
As nights draw in it will soon be time for the volunteers of Sittingbourne Christmas Lights and Sleigh Rounds to prepare Father Christmas’ musical sleigh (and car) for evening visits across Sittingbourne and the surrounding villages.
I am writing to you to ask whether you would kindly consider making a donation to Sittingbourne Christmas Lights and Sleigh Rounds.
The association raises funds for and organises:
- The Father Christmas sleigh rounds which travel around residential parts of Sittingbourne, bringing music and Christmas cheer to families and collecting donations on the way.
- The Christmas Lights in Sittingbourne High Street.
The sleigh and helpers have previously visited the parish.
We are not a registered charity but are still a not-for-profit association and are run by local volunteers.
What we do, we do for the whole of Sittingbourne and surrounding villages and we want to make it better and better if we can.
We would like to request a £300 donation but would gratefully accept any amount. Thank you once again for your consideration.
Example Application to Swale Borough Council
The following can be filled in on the online application form:
Sittingbourne Christmas Lights - Lights, Switch On Day and Father Christmas Sleigh Rounds
Our group of volunteers organises and fund-raises for:
- The Christmas Lights in Sittingbourne High Street
- The Christmas Lights Switch On Day event with entertainments and associated festivities.
- The Father Christmas Sleigh Rounds which visit residential parts of Sittingbourne and the surrounding villages, bringing music and Christmas cheer to families.
Our activities benefit all sorts of people and cover large parts of Sittingbourne and the surrounding area and villages.
I have not yet filled in the Total Grant Requested because we've only just asked councillors this year and some may get back in a little while. We are grateful for whatever councillors choose to donate.
Thank you.