As of November 2025 the fund has been closed, and we are awaiting to hear if it will be reopened.
Eight Parishes Community Interest Company (CIC)
Swinford Wind Farm is just a few miles from Cotesbach. Its developers and operators Vattenfall committed to a community fund for some villages surrounding the wind farm. Cotesbach is one of those villages.
The fund enables grants to be awarded to each village on an application basis. The application forms are available as fillable PDFs here.
The fund is managed and administered by a CIC, with a representative from the Parish Council of each village being a trustee on the CIC.
The CIC allocates each Parish Council its portion of the fund every year, but the fund is held centrally by the CIC and only called on when a grant has been awarded.
Each Parish Council is promotes the funds to its village, accepting applications and deciding which applications should be successful.
Applications are accepted at any time, and are typically decided at a Parish Council meeting.
There are no stringent application criteria, but Cotesbach Parish Council have agreed to support applications that are designed for more asset or capital items that benefit as many villagers as possible.
Download here some guiding principles for applications and further information on the fund, agreed and adopted by the Parish Council in January 2020 and updated in December 2024.
These include the SHIRE Community / Heritage and Environment Grants.
Landfill Communities Fund
For communities living within 10 miles of a landfill site, the operators of the site are able to provide funds to these communities through a tax credit scheme.
The funds should be helping restore the landfill environment, promote the use of public spaces or encourage diversity amongst other goals.
Individuals can’t typically apply, and the applications usually need to be made in conjunction with the landfill operator.
After receiving a donation from the nearby Northfield Farm solar park developer in 2023, the Parish Council established their “Solar Fund” for community projects in 2025.
The Fund is open annually from the 1st January, closing at the end of each year on the 31st December until there is no further funding available.
Applications can be received at any time and a council meeting is not necessary to make a decision on an application.
Guidelines on the fund are available here and an application form also available here.
