Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council: Tak£500+

Overview

Do you have an idea that you feel would have a positive impact on your community? Do you think this idea could be turned into a project and brought to life?

WHAT IS TAK£500+?

Tak£500+ is a Participatory Budgeting initiative which basically means that local people get to decide how public funds are used to address needs in their area.

Communities can apply for up to £1000 for a project they think will benefit their area – and best of all, it is the local residents who decide which projects should go ahead!

Participatory Budgeting

A Participatory Budgeting initiative basically means that local people get a direct say in how public funds are used to address local needs.

Groups will be asked to showcase their idea to the community by putting together a ‘market stall’ detailing their idea and asking for support. Everyone aged eight and over can then vote to support the project ideas they want to see happen.

The projects with the most public votes will be awarded up to £1000 to make their idea happen!

WHO CAN APPLY?

• Both constituted groups and non-constituted groups can apply for funding.
• There must be a minimum of three people per group.
• Each group can apply for one project per area (Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon).
• Children and young people aged eight and above can also form a group and apply for funding. If you are under 18, you will need an Adult Sponsor to support your application and to help develop and deliver your idea. You will also need a parent or guardian to sign your application form (More details on this below).
• If your group is not constituted, you will need to be sponsored by a constituted group or organisation.
• In most circumstances one application can be submitted per group.  The exception is for umbrella groups who have distinct groups/multiple year groupings within their organisation.  For example a local sports club with junior/senior groups or a school with multiple year groupings.  A maximum of two applications can be made from these groups who must make clear in their applications the distinct and different benefactors to each application. 

IS THERE A THEME FOR PROJECTS?

All ideas must be based around the ‘Take 5 Ways of Wellbeing’. These are five simple steps to help maintain and improve your wellbeing on a daily basis, as detailed below:

• CONNECT
  • With the people around you, family, friends, colleagues and neighbours and spend time developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.
• BE ACTIVE
  • Go for a walk or run, cycle, play a game, garden or dance – even a short 10-minute walk can improve mental alertness and wellbeing.
• TAKE NOTICE
  • Of the world around you, how you are feeling, what matters to you and reflect on your experiences.
• KEEP LEARNING
  • Don’t be afraid to try something new, rediscover an old hobby or sign up for a course. Learning new things will make you more confident, as well as being fun.
• GIVE
  • Do something nice for a friend or stranger, thank someone, smile, volunteer your time or consider joining a community group.

HERITAGE- In addition to the Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing this year they have decided to add heritage to the application form, and this covers all types of heritage so if your project is related to the theme of heritage in any way, please tick this box on the application form. If you are unsure whether or not your project is heritage related you can contact Sarah Cargill on the “Want more information” section of the webpage to discuss.

* Please note that even if your project is related to heritage, it must also be based around the Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing in order to meet the eligibility criteria *

Judging Criteria

A PB Working Group of Community planning partners will review your ideas against the following criteria

• Safe
• Legal
• Feasible within budget and timeframe
• Will benefit people in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough
• In line with one or more of the Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing and in line with the overall ethos of Take 5.

Decision-making Event

Your idea will be checked by the PB Working Group to make sure that it meets the criteria (safe, legal, feasible within budget and timeframe, will benefit the people in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, in line with one or more of the Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing and the overall ethos of Take 5).

If you meet the simple criteria, you will then move onto Stage Two, where you will be asked to attend the Market Stall and Decision-Making Event.

Groups will be asked to showcase their idea to the community by putting together a ‘market stall’ detailing their idea and asking for support. Everyone aged eight and over can vote to support the project ideas they want to see happen.

There will be three Market Stall and Decision-Making Events and voting will take place in person at each event listed below:

• Saturday 21st June 2025 | 10.00am - 2.00pm | Bannville Hotel, Banbridge
• Saturday 28th June 2025 | 10.00am - 2.00pm | Armagh City Hotel
• Saturday 5th July 2025 | 10.00am - 2.00pm | Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre 

Voters will be given a specified number of votes - you can vote for your own project but you must also use your full allocation of votes to choose other projects too. Otherwise, your vote will be null and void

The projects with the most public votes will be awarded up to £1000 to make their idea happen!

Successful projects will be notified by a letter of offer as soon as possible after each Decision-Making event. Groups that are unsuccessful this time will get advice and support.