A number of Awards have been approved and some projects completed since the awards began in late 2008. If you are a member of an organisation which seeks funding in whole or part for projects appropriate for the Keith Owen Fund, you are invited to apply.  Have a look at the awards listed below, to show the scope of the Keith Owen Grant Fund.

Where appropriate a plaque will be displayed with the project. Here is a sample of the plaque that you will be seeing around the Sid Valley where the Keith Owen Fund has played a part.

Grants have been awarded to the following organisations

Organisation: Sid Valley Horticultural Society
Award Granted: £5000
Purpose / Reason: This has been used to purchase modular Exhibition display stands for better display of exhibits.  Panels will also be available to other organisations for display purposes.  Come and see these panels at the Annual Horticultural Show on Saturday 15 August 2009 Sidford Football Grounds.

Organisation: East Devon AONB Bat Survey
Award Granted: £500 p.a. for 3 years
Purpose / Reason: To better understand local movements and needs of horseshoe bats.

See also our article on this project in Newsletter.

Organisation: Sidmouth Twinning Circle
Award Granted: £300
Purpose / Reason: To publish an introduction to Sidmouth, in French, for Le Locle, Switzerland twinning visit 5 -9th October 2009

Organisation: Sidmouth Museum
Award Granted: £1500
Purpose / Reason: Acquisition of a fine 19th century watercolour of the Glen Hotel by artist Henry Hasseler. It will be on display during 2009. Museum opens 4 April 2009 until end October 2009.

Organisation: Sidmouth College
Award Granted: £1000
Purpose / Reason: In support of the Forest School for year 7s held at Escot House. Understanding responsibility of citizenship to the local environment, teamwork, sustainable life styles etc

See our article on this event under Newsletter.

Organisation: Sidmouth College
Award Granted: £3820
Purpose / Reason: To equip Sixth Form students for volunteer work with younger students and within the community. (linked to citizenship)

Organisation: Sidmouth College
Award Granted: (up to) £3500
Purpose / Reason: Match funding for training volunteer adults to escort and monitor students on off site learning in outward bound and personal challenge activities.

Organisation: Sidbury Millennium Green Trust
Award Granted: £1400
Purpose / Reason: For restoration of Deepway Meadow Pond, Sidbury for the benefit of local Sidbury school students and others. Pond should be completed in Spring 2009.

Organisation: Kennaway House Trust
Award Granted: £9062
Purpose / Reason: To restore the gardens and grounds of Kennaway House Sidmouth in spring 2009. The house opened to the Public on Saturday 4 July 2009 with a very successful party.  There will be a Tree planting event in October in memory of Keith Owen and will be an Acer Rubrum Scanlon, Canadian Maple.  This is said to be the species leaf portrayed on the Canadian flag.  The site location will be to the SE of the main entrance.

Organisation: Sidmouth Cricket, Tennis, Croquet and Hockey Club
Award Granted: up to £10,000 match funded
Purpose / Reason: Various repairs and improvements have become necessary.  We have awarded up to £10,000 in a “match for thatch” offer to encourage the club members to achieve the re-thatching of the club roof.

Organisation: Sidmouth in Bloom
Award Granted: receives two Awards of £712 and £3,000
Purpose/ Reason: For the provision of six planters on Fortfield Terrace and for the enhanced Sea World Display at the Triangle of three fishes, starfish and whelk.

See their website www.sidmouth-in-bloom.com

Organisation: Sidmouth Hopper for 2009
Award Granted: £2,500
Purpose/Reason: In addition to a second grant of £2,500 from the SVA, this voluntary bus service has been given this award from the KOF as a contribution to enable residents and visitors more easily to reach the Norman Lockyer Observatory and the National Trust viewpoint at Salcombe Hill; and also Peak Hill and Muttersmoor to the West.

Organisation: Sidmouth Parish Church St Giles and St Nicholas
Award Granted: £2,000
Purpose / Reason: for the cost of a new replacement seat in the present re-ordering of the church interior. This is a voluntary organisation providing facilities to residents for baptisms, weddings and funerals, but also for Civic Services of Remembrance and a venue for musical concerts, and public meetings.

Organisation: Sidmouth Infants School ~ Wild-life Discovery Area
Award Granted: £5,000
Purpose / Reason: This money will be used in assisting to develop a facility for learning more about natural history, in and around a water feature.

Organisation: Norman Lockyer Observatory
Award Granted: Match funding over two years @ £5,000 per year (2009/10).
Purpose / Reason: To help with the building of a dome and installing a 50cm reflecting telescope and to encourage supporters and the public to raise an equal sum each year for match-funding.

Organisation: Joint effort with Civic associations and KOF under the inspiration of John Govier. R.F. Delderfield Memorial Stone
Award Granted: £1,000
Purpose / Reason: a new memorial to one of Sidmouth’s more famous playwrights and authors.  After the war years Ronald Delderfield had a West End success with Worms Eye View and other plays.  He is well-known also for his novels, which included A horseman riding by and To serve them all my days, both set in Devon, and subsequently featured on BBC TV.  The original memorial was near his home on Peak Hill.  The new memorial rock has been placed in a more accessible location, close to Connaught Gardens where it will be seen by more visitors.  The centenary of his birth will be celebrated in 2012.

Organisation: SVA Woodlands and Estates Committee
Award Granted: £2,125
Purpose / Reason: to provide training for volunteers to use chain-saws, strimmers etc; and for the use by the public (with prior arrangement) of a Bat Detector Box and a Moth Light Trap for collecting insects.