Grants available to celebrate 450 years of Weymouth

Weymouth Town Council will offer grants to community groups wanting to mark the 450th anniversary of Weymouth.

The council has agreed to allocate £15,000 to the grant fund, which will support local groups to deliver events and activities in celebration of the town’s 450th anniversary this year. The money for the proposal will come from the town’s grant budget underspend.

The council is keen to support local people arranging celebrations in aid of the milestone and is encouraging anyone interested to get in touch with their ideas. It’s hoped the financial support will enable a number of exciting community events to take place over the year.

Grants will not be available for commercial events, but schools and not-for-profit organisations are eligible. Groups who want to apply can visit weymouthtowncouncil.gov.uk/weymouth-450

A spokesperson for the council said: “450 years is a huge landmark for the town. Making these grants available to the community means we can mark it in the most fitting way – festivities arranged by local people.

“As we progress towards summer and hopefully with restrictions easing, I think this will be a real boost for the community and we can get back to what we do so well – celebrating our fantastic local area, history and culture.”

This year marks 450 years from when Weymouth and Melcombe Regis were combined by way of Royal Charter. While it’s thought Weymouth was established as early as the 10th century and its first charter was granted in 1252, it was confined to the south and west of Weymouth Harbour.