Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund
Merseyside Energy Recovery Ltd (MERL) provides awards of between £5,001 and £20,000 towards organisations and projects working to improve community life in and around Kirkby, Knowsley. This is known as the Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund.
SUEZ is one of three companies comprising MERL and is the operator of the Wilton Energy from Waste Facility in Teesside, and the Rail Transfer Loading Station in Kirkby, Merseyside. As part of their commitment to being a good neighbour to the surrounding communities, SUEZ created the community fund for Knowsley, with a value of 10p per tonne exported by rail from the Rail Transfer Loading Station in Kirkby. The fund is available from MERL each year throughout the duration of the contract with Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority.
It enables community groups, charities, and projects in Kirkby to apply for funding to help get their ideas, charities, or projects off the ground. Specifically, the fund will support initiatives which aim to improve community life, health and wellbeing or the environment.
This funding provides a long-term and secure source of support for community and environmental groups in the following priority areas:
- Northwood
- Cherryfield
- Shevington
- Whitefield
- Prescot North (Knowsley Village)
All applicants must be formally constituted (e.g. a club, charity, friends-of group) and must be not-for-profit organisations. No individual can benefit personally from an award.
The Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund is now closed. The next funding round is expected to open in Summer 2027.
Applicants are advised to read the guidance document before submitting their application and ensure that they submit all of the required supporting information along with their application – failure to do so will likely result in the application being unsuccessful.
Applications are reviewed and recommendations for approval are sent to Merseyside Energy Recovery Ltd, which will make the final decision and issue funds.
If you’d like to discuss any ideas with us, or if you have any questions or need support with your application, please contact us at kirkbyfund.uk@suez.com or write to us at SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, Knowsley Industrial Estate, Woodward Road, Kirkby, Liverpool, L33 7UZ.
Previous successful applicants to the Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund
Since being launched in 2018, the Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund has now invested more than £515,000 into good causes in and around Kirkby, delivering community improvement, health and wellbeing, or environmental projects.
Kirkby Fund Winners 2026
Our successful applicants to the 2026 Kirkby Neighbourhood Community Fund:
- Apollo Active CIC – Kirkby Active Futures: Free sports activities, outreach and mentoring programmes designed to engage young people, encourage positive choices and create opportunities for personal development.
- Evolving Mindset CIC – Kirkby Men’s Wellbeing Club: Weekly sessions combining physical activity, peer support and wellbeing activities to improve mental health and social connections for local men.
- Singing Mamas – Kirkby Singing Mamas Pop-ups: Group singing sessions bringing women and mothers together to improve emotional wellbeing, reduce social isolation and build supportive networks.
- Making Space – Kirkby Friendship Café: A welcoming weekend café offering social activities, companionship and support for isolated and vulnerable residents.
- Tower Hill Community Hub CIC – Veterans Together: A dedicated wellbeing programme providing activities, workshops and peer support for local veterans, alongside improvements to the hub’s wellness and recovery facilities.
- Pingwood Arts Group – Pingwood Arts for Wellbeing: Creative arts and crafts sessions supporting older residents, including those living with dementia, to build friendships and improve wellbeing.
- Horizons of Hope CIC – Stronger Families, Brighter Futures: Specialist resources and facilities supporting children, young people and families through early intervention, parenting support, SEND activities and therapeutic play.
- SC Development Academy – Free Strength and Conditioning Sessions: Accessible fitness sessions for children aged six to 14, helping improve confidence, coordination and physical wellbeing while removing barriers to participation.
- Age UK Mid Mersey – Kirkby Living Well: Advice, Digital and Community Connections: Advice services, digital skills support and social opportunities helping older residents maintain independence and stay connected.
- Capacity for Change – Kirkby Women’s Group: Practical workshops covering financial wellbeing, stress management, healthy relationships, personal safety and confidence building.
- Wild Warrior Wellbeing CIC – Empowering Women of Knowsley: Trauma-informed wellbeing activities and workshops supporting women and young women to develop confidence and emotional resilience.
- Sports Alive North West – Northwood Community Centre Regeneration: A youth-led project improving the community centre and surrounding spaces through artwork, decorating, gardening and environmental activities.
- Opus Academy CIC – Sensory Garden Renovation: Creating an accessible sensory garden for children with special educational needs and disabilities, with planting areas and calming outdoor spaces.
SUEZ Communities Fund
The SUEZ Communities Fund supports community and environmental improvement projects through the Landfill Communities Fund and Scottish Landfill Communities Fund, distributing funds contributed by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK.
Between 1997 and 2022, funds were distributed by SUEZ Communities Trust Ltd. Since the beginning of 2023, the funds contributed have been distributed by the independent charity Grantscape Ltd.
The Fund offers awards of up to £50,000 to not-for-profit organisations for projects that are eligible under the rules of the Landfill Communities Fund and Scottish Landfill Communities Fund.
If you are involved with a not-for-profit organisation and would like to find out if it is eligible for funding, visit the fund’s website to find out more.
