YATTON Keynell Recreation Association has been named as one of the first winners of a new £1 million campaign to help local communities.

The village hall trust set up to provide facilities for recreation, education and other community activities scooped £1,000 as one of the first regional champions of Persimmon Homes’ Building Futures programme in partnership with Team GB, the British Olympic Association.

Yatton Keynell Recreation Association will put the money towards funding outdoor equipment to help improve its playground and open-air exercise area.

Stephen Slade, spokesman for the group, said: “This is fantastic news and we’re delighted to delighted to have won this funding from Persimmon Homes.

“We depend entirely on fundraising activities and income from hiring of the hall to fund our facilities and therefore funding like this is vital for us.”

Persimmon Homes Wessex has a strong presence locally, with an upcoming development in the area, and feels it is important to support the local community.

The housebuilder is dishing out 128 grants of £1,000 across its 32 regional businesses to support community groups working with under-18s across three categories – education & arts, health and sport – to improve local facilities and the delivery of vital community projects.

Later in the year, three initiatives will go on to win £100,000 each through a national online public vote.

In each sector – education and arts, health and sport – as well as the £100,000 first prize there will be a £50,000 second prize and a £20,000 third prize, while a further 87 shortlisted projects will each receive £5,000.

Persimmon Homes is an official partner of Team GB. Building Futures is being delivered through the Persimmon Charitable Foundation.

Last year’s top prize winners were Swindon Children’s Scrapstore (sport), Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association (arts and education) and the Young People’s Counselling Service (health).

Pauline Fletcher, sales and marketing director for Persimmon Homes Wessex, said: “We are thrilled to be able to launch our new Building Futures campaign, which will give opportunities to so many youngsters in the community.

“Supporting the regions in which we build is of vital importance to us. We hope our funding help improve the facilities for the young people of the Yatton Keynell community.”

Projects must make their applications to the Building Futures scheme before the closing deadline of May 31 at www.persimmonhomes.com/building-futures.