The GEM Road Safety Charity has opened applications for grants of up to £10,000 for road safety projects.

The Charity trustees are keen to encourage welcome applications from community groups, registered charities, foundations, professional bodies, road safety organisations, partnerships, schools and colleges whose projects demonstrate a clear road safety benefit to the wider community at a regional or national level.

This can include anything from educational initiatives through to research.

Neil Worth (pictured), GEM road safety officer and clerk to the GEM Road Safety Charity, urges would-be applicants to read the guidance notes before submitting a bid.

Worth said: “The Charity, quite rightly, needs evidence that any grant it awards will be used to support a well-researched identified need.

“Not surprisingly, there should also be clear evidence of a project’s road safety benefit, and of the proposed wider impact, as well as a robust evaluation mechanism.

“If your proposal can satisfy these (and other) requirements, and you can show how you will keep people safe on our roads, then you will find the trustees enthusiastic to discuss how they may be able to assist you.”

Previous examples of projects funded include:

• A grant to TISPOL (The European Traffic Police Network) for its first European Day Without A Road Death (Project EDWARD) which was used to produce a selection of short safety videos and to host the inaugural seminar, which was held in Brussels on  September 21, 2016
• Support for the Hampshire Older Driver’s Forum, for the production of a video assisting those attending a Mobility Centre assessment
• Funding towards a new website for the Cycle Smart Foundation
• A grant to the Police Foundation, towards the cost of producing their new Roadcraft Online resource
• Support for SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers) to help pay for advanced rider training, to help in their life-saving work of transporting blood, blood products and other urgent medical items between hospitals.

Further information on applying for a grant and an online application form can be found Motoring Assists’ website.