A team is being assembled to help Sheppey stake a claim of £90 million aimed at kick-starting regeneration in seaside towns.

The coastal revival team funding was set up by the Department for Communities and Local Government to help improve the economies of areas which have on average, higher levels of unemployment and deprivation.

Sheppey Matters has secured £10,000 to go towards setting up a steering group to apply for a slice of the funding.

In order to do so, the Coastal Community Team (CCT) must come up with a detailed plan outlining problems the Island faces and how possible future funding could be used to transform its economy. It has until the end of January to put its case together.

The £10,000 grant will be spent on getting the community involved, collecting data, promoting the team’s work, admin, setting up a website and the cost of publishing the plan.

A total of 116 teams have been set up around Britain, hoping to get a share of the £90 million over the next five years.

At a meeting last Tuesday attended by around 50 prominent Islanders, Sheppey Matters’s community development and project manager, Heather Thomas-Pugh, who will be leading the development of an economic plan outlining the task ahead.

She said the aims should be reducing the number of 18 to 24-year-olds not in work or education, increasing job opportunities for all, developing skills in the workforce and helping families out of the benefits trap.

Early ideas for projects which could benefit from the funding include the regeneration of Beachfields in Sheerness, developing the port, promoting tourism, highlighting the Island’s historical assets and setting up links between schools and businesses to establish career paths for young people.

Mrs Thomas-Pugh is appealing for other groups to get on board and Swale council is already supporting the bid by acting as the accountable body for the funding.

Other organisations on the CCT so far are Sheppey Together, the Beachfields Partnership and Sheerness Town Team.

The group should also include a mixture of private and public sector organisations including employers, retailers, voluntary groups, schools, and health professionals.

If you would like to play a part, contact Mrs Thomas-Pugh by emailing outreachsheppey@yahoo.co.uk