Ice cream man scoops council's 100s and 1,000s

A council has given an ice cream firm £40,000 from a government grant set up to help local communities

An ice cream firm has been handed a slice of taxpayers' cash which could put the icing on its manufacturing cake.

Liberal Democrat-controlled South Cambridgeshire District Council has given Jack's Gelato, which sells ice cream in Cambridge, £40,000 to help pay for a "specialised waffle cone making machine".

Jack's Gelato, which produces food in Girton, Cambridgeshire, is one of seven south Cambridgeshire "projects" to get a grant from a government fund.

Owner Jack van Praag said the firm made its own ice cream and the machine would mean it could make its own waffle cones too.

Jack's Gelato sells ice cream in Cambridge and makes produce in nearby Girton

The council has allocated money from a fund set up to help rural communities and businesses build "long-term resilience".

It has given grants totalling more than £360,000 from the Rural England Prosperity Fund and said the aim was to "boost rural life" in south Cambridgeshire.

Other projects funded include creating activity space at a community centre, improving accessibility at an arts centre and refurbishing tennis courts.

A council has allocated money from a government fund set up to help rural communities and businesses

Jack's Gelato's owner Jack van Praag said the machine would mean the firm could make the waffle cones it needed.

"It's the last thing we don't make ourselves," he said.

"We make everything else.

"This is the last piece of the jigsaw."

The seven "projects" getting funding:

• Cambourne Town Council - £90,000 towards "creating shared activity space" in a "scout hut and men’s shed modular building"

• Wysing Arts Centre - £80,000 towards improving accessibility for visitors and enhancing biodiversity practices

• Cottenham Community Centre - £38,000 to create a "second activities space"

• Allia - £32,555 to cover the costs of audio visual equipment, solar panels and CCTV at the co-working café within the new social enterprise hub at Papworth Printworks

• Jack's Gelato - £40,000 towards a specialised waffle cone making machine

• Impington Sports Centre - £53,000 towards resurfacing tennis and netball courts

• Willow Grange Farm - £50,000 towards cost of solar panels, heat recovery system and automatic doors to allow the business to expand operations and drive energy efficiency

Liberal Democrat Peter McDonald, the council's lead cabinet member for economic development, said the grants were designed to breathe "new life" into the district.

"By investing in rural businesses and local community groups, we're not just stimulating economic growth but also building a stronger sense of identity and belonging in these areas," he said.