- Area:
- Scotland
- Programme:
- Community Spaces Scotland
- Release date:
- 19 3 2013
Grassroots community groups across Scotland are celebrating today (19 MAR) as they share almost £5 million in grants from the National Lottery. The funding, from Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces Scotland scheme, allows local people to get together and shape their neighbourhood.
Glasgow is home to five of those projects which share a total of £1,159.414.
The Community Spaces Scotland scheme from the Big Lottery Fund helps rejuvenate local areas across the country. From developing allotments, parks and community gardens through to improving village halls and community centres, the fund will improve local spaces and places, providing somewhere better for people to come together to be healthier, happier and more active.
Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: " These five projects show great ideas and innovation and will help their Glasgow communities develop safe play areas and parks, and revitalise neglected or disused community halls. Community Spaces Scotland offers people the chance to get together, have a voice and become actively involved in the future of their community and I’m delighted to be announcing this funding today. We want this investment to help create ties bringing local people together while improving those community spaces which matter to them.”
A derelict and vandalised play park in Partick will be transformed into a welcoming and inclusive community growing space. Partick Housing Association’s Community Growing project will use today’s grant of £209,271 to develop a derelict and disused area behind Gullane, Anderson and Purdon Streets. The environment will be improved with the creation of raised planting beds, a greenhouse, tool shed, shelter and seating area, edge treatments, improved lighting, and integrated rainwater harvesting.
Partick Housing will run workshops that promote gardening activities and locals will be offered the chance to grow their own food produce. Nursery and primary school children, older residents from the Purdon Street Day Care Centre, service users from the Centre for Sensory Impaired people, and the wider Partick community will all benefit from having access to this revitalised green space and by becoming involved in an environmental and sustainable initiative.
Chief Executive of Partick Housing Association, Lynn Wassell, said: “Partick is a highly urban community desperately in need of accessible, high quality green space where people can connect with each other and their environment by tending to and enjoying food they have grown themselves. We’re delighted that our bid to Big Lottery Fund Scotland was successful. This is a fantastic achievement for us. The prospect of working with the local community to develop an attractive food growing space, on what is a derelict and vandalised play park, is very exciting. We’re all looking forward to getting our hands dirty and enjoying nature in the heart of Partick. The project will have a significant impact on the quality of life for local people.”
To find out about the other Glasgow projects, and to see if a group near you has received Community Spaces funding, please see a full list of grants in your area
Frances Chisholm, Press Team Scotland: 0141 242 1458
Public Enquiries Line: 0300 123 7110 Text phone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Notes to Editors
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 BIG has awarded close to £6bn.
• The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £29 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
• The Scotland Committee has been making Big Lottery Fund decisions on Scottish projects since March 2007. As well as taking devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee, led by Chair, Maureen McGinn, has and will continue to play a strategic role in the future direction of BIG in Scotland.
• The Big Lottery Fund is investing in Scotland’s communities through its Investing in Communities portfolio, as well as the small grants schemes Awards for All, Investing in Ideas, Communities and Families and 2014 Communities.
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