- Area:
- Scotland
- Programme:
- Growing Community
- Release date:
- 9 2 2012
The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) has today (Thurs 9 Feb) announced a new funding award of £539,950 to the Friends of Birks Cinema.
The award, which was made under BIG’s Growing Community Assets programme, will ensure that the Birks Cinema in Aberfeldy becomes a high quality and sustainable local venue. The award will part-fund the capital costs of the refurbishment project, and pay a proportion of staffing costs over the first five years of the project.
Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, said: “The Big Lottery Fund is delighted to be able to support this exciting local project, which has enormous potential to build on the wave of local enthusiasm and create a real community-owned asset in the heart of Aberfeldy.
“The Friends of Birks Cinema have demonstrated enormous local backing for their project which will not only return the building to its original use, but in doing so will provide jobs and volunteering opportunities for local people.”
Charlotte Flower, Chair of Friends of the Birks Cinema, said: “I am delighted to confirm this wonderful news.I can't express just how excited we are to have gained such an award and recognition from the Big Lottery Fund. They have been fantastic to deal with and now we can take big steps forward to get the project up and running.
“Discussions are ongoing with the Scottish Rural Development Programme on the project overall and it will take a few weeks to complete due diligence on the whole package - but now that we are able to confirm the Big Lottery Fund award we are very confident. It helps us go beyond our basic funding target, and it provides a jump start to establish the cinema as one of Highland Perthshire's 'must visit' attractions.”
Further Information
For more details contact the Big Lottery Fund Press Scotland Office
0141 242 1458 or 07789 033457
BIG advice line: 0300 123 7110 Textphone: 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 46% 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 June 2004. BIG 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 £26 billion has now been raised and more than 330,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
- The Scotland Committee, led by Chair Maureen McGinn, has been making Big Lottery Fund decisions on Scottish projects since March 2007. As well as taking devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee 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 and 2014 Communities.
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