- Area:
- Scotland
- Programme:
- Community Spaces Scotland
- Release date:
- 28 2 2012
Groups in the west of Scotland are today sharing the first grants worth £2.8 million from the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces programme.
The funding will help 24 Scottish communities to make the most of their local areas by bringing people together to improve and enjoy a range of community spaces including community halls and centres, allotments, gardens and community woodlands.
Announcing the first awards, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: "When we launched Community Spaces we knew that it had the potential to have a lasting impact in many local communities across Scotland. Whether it’s transforming an underused building into a bustling community centre, improving access to a local woodland or creating a community garden, these projects will bring together local people to enjoy and improve the places that matter to them. Each successful group will develop a community space that is unique their local area which in many cases will provide a renewed focus for community cohesion.”
Based in north Glasgow, Cowlairs Development Trust will now be able to construct a new multi-use games area, thanks to an award of £210,000. The group will use the money to transform an area of derelict land and provide a facility that will be open for use to the community at all times. Dawn McQuade, Director, Cowlairs Development Trust, lives close to where the new games area will be located. She said: “We have been working hard for many years to get facilities for our community, particularly for the young people. We’ve had a few knocks but we have persisted and are absolutely delighted that all of our efforts have resulted in a fantastic games area for our young people.”
Thanks to an award of £90,212, Leadhills Family Action Group in South Lanarkshire will be able to buy and install a range of new play equipment in an existing recreational area in the centre of the small village. All the equipment has been chosen by the local community and, when installed, will be grouped into two zones for younger and older children and will be connected by an upgraded path, new seating and picnic tables. Andrew Foley from the group, said: “We have been putting together a proposal to rebuild Leadhills Play Park for the past three years and, while we have been careful not to build expectation amongst the local community we always had reason to believe that ours was a valuable and viable project.”
He continued: “This will provide an invaluable resource to our community and indeed the rest of the Glencaple and Lother region. It will hopefully encourage new visitors to our village which, in turn, will have a positive impact on the local economy. By giving us this money the Big Lottery Fund are bringing to bear a lasting legacy for the children, young people and adults of Leadhils.”
Port Glasgow will now have a new community park, thanks to a grant of £99,980, awarded to River Clyde Homes. The Woodhall Community Park project will use the money to transform a neglected public park in the area to bring the residents of Woodhill together. Improvements will include the creation of new play areas, paths and lighting, seating, arts features and a forest school resource. Angela Spence, Head of Regeneration and Business Development at River Clyde Homes said, “We welcome this significant contribution towards the creation and sustainability of this much needed community park. The park sits in the middle of our recently developed 102-home development and will breathe new life into the area. This funding will enable us to provide a range of features and activities for local residents, nurseries and schools. The community has been integral to the creation and design of this open space which will feature horticultural and environmental areas, a local history trail and a feature entrance gateway. Once completed, the park will be a resource that the whole of Inverclyde can use and feel proud of.”
The Dominican Community Project, based in Craigend in North Glasgow, today receives an award of £91,024 to improve the external condition of the hall and upgrade the internal facilities. The hall provides an affordable meeting place for many local groups and is also used for a wide range of social functions and provides a home for weekly social events for local older people. Bernard McArdle, Vice Chairman of the Domincan Community Project, said: “This award from the Big Lottery Fund will increase the life span of our hall by a further 20 to 25 years The present state of the exterior fabric of the building is such that the current life expectancy is between two and four years. Now we will be able to replace the external cladding of the building and thus preserve a vital local facility for many years to come.”
The newly built Carrick Centre in Maybole will now be equipt with new furniture, fittings and equipment. An award to The Carrick Centre of £76,662 means they will be able to fit out the community care room, cafe areas and kitchen. Play equipment, audio visual and library equipment will also be bought to enhance the services the Centre can provide to the community. Alan Murray, Community Development Manager, said: “We are all delighted at receiving this grant from the Big Lottery Fund. All of our board members, volunteers and staff see this funding as giving us the opportunity to develop the project more quickly and deliver the required services within this exciting new facility to all sections of the community.“
For a full list of the projects receiving awards today go to http://news.biglotteryfund.org.uk/newsroom-sco
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.
Tags