Projects across Dumfries and Galloway will receive grants ranging from £80,000 to £1000, from the Rural and Island Communities Ideas into Action fund.
The fund encourages and supports not-for-profit community groups with innovative approaches to community-led local development, including work towards net zero and just transition goals, tackling rural poverty and supporting rural communities through the cost-of-living crisis.
All Roads Lead to Whithorn with their Grapes Affordable Housing Part 2 project received £80,586.00. This will create a home for a disabled person and carer by clearing a derelict stable block of ivy, then repointing and rebuilding masonry, with the expertise of trainees from Building Futures Galloway and skill development opportunities for high school pupils.
Arts Inc. CIC receive £8112 for their Nathan’s Art Group to build on the success of a previous pilot (and evidenced demand), to develop and deliver a series of creative workshops for adults with learning disabilities.
ENABLE Scotland and their ENABLE Connects 2.0 project were awarded £41,193 to build on a previous community-hub pilot through additional 1:1 and peer group support (including training volunteer facilitators) and training a number of local community organisations and businesses in inclusivity to support community participation.
Loch Ken Trust’s award will go towards Delivering the Loch Ken Plan – Baseline Ecosystem Assessment with £23,244 through commissioning research and undertaking ‘citizen science’ activities.
An award of £10,475 goes to Propagate (Scotland) CIC for Local Food Solutions to undertake interviews with farmers working in a regenerative way, to explore sustainable farming with local schools and community groups. It will also undertake further learning into the possibility of a ‘food hub’ model in different areas of Dumfries and Galloway.
The Stove Network’s What We Do Now project receives £61,540 to provide various forms of strategic development and creative placemaking capacity building support to community-based organisations and individuals in five hubs across Dumfries and Galloway, and to develop three digital youth hubs.
Upper Eskdale Development Group and Creating a resilient Eskdalemuir was awarded £7598.39 to create a community resilience group to support vulnerable community members, based on their past experiences with storms and flooding.
Balmaclellan Village Hall Trust will host a Community Cafe and Social Club thanks to £4501 to support vulnerable people through the winter, providing warm meals and warm spaces for free.
Carsphairn Community Council is supported for its Carsphairn Community-led Housing Project by £5000 to commission a Housing Needs and Demands Assessment and site audit to provide a profile of the local housing situation in Carsphairn and some indicative solutions.
Colvend and Southwick Community Council receive £1000 for Coastal Path Viewpoint renovations to replace two signs along the East Stewartry Coastal Path to contribute toward greater use of the footpath and support exploration of the potential for a Galloway National Park.
Deep Green Space and A Green Forum for Dumfries get £4820 to develop a Green Forum to facilitate a new network of green volunteering groups, coordinate a training programme, improve volunteer management and contribute towards third sector capacity building.
DG Voice will use £5000 to develop inclusion skill-share activities to improve the capacity of practitioners to create accessible resources and information, for disabled people to be better included in activities in the community.
Kirkcolm Community Trust will take £3000 for a proposal to commission a Housing Needs and Demands Assessment (HNDA) which will provide a profile of the local housing situation in Kirkcolm. The results will inform the project planning and future delivery of community-led housing provision to meet local needs. It will provide an insight into the impact of rising house prices, ascertain the need for home-work space, and look at what measures could be incorporated to address fuel poverty and contribute towards net zero.
Kirkmaiden Community Harbour Trust’s Drummore Harbour refurbishment project will see £5000 install solar-powered lighting to enable local fishermen to use the tidal harbour before daylight and after dark.
Parton Community Council and the James Clerk-Maxwell Science Centre get £5000 to undertake feasibility research into the possibility of creating a visitor centre and cafe in the local kirk to celebrate James Clerk-Maxwell (the ‘father of modern physics’).
South Machars Community Centre will run four Seasgair Sundays with £5000 in February for isolated, lonely people in rural areas, providing a hot meal, and bespoke mindful, holistic workshops that will entertain, uplift and inform.
Springholm School Parent Council and its Exploring the Outdoor World project get £1409.60 to purchase outdoor clothing for children who do not have their own, and a storage shed for these materials.
Finally, Upper Urr Environmental Trust and its Climate and Biodiversity project receive £4750 to create a website, to undertake some tree planting and to create a wildflower area as part of their ambitions to improve the local environment and biodiversity of the area.
The funding is being delivered in partnership between the Scottish Government and Inspiring Scotland.