Community ownership beckons for Perthshire community

23 Sep 2014 04:34 PM

A Perthshire community poised to take control of a local park in the village of Kettins has received a Scottish Land Fund award of £25,428 

Kettins Parish Hall plan to purchase Lindsay Park in the village of Kettins, near Blairgowrie, Perthshire. Currently used as a football pitch and children’s play area, the community will take control of and develop the park to improve facilities for local people. This includes developing a community orchard, creating a new car park and providing space for a community hall or club house. The group’s Scottish Land Fund award also includes funding to further scope ideas for development through feasibility studies.

Announcing the funding, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair, John Watt, said: “Since opening to applications in June 2012, the Scottish Land Fund has renewed momentum to community ownership across rural Scotland. Today’s funding will empower local people in Perthshire to take control of an important asset that lies at the heart of their community. This will benefit people of all ages while securing the future of the park for generations to come.”

Welcoming the £25,428 award, Russell Miller, Committee Chairman, Kettins Parish Hall, said: “This award is just the beginning for us. This is the culmination of the committee’s efforts over more than a year, and will be the catalyst for a number of improvements to Lindsay Park in Kettins. The first phase is to provide additional car parking in order to alleviate the significant problems which occur when there is a football match at Lindsay Park. Thereafter we hope to move on to provide a new Parish Hall and a Community Orchard on the site.”

Environment and Climate Change Minister Paul Wheelhouse, said: “I am delighted to see the range of projects that are being funded in this latest round of awards from the Scottish Land Fund. These awards will help to make a real difference to communities in Argyll, Perthshire, North Uist and Wester Ross and will assist them in realising their goals and aspirations through community land ownership.
  
“Support to communities from the Scottish Land Fund is an important way to develop communities and help them realise their goals and aspirations. The Scottish Government remains committed to community land ownership and to supporting it through the Scottish Land Fund until 2020. 
 
“I look forward to watching these communities grow and develop their projects and to see them realise their goals and aspirations.” 
 
The Scottish Land Fund is funded by £9 million from the Scottish Government and administered by the Big Lottery Fund in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise

For more information on this release please contact

Big Lottery Fund Scotland
landa.sullivan@biglotteryfund.org.uk
0141 242 1458

Scottish Government Press Office 
chris.nabney@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
0131 244 2018

Highland and Islands Enterprise Press Office 
kim.thain@hient.co.uk 
01463 244 238

Notes to Editors

• The Scottish Land Fund has £9 million over four years to assist communities in rural Scotland to acquire, develop and manage local land and land assets. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership by the Big Lottery Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, both of which have extensive experience of helping communities to acquire and develop their assets for over a decade.
• The SLF Committee was appointed following the normal procedures for public appointments. Committee members are non remunerated.
• The BIG Lottery Fund distributes lottery funding to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. It also uses its expertise in grant-giving to distribute non-Lottery funding. Full details of the BIG Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk. BIG Lottery Fund Public Enquiries Line call: 0300 123 7110
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) delivers the Scottish Government Economic Strategy across more than half of Scotland - from Shetland to Argyll and from the Hebrides to Moray. It aims to support businesses and social enterprises; strengthen communities and fragile areas; develop key sectors, and create the conditions for a competitive and low carbon region. HIE has an annual budget of more than £75m and employs around 250 people in locations around the Highlands and Islands. See more at www.hie.co.uk