WIREDGOV

£1.6m for ten community ownership projects 

Residents of Rousay in Orkney, population 216, have plans to purchase 1,710 acres of peatland and pasture in order to secure the site of their community owned wind turbine, improve facilities for locals and visitors and to create new jobs. 

Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust (REWDT) receives £260,000 from the Scottish Land Fund to purchase the Trumland Estate, taking 15% of the island into community hands. The estate, which features archaeological remains including chambered cairns and a crannog, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and community ownership will create part-time employment opportunities for a Project Officer and a Ranger as well as allowing the trust to explore improvements to broadband and mobile connectivity. 

John Garson, Chair of Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust says the group will use the money to create improvements for residents and visitors. 

“The REW DT board and staff are thrilled to hear this good news, now we can press ahead with our plans to make this project into a real community asset. The project will help promote Rousay as an attractive place to live and provide two employment opportunities. The follow on stages of this project will also have significant environmental advantages, will encourage and make it easier for locals and tourists to visit the area, provide well needed additional public toilets and have the possibility of aiding digital connectivity across our islands. We can't wait to get started.” 

Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust is one of ten groups across Scotland sharing in £1,646,972 of Scottish Land Fund cash and Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham recently said: “This is great news for the residents of Rousay, and the other successful projects, which are fine examples of land and assets coming into community ownership, allowing local people to get the maximum benefit from them. I know that today’s funding marks a major milestone for them, and will make a real difference in helping those successful community groups to realise their ambitions - enabling communities to press ahead with their ideas, which will be of major benefit to these areas for many years to come.” 

John Watt, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair, recently said: “Through these grants the Scottish Land Fund is helping people from all over Scotland to make a difference in both inner city areas and in rural communities. From land purchases for amenity and the provision of affordable housing, to creating facilities for local people and visitors, these grants provide the funding to provide solutions to local needs.” 

Sandra Holmes, Head of Community Assets at HIE, recently said: “These groups are working really hard to make their community ambitions a reality and it’s great that they have secured SLF funding to help achieve this. We are delighted to see four island communities being successful in this round. The awards will bring important assets into community ownership and give them the resources and control they need to deliver exciting projects for the benefit of people living and visiting their areas. We wish them all the very best in their new ventures.” 

Other projects that received Scottish Land Fund cash recently were:

Glenfarg Community Centre

Award - £229,140 

This group will acquire a former schoolhouse adjacent to the existing Glenfarg Village Hall in Perthshire to create meeting rooms and a cafe in order to reduce social isolation and accommodate a variety of community services and events. 

Castle Loch Lochmaben Community Trust 

Award- £54,000 

The award will allow this group to purchase 21 acres of woodland adjoining the grounds of the community-owned Castle Loch in Lochmaben, near Dumfries, to improve access to the loch and create new volunteering opportunities in woodland restoration and management. 

Sandwick Social & Economic Development 

Award - £38,032 

With their grant this group will purchase a piece of land opposite Hoswick Visitor Centre in Shetland in order to create additional car parking and cycle space and to install an electrical vehicle charging point as well as adding outdoor seating and an interpretation area. 

New Luce Community Trust 

Award - £178,000 

Money from the Scottish Land Fund will allow this group to purchase the Kenmuir Arms Hotel in New Luce, Dumfries & Galloway, in order to create a multi-purpose community space with shop, post office, tearoom, restaurant and accommodation for cyclists and walkers on the Southern Upland Way. 

Papay Development Trust

Award - £187,000 

Papay Development Trust will purchase a four-bed detached house on the Isle of Papa Westray in the Orkney Isles to help meet the urgent need for long-stay, affordable family homes for rent. 

The Pyramid at Anderston 

Award - £324,000 

The group will purchase the ‘B’ listed Anderston Kelvingrove Parish Church in Glasgow in order to refurbish and reconfigure it to maximise use of the building by community groups, immigrant groups and foreign language churches. 

Westray Development Trust 

Award - £147,600 

With cash from the Scottish Land Fund, Westray Development Trust will purchase the former Harbour Master’s house in the village of Pierowall in Westray in the Orkney Isles and transform it into four apartments for affordable rent in order to meet the acute shortage of accommodation on the island. 

Wigtown & Bladnoch Community Initiative

Award - £130,000 

This group will purchase the former Bank of Scotland building in Wigtown, Dumfries & Galloway, and develop it as two affordable homes and a bunkhouse for visitors. It will also provide new employment, training and volunteering opportunities for local people. 

Tarves Development Trust 

Award - £99,200 

TDT will take over ownership of Tarves Community Hub, which this group has already converted into a community cafe, office space and meeting venue. Owing the Hub will allow the group to provide further community support. 

The Scottish Land Fund is keen to support more applications from across Scotland and particularly within urban areas. Groups considering applying should contact the Big Lottery Fund to discuss their idea at advicescotland@biglotteryfund.org.uk or by phoning 0300 123 7110 

For more information on this release please contact:

SLF/Big Lottery Fund Press Office 
agnes.c.stevenson@gmail.com 
07766 742142 

Highland and Islands Enterprise Press Office
calum.macfarlane@hient.co.uk 
01463 244244 

Notes to Editors

• The Scottish Land Fund reopened to applications in April 2016. 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. 
• 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