WIREDGOV

Two community groups in Scotland are the first to secure National Lottery funding from the Our Place initiative, in the Auchmuty and Whitlawburn & Springhall areas.

The Glenrothes Men’s Shed is the first group in Auchmuty to benefit from the Big Lottery Fund’s Our Place programme. They receive £146,513 to run woodworking, wood turning and metal working workshops for people regardless of age, gender and abilities. They will purchase and refurbish an ex-Scouts hut and will provide the Auchmuty community with the opportunity to socialise with peers and develop new skills.

Welcoming the Our Place award Michael Mowat, Chair of Glenrothes Men’s Shed, said: “Through a Men's Skill Shed we aim to provide social inclusion for the community, and to share and learn new skills or simply chill out and socialise. The Shed will be at the heart of the community, integrating with other projects within Our Place Auchmuty to form a group working together for a vibrant community.”

Also celebrating their first major Our Place award today is the Little Rascals Toddler Group in the Whitlawburn & Springhall area. After previously receiving a minor grant for a feasibility study, the group has now been awarded a full grant of £69,542 to refurbish the playpark at the Whitlawburn Community Resource Centre. The equipment currently available at the park is only suitable for children aged three and under, however the refurbishment will expand access to the park to children aged five and under.

Kim Gogarty, Chairperson of Little Rascals Toddler Group, said: “Being awarded this grant will bring wide smiles to the children of the wider Whitlawburn & Springhall community as the existing park has been greatly underused owing to a sever drainage problem and lack of suitable equipment. Little Rascals will use the park regularly with the children benefiting from outdoor play in a purpose built play area suitable for under fives, also learning to share with each other and create friendships.”

Announcing the funding, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: “The people of Auchmuty and Whitlawburn & Springhall have reached important milestones today in receiving their first Our Place awards. Our Place gives local people a say on how National Lottery money is spent in their area, and these two projects are excellent examples of how local people can realise their visions for their communities. I wish Glenrothes Men’s Shed and the Little Rascals Toddler Group the best of luck, and look forward to hearing about the positive impact of the spaces they will provide for children and people to socialise with their peers and develop new skills.”

A final Our Place grant of £69,744 was awarded to Woodcraft Folk Scotland to establish three woodcraft activity groups in Camelon, an area that is continuing to benefit from the Our Place initiative. These groups will help children and young people develop positive peer relationships, feel safe and have fun while learning about themselves and the wider world.

For the latest details on the Auchmuty Our Place journey visit https://www.facebook.com/OurPlaceAuchmuty/ . Follow Whitlawburn & Springhall’s Our Place journey here: https://www.facebook.com/ourplacewhitlawburnandspringhall/

Our Place is currently working with seven communities across Scotland, including Auchmuty and Whitlawburn & Springhall. Our Place supports communities to develop a common vision of how their own area could develop and grow, and how National Lottery funding could support these changes.

More on the programme can be found here: https://bigblogscotland.org.uk/tag/our-place-2/

Big Lottery Fund Press Office contact:   
Telephone: 0141 242 1524
Email: scott.oakley@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGSCOTLAND #BigScotland
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland

Notes to editors:

• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.
• The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• The Big Lottery Fund Scotland is focussed on helping people and communities most in need throughout Scotland through its five-year £250m funding scheme as well as small grants schemes Awards for All and Investing in Ideas.
• Since March 2007 Big Lottery Fund Scotland has taken devolved decisions on National Lottery spending, the Committee, led by Chair, Maureen McGinn plays a strategic role in the future direction of the Fund in Scotland.
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £8 billion to projects across the UK that change the lives of millions of people. Every year we fund 13,000 small local projects tackling big social problems like poor mental health and homelessness.