Earlston community adventure play park timeline

10 Jun 2015 12:32 PM

December 2012 Earlston Community Development Trust (ECDT) applied for funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces (CS) programme in December 2012.

March 2013 at stage 1 of the process ECDT were awarded development funding of £10,225 to develop a full proposal for their Earlston Community Adventure Play Park project.

December 2013 ECDT submits complete stage 2 application to CS. Big Lottery Fund receives a number of objections to this application. 

• Clarification that the proposed playpark is not in an eligible postcode for CS. However as Big Lottery Fund is at fault in not identifying that the wrong postcode had been used -stage 2 application is allowed to proceed.

March 2014 the stage 2 application was not awarded funding. ECDT subsequently registered their concern that they had not been treated fairly.

October 2014 following a review of our process Big Lottery Fund offers ECDT the opportunity to have their application returned to assessment, which they accept. 

• Following reassessment of the original application and a new assessment visit the project is was awarded funding.

February 2015 Big Lottery Fund offers £250,000 to ECDT for the Earlston Community Adventure Play Park project. 

• The offer of funding letter includes as an additional condition of grant that ECDT should also provide confirmation the project enjoys appropriate community support
• To fulfil this condition ECDT propose a period of community dialogue and engagement including: newsletters to be delivered to all homes in April/May and June,2 coffee mornings/drop in sessions, meetings with interested local groups, regular information given to the local press and final newsletter updating the community of any changes made on the basis of community engagement.

June 2015 ECDT propose at the end of the engagement period they should undertake a full community ballot by post to determine the level of community support for the project. Big Lottery Fund indicates that the same benchmark for community support as is set out in the community right to buy (CRTB) legislation should be used as the basis for determining that ECDT have an appropriate level of community support. The Big Lottery Fund offers to meet reasonable costs associated with the engagement plan and community ballot.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 0141 242 1415
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGScotland #biglf 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland

Notes to editors

• 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. 
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £6.5billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to commemorative travel funding for World War Two veterans.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £32 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.