Scottish community projects awarded £2m UK Government funding

3 Jul 2023 05:23 PM

Brings the total number of Scottish projects benefitting from the Community Ownership Fund to 24, sharing £5.2m.

Nine community projects in Scotland have been awarded a total of £2.03m thanks to the Community Ownership Fund (COF).

Schemes across the country will benefit from the cash, including an arts centre in Edinburgh which will be redeveloped into a state-of-the-art hub.

It comes as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has (30 June 2023) announced the latest allocations from the second round of the £150 million COF.

The funding will help community groups take ownership of local institutions that have fallen into disrepair or are under threat of closure and give them a new lease of life, ensuring they continue to provide vital services, create opportunities and boost local economies.

Recent changes to the fund now mean that the amount of funding all projects can bid for has increased from £250,000 to £1 million, making it easier than ever for community groups to take control of prized local assets that are at risk of being lost forever.

UK Government Minister for Levelling Up Dehenna Davison yesterday said:

This cash will support great projects that will provide better opportunities for people across Scotland. We want people to thrive within their communities, and preserving their local institutions is a vital part of that.

UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord yesterday said:

It’s great news that a further nine Scottish projects are sharing £2.03 million from the UK Government Community Ownership Fund.

Through the fund we are now supporting 24 community groups across Scotland to breathe new life into the places where they live, work and play to the tune of £5.2 million.

In total we are directly investing more than £2.4 billion in hundreds of projects across Scotland as we help grow our economy and level up the country.

The nine Scottish projects are:

• £250,000 to restore and transform the vacant and derelict historic St Andrews & St Stephens Church in Perth into an active and thriving youth/community Hub.
• £300,000 to repair and refurbish the John O’Groats Mill in the Scottish Highlands so it can function once again as a community hub.
• £250,000 to rebuild North Edinburgh Arts into a state-of-the-art hub.
• £90,000 for Portobello Town Hall in Edinburgh for essential repairs and renovations needed to provide a suitable space for the community to host a variety of events.
• £250,000 to renovate Silverburn Flax Mill in Leven so it can attract visitors, create employment opportunities and provide new resources for the local community.
• £300,000 to redevelop the derelict Old Clyne School in the Highlands to create a visitor attraction and community museum/heritage centre.
• £111,000 to enable Caring Operations Joint Action Council in Glasgow to purchase its current premises, a disability resource centre.
• £182,073 for New Trotters in Cumnock to refurbish the former Trotters building, reviving New Cumnock’s town centre by repurposing a prominent, vacant, eyesore building.
• £300,000 to renovate Laxdale Hall on the Isle of Lewis.

Community Ownership Fund: prospectus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Community Ownership Fund: successful bidders – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Community Ownership Fund: successful bidders – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)