Dingwall Men's Shed, local angling club and youth group secure share of £21K regeneration fund boost

PROJECTS tackling loneliness and isolation, offering a step-up to anglers and enhancing a Dingwall 'craft village' vision have been given a boost with a share of a £21K handout.

Highland Council's Dingwall & Seaforth committee members this week assessed applications submitted to the area’s Community Regeneration Fund.

The successful applicants were:

• Dingwall Men’s Shed, who secured £5500 towards its community craft village project

• High Life Highland, which secured £8830 towards its Dingwall Youth Club access and engagement project
• Dingwall and District Angling Club, which secured £6800 for a project to put replacement steps in place leading down to the River Conon.

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Councillor Graham MacKenzie, chair of the Dingwall & Seaforth area committee, congratulated the successful applicants and said: “We are delighted to be able to support all three applications – these projects have sound plans in place to deliver outcomes aimed at enabling economic recovery, regeneration, and community resilience.

“We look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition for the benefit of the local community and its residents.”

Community Regeneration Funding is an umbrella term for a number of funds that are available for communities/organisations to access in Highland.

It comprises elements of the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund along with the Highland Coastal Communities Fund and the Place Based Investment Programme, both of which are Scottish Government Funding streams to support economic regeneration and sustainable development in Highland.

Dingwall Men’s Club will use their allocation of funding for a community craft village project. The project will encourage members of the community – particularly those who have become socially isolated and disconnected from society – to develop contacts and networks in the hope of re-gaining a sense of self-worth and practical achievement through group participation.

High Life Highland’s Dingwall Youth Club Access & Engagement project will use their allocation of funding to widen the provision of weekly youth club sessions for young people in the Dingwall Associated School Group. One area of focus is on assisting those who experience issues which impact upon their mental health and wellbeing, including social isolation and loneliness, to have increased access to qualified youth workers within a safe space.

Finally, the Dingwall and District Angling Club will make use of the funds they were awarded to provide replacement steps leading down to the River Conon and ensuring that people can access the river bank safely. These will be located on the northside of the road bridge on the A835. The club proposes to remove the existing steps during April so that the project is completed and available for public use before the summer months.

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