Easter Ross projects set for share of £135,466 funding with more info requested from several more hopefuls

MEMBERS of Highland Council's Easter Ross area committee have approved £135,466 of funding bids aimed at supporting economic regeneration and sustainable development in the area.

Communities were invited to apply for Community Regeneration Funding, an umbrella term for accessible funding streams which comprise of the Highland Coastal Communities Fund and the Place Based Investment Programme.

Area committees are awarded devolved allocations according to approved formulae and decision-making on which projects should receive funding sits with elected Members.

Within Easter Ross, the following allocations are available for distribution

• Highland Coastal Communities Fund (capital/revenue) - £105,483

• Place Based Investment Programme (capital) - £238,560

• Total funds available - £344,043

Today Easter Ross Area Committee members approved £135,466 of funding for a number of worthwhile local projects.

Of the eleven projects which submitted a bid for funding, members approved six and deferred five pending the receipt of further information.

Chairman Derek Louden, declared an interest in this item and was required to excuse himself from the meeting. The item was taken by vice-chairman of the Easter Ross Area Committee, Cllr Molly Nolan.

Cllr Nolan said: “We received a large number of very worthwhile applications for Community Regeneration funding, and we are pleased that by approving many of them today that communities in Easter Ross will soon see the many benefits they will bring.”

Approved bids are:

• Tain Heritage Trust - The Picture House Regeneration Project was awarded £54,131 of funding and will be used to carry out tanking works, the installation of under-floor heating and repairs and rainwater works.

• Tain Youth Café YMCA was awarded £12,672.20 which will go towards a continuation project to provide youth work development including holiday support programmes for families in Tain.

• Evanton Social & Event Group - Evanton Lunches for over 60s received £2700 funding which will be used to provide meals at a fortnightly lunch event as well as delivering meals to house bound residents within Evanton.

• Ross Sutherland Rugby Club was awarded £30,000 to improve the club’s external areas, including repairing and upgrading existing floodlights at the club's main ‘top pitch’ area and upgrade existing floodlights and install new ones in the car park outside the clubhouse at the ‘bottom pitch’. These will extend the hours the clubhouse and pitches can be used.

• Befrienders Highland - Extending mental health funding received £10,825 which will be used to sustain and grow the offer of face-to-face mental health befriending services in Dingwall, Alness and Invergordon, and to extend this in Tain. The project aims to recruit one full time equivalent coordinator (two part-time posts). The coordinator will recruit, train and match volunteers with suitable referrals.

• CCAST - Mansfield Estate support programme applied for £25,137 to employ a part-time hub worker for the estate – three times a week for 14 months. Working on a range of community initiatives and supporting the Highland Council tenancy participation officers. Members approved the funding, subject to a letter from Highland Council tenant participation officers.

Deferred bids are:

• Milton Community Woodland – Solar Panel Upgrade bid for £20,000 to replace old/broken solar panels and replace with new/efficient ones. Members agreed to defer this bid until further detail was provided.

• Milton Community Woodland applied for £90,074.41 to carry out path maintenance. Members agreed to defer this project until full details are provided.

• Invergordon Naval Museum and Heritage Centre bid for £23,000 to install new electrical heating system so they can open as a heat hub and open the museum on a regular basis. Members agreed to defer the application which they felt lacked detail about how this will evolve going forward.

• Royal British Legion Scotland, Invergordon Branch applied for £14,155 to carry out the refurbishment of the Legion Hall. Members agreed to defer this application and requested further information from the applicant. Members did agree this was a worthwhile application and committed to providing support to the applicant.

• Change Mental Health - (previously Support in Mind Scotland) - Easter Ross Outreach sought £26,342 to recruit additional a part-time outreach worker for 12-months to support 12 additional people who have complex mental health needs - based in Alness. Members agreed to defer the application with a condition that more information is required.

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