'Varied, ambitious and innovative' project bids secure share of £450K community regeneration funding from Highland Council Isle of Skye and Raasay committee
ALMOST half a million of funding was today agreed for a variety of community regeneration projects in Skye and Raasay.
Highland Council's Isle of Skye and Raasay area committee agreed to fund 16 projects from the Community Regeneration Fund totalling £450,942.47. That includes £10,147 from the Islands Emergency Fund which has restricted funding criteria.
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Community Regeneration Funding is an umbrella term for funding streams available for communities/organisations to access and support economic regeneration and sustainable development in Highland. This round of funding includes the Highland Coastal Communities Fund and the Place Based Investment Programme, both of which are Scottish Government Funding with devolved allocations. Decision-making on which projects should receive funding sits with councillors.
Skye and Raasay area committee chairman, Cllr John Finlayson, said: “The communities of Skye and Raasay are proactive in their involvement in shaping the Skye and Raasay vision for the future and as such the 16 funding applications received were varied, ambitious and innovative.
“The 16 projects approved today were done so according to RAG rating formula and the committee had to make difficult decisions as the fund was oversubscribed. The projects awarded demonstrate economic recovery; community resilience; mitigating impacts of the climate/ecological emergency and/or addressing the challenges of rural depopulation.
“On behalf of the area committee, we would like to thank all the applicants involved, many of which are community volunteers. We wish the projects awarded funding today the best of luck and look forward to progress reports coming to ward meetings in the future, and for those with award conditions, details of these will be provided by the Community Regeneration Fund team.”
Within Isle of Skye and Raasay, the following allocations are available for distribution:
• Highland Coastal Communities Fund (capital/revenue) - £372,635.47
• Place Based Investment Programme (capital) - £68,160
• Islands Emergency Fund (capital - restricted use) - £10,147
Total funds available - £440,795.47 (plus £10,147 Islands Emergency Fund)
Projects awarded Community Regeneration Funding at the Isle of Skye and Raasay Committee today:
Cuillin FM t/a Radio Skye - Cultural Journalist Pilot Programme Extension £14,081
Broadford & Strath Community Company - Community Co-ordinator & Development £10,250
Ionad Throndairnis - Guthan na Tire (Voices of the Land) £30,000
Broadford & Strath Community Company - Skye Event Space £50,000
Cuillin FM t/a Radio Skye - Radio Skye Accommodation Pods £15,000
Skye Iconic Sites Partnership - Quiraing Loop Path Reinforcement £90,000
SkyeDance - Building connection & community through dance £25,939
Skye Connect - Skye Cycle Network – Development Stage 2 £16,500
Uig Community Hall Association - Environmental and Accessibility Improvements £9,000
Hebridean Diving Services - Coastal Defence at the South of Stein Jetty 35,058
Glendale Community Hall Association - Hall Flood Defence Measure Upgrade & Hall Maintenance £10,146.22
Sleat Community Trust - Overhauling Sleat Renewables Wood Fuel Supply £11,220
Uig Community Trust - Uig Regeneration Projects £22,500
Portree and Braes Community Trust - Home Farm Hub £64,138.66
Portree and Braes Community Trust – Finance & Admin officer £18,412
Portree and Braes Community Trust – Matheson Place Playpark £21,000
In total, Skye and Raasay members awarded £443,244.88 of available Community Regeneration Funding, leaving a balance of £7,697 which will be rolled over to the next round of Community Regeneration Funding and added to the devolved allocations for Skye and Raasay.
The full report, including the applications submitted for the Community Regeneration Funding can be found here.
