Ross-shire groups among those sharing in £2.3m lotto grants pot for Highland projects; Aultbea, Invergordon and Lochalsh groups among Ross recipients sharing in more than £100,000, while Elsie Normington Foundation's Haven Centre project in Inverness wins £1.1m and Eigg lands £1.045m to extend busy community centre
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A BUMPER lotto grant haul of almost £2.3m will be winging its way to projects across the Highlands.
The majority of the cash will be split between two projects in Inverness and on Eigg, but Ross-shire groups will benefit from more than £100,000 in support.
Aultbea Community Council has received £9275 to help it provide a delivery service and vouchers for people most affected by Covid-19 in the Wester Ross village.
IFR (Invergordon First Responders) have received £3500 to provide support to people shielding and at risk due to Covid-19 for eight months in the wider Invergordon area.
And the Skye & Lochalsh Community Care Forum SCIO was awarded £98,686 to help it deliver support services for young carers across Skye and Lochalsh.
It is expected to support 85 young people and 19 volunteers each year, and aims to build the resilience of young carers, improve their wellbeing, help them develop new skills and make new connections in the community.
The biggest share of the Highland grants is a £1.1 million award to the Elsie Normington Foundation, which is being used to help it develop its planned multi-purpose Haven Centre facility in Smithton, Inverness. The complex will provide accommodation for children and young people from across the Highlands with multiple disabilities and complex needs, as well as their families and their carers. It will benefit up to 435 people each year.
The centre complex, which is expected to require £4m in fundraising, will feature three two-bedroomed respite houses and specialist play centres, as well office space, several meeting spaces and a community garden.
Other Highland-wide bodies receiving funding to help with services in Ross-shire and the wider region include the Highland and Islands Blood Bikes service, which has received £4700. The money will be used to help it cover essential maintenance costs for its fleet of motorbikes and cars, which deliver blood samples to hospitals and healthcare sites across the Highlands.
And Youth Highland SCIO is receiving £10,000 to help it fund Covid-19 support for its core staff.
Elsewhere, the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust is receiving £1.045m to help it extend and repurpose the island's existing An Laimhrig centre "to better meet the needs of the community, businesses and visitors" as it seeks to accommodate a growing population and rising visitor levels.
Other Highland grant recipients include the Acharacle Community Company (£6758), Friends of Abbeyfield Fundraising Committee (£5000), Glen Urquhart Childcare Centre (£4423), and Road to the Isles Marketing Group (£9070).
The grants were part of a wider £12 million allocation of grants to 311 separate groups in Scotland.
Welcoming the £1.1m award to the Elsie Normington Foundation, its chairman and founder, Elsie Normington said: "This is absolutely wonderful news for the trustees of the Foundation and all those involved in the Haven Appeal. We have worked so hard on our application and are so grateful to National Lottery players for making this award possible. The project will deliver for the children in our society who most deserve our help.
Chairman of the Haven Appeal, David Sutherland, added: “This is such great news and is the major breakthrough we have been looking for in our fund-raising efforts. This National Lottery grant is a game changer, taking us more than half way to our target. It gives us real momentum for future money raising. This is a truly red letter day for everyone associated with the project.”
Announcing the funding to more than 300 projects in Scotland, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland chair, Kate Still, said: “These awards, made possible by National Lottery players, recognise the incredible work happening across Scotland to create stronger, more connected communities.
"I am delighted that some of this funding will be used to transform existing buildings into vibrant community hubs that will carry on the strong community spirit that has been so evident in recent times.
"National Lottery players can be proud to know that money they raise by buying tickets is continuing to make such a difference.”
National Lottery players raise £30 million every week for good causes in the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund in Scotland is currently focusing its funding on those projects that supporting organisations and communities to respond to the challenge of Covid-19.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk.
