40 community organisations across South Carrick and Wigtownshire share £235,675 in the Kilgallioch Community Fund’s winter funding round.
As the year draws to a close, Kilgallioch Community Benefit Company would like to wish everyone within the Fund’s area of operation a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year when it comes.
2021 has been another busy year for the Company, which was only founded in 2017 but has already distributed over three million pounds to communities right across the area of benefit.
Charities and community groups across Wigtownshire and South Carrick are
celebrating being awarded grants from the Kilgallioch Community Fund in its winter round of grant making, with awards totalling £193,675 in the open grant-making round.
In addition, the Company, which is run by a team of 12 local volunteer directors, is delighted to announce that it is has written to all 21 established Community Councils in its area of operation offering a small grant of £2,000. The KCBC Board recognises it has been another challenging year for community activities and KCBC hopes this grant will provide a little bit of positive news to end the year on.
In recognition of the times we find ourselves in, KCBC has made a number of awards in this Winter round aimed at supporting people affected by disadvantage; bringing people back together in 2022; and focusing on the future of our
communities, by supporting initiatives for young people and families.
Awards include: the Galloway Action Team (£18,793), the Whithorn Trust’s Re:Build project (£19,140) and Stepping Stones for Families (£19,000), which in different ways support brighter futures for people, particularly younger people in our communities; younger people will also benefit from awards to Wigtownshire Rugby Football Club (£15,775) and Newton Stewart Football Club (£17,798). The Machars Car Club (£6,120), Newton Stewart Cinema (£1,800), Creetown Country Ceilidh Festival Group (£8,020) and Kilsture Community Forest Group (£1,400) will bring people together across a diverse range of events next year; while Kirkdale Hall (£7,664), Portpatrick Community Development Trust (£10,312) and Colmonell
Community Association (£10,443) will all have improved community buildings in 2022.
A huge success story in this round has been the Glentrool & Bargrennan Community Trust (awarded £ 17,017), a Cree Valley project which has raised just under one million pounds to renovate and revitalise the old school in their community to become a multipurpose community and visitor hub which will also generate income through self-catering accommodation, helping the facility to become sustainable.
Kilgallioch Community Fund has supported this project at three key stages over the last three years – when the project was just starting out and needed support to kickstart its feasibility plans, when the group needed to raise funds for the capital renovation and, in this round, KCBC was delighted to support the final piece of the puzzle in this well planned and ambitious project – by funding all the furniture and fittings for the building, now called The Hive, which is due to open in spring 2022.
Chair, Meta Maltman said:
“This award from the Fund will enable us to open to the public. We are a small but determined community, and we are absolutely delighted to have been able to complete this big capital project. We hope it will not only help sustain our local community but bring new people in, as residents and as visitors. We very much look forward to opening next year and we hope you will come and visit us at The Hive.”
The fund, provided by Scottish Power Renewables from its Kilgallioch Windfarm, is distributed by Kilgallioch Community Benefit Company, with administrative support from grant-making charity Foundation Scotland. The Company is run by a Board of local volunteer Directors.
Nick Walker, KCBC Chair, said:
“As 2021 draws to a close, on behalf of the Board of KCBC, I would like to offer our appreciation to all of the organisations, large and small, bringing benefit to people right across Wigtownshire and South Carrick with an amazing array of community action. We wish everyone a happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.”
The next deadline to apply is the Monday 7th February 2022. You can see all the awards made and information on how to apply at www.kilgallioch.co.uk
