PR Grant Awards 2020-R2 Published on 1st June 2020
COMMUNITY GROUPS BENEFIT FROM OVER £48K IN LATEST FUNDING ROUND
Three community projects are to benefit from over £48k of funding following the Caithness & North Sutherland Fund’s latest grant awards.
CNSFund Chairperson David Glass said “Our latest grant awards help to further enhance community facilities and attractions that will contribute towards a sustainable future for our area. These latest community projects will not only benefit those living here, but will also support our tourism sector after visitor restrictions are removed. We also wish to highlight that we are continuing to accept applications during the current pandemic. Our staff are working from home and we are conducting our assessment meetings by teleconferencing to ensure as little disruption as possible. We are also liaising with our grant recipients who have had to postpone some of their planned events or activities in order to look at how these can be rescheduled where this is possible”.
The Association of Northern Trails Scotland was granted £30,000 towards the costs of creating a new trail development manager post to take the John O’Groats Trail project forward through its next development stage. This will involve the delivery of a two-year major development programme that will see further trail developments and activities as well as promoting the walking trail on a much wider scale.
Jay Wilson, Chair of the Association of Northern Trails Scotland, said "We are very grateful for the funding support awarded by the CNSFund. Our work to date, which has been carried out by dedicated volunteers, has demonstrated that the John O’Groats Trail project is a viable destination for walkers from around the world, as well as local recreational users. We have seen that the number of users is only limited by the quality of the trail infrastructure and the grant will help us to appoint the expertise needed to take the trail to the next level. This will continue to grow the tourism and sustainable recreation potential of the area, while raising its profile as an international destination."
Other awards included £10,000 to Thurso Golf Club towards purchasing a new hybrid greens mower to help the club maintain and enhance its course greens to the quality standards expected. The golf club provides an important recreational facility for the Thurso and surrounding area and also works with numerous visitor initiatives to promote and develop golf tourism in the area.
Caithness & Sutherland Vintage & Classic Vehicle Club was awarded £8,500 towards the costs of a new towable box trailer and a steel storage container to enhance the running of the popular annual vintage & classic John O'Groats rally event and to support the club’s ongoing community activities for many years to come.
The CNSFund is funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and distributes money to community projects that increase the attractiveness of Caithness and North Sutherland as a place to live, work and invest. Applications are assessed on a quarterly basis and information on how to apply can be found at the CNSFund website, www.cnsf.org.uk or by phoning 07841 204 982. The deadline for applications for the next funding round is the 26th of June.